Stop Being Nice
Don't be nice to your employees. Just don't. I wonder what you thought about when reading those two short lines. It doesn't sound very positive, does it? The word nice can mean so many things. One dictionary listing defines it as "Pleasing and agreeable in nature." Well, I can tell you I was raised to be pleasing and agreeable to a fault and it hasn't served me very well as a boss or as a human in regular life. Another listing defines it as "Exhibiting courtesy and politeness." This one is better. For everyone, and for bosses. Time and again I've heard from leaders that they finally let someone go after giving the person many, many chances. They tried so hard to keep the person employed, find a role that would work when other roles didn't, etc etc. I've heard more than once, "I guess I was too nice." Yup. Sometimes that niceness results in a complaint after the termination, rubbing salt into the wound. I have a friend who is