Good behavior for executives: Being authentically nice has advantages

Being nice actually helps in all circumstances. But it has to be real: The better you know yourself and recognize, if niceness is applied or genuine.

Executive - soft or dominant?

Between bosses and their employees is certainly a closer and longer-term relationship given, as at the counter, the doctor or judge.

It's a dilemma. Are you as Executive too dominant, they don't like you. Are you too nice, it is not easy to assert yourself and the staff will dance on your nose from time to time.

To be nice without being considered submissive?

When you think of nice, you likely think of polite, kind, but also submissive. Indeed, it is easy to confuse niceness with submissiveness, but there is no connection between the two terms.

To be submissive means to submit to the will of another person or thing, while being nice is defined as being kind, polite, and benevolent. And a Manager can be nice, kind, and polite without being considered submissive. But it's a tightrope walk.

Management by buddy widespread in Germany

Management by mate is often to be found in Germany, i.e. a relatively relaxed way of dealing with one another. On the other hand, dominance and niceness are often seen as opposing poles. But is it really these two extremes that make it so difficult?

Lots of employees say goodbye to themselves and the boss, and in everyday life they act more like that colleagues as like boss and “subordinate”. That changes with larger ones Companies and older executives.

Authority in danger?

But even there it is by no means so strict Guide by instructions, as is the case in many other countries. There is the hierarchy clear and dominance is lived out and accepted.

Management by mates holds dangers. At least many fear this because you see your authority at risk. To a buddy opposite are faster times a loose saying or even clear words said.

It's worth to be nice

But numerous studies show that we prefer to support people we like. To nice bosses the loyalty and the commitment increase.

Being nice is not worth it for bosses. So studies show why it's worth being nice.

Examples of nice, ongoing behavior

Here are four examples:

• At the counter, Netten is better helped with problems
• Doctors take longer and better care for nice patients
• The sympathy of a politician is more selective than political issues and party affiliation
• Judges decide more frequently in favor of the more sympathetic party

The same applies to the Communication and the collaboration between boss and employees. Because employees are only human.

Employees are only human

Therefore, a tormented smile in the morning or a cloaky praise is not enough. If you perceive your employees as people and show off the sympathetic side, this has above all positive consequences:

• Employees are more committed to a friendly boss
• If you have trouble as a boss from another side, they support you to the best of our ability and strengthen your back
• Health and fluctuation are lower among a nice boss
• The atmosphere in the office is better, which leads to less friction and conflict in the office Team leads
• In addition, fewer happen Error and problems are addressed more openly
• Employees are generally more loyal and honest

Being nice does not mean adapting to others

So there are a lot of advantages to working with its employees. But that does not mean to offer you a drink in the evening and to have a barbecue or a sport at the weekend.

Because that's where the misunderstanding happens. German executives often believe that when one is nice to one another, one has to adapt to the other generally.

When typical boss signals are missing

You can see this, for example, in the clothes that do not correspond to the boss status, but are just as casual as those of the employees and send the signal: I'm your buddy, you can trust me

Or the fact that there are hardly any differences in terms of seating arrangements, behavior towards one another or towards others and the like. In truth, it's not about better leadership, it's about the personal feeling of the Executive: You want to be loved and liked.

Bosses also want to feel like good people

You have to say: It goes without saying that being nice to others is a wonderful thing. And it's also true that being nice can have a significant impact on how our everyday work goes:

We just feel better when we're nice. But that doesn't mean you as a leader conflicts should avoid in order to be nice and not offend anywhere. In such moments it becomes clear that being nice can also have its downsides.

Why authority is still important

Authority is important, otherwise instructions are not taken seriously. However, authority has nothing to do with gross dominance or making the employee feel in every situation that he is "only the employee" and you are the boss. This other extreme can also be experienced frequently.

This not only seems to be off the beaten path for German employees, but also challenges boycotts and sabotage on a small scale: “The boss should find out for himself that XY is angry. I don't tell him! After that I'm to blame again… ”or“ The boss doesn't believe in all seriousness that I'll do something with the salary on Saturday! ”

Top books on the subject

Read text as PDF

Acquire this text as a PDF (only for own use without passing it on according to Terms & Conditions): Please send us one after purchase eMail with the desired title supportberufebilder.de, we will then send the PDF to you immediately. You can also purchase text series.

4,99€Buy

Book eCourse on Demand

Up to 30 lessons with 4 learning tasks each + final lesson as a PDF download. Please send us one after purchase eMail with the desired title supportberufebilder.de. Alternatively, we would be happy to put your course together for you or offer you a personal, regular one eMail-Course - all further information!

29,99€Buy

Skate eBook as desired

If our store doesn't offer you your desired topic: We will be happy to put together a book according to your wishes and deliver it in a format of your choice. Please sign us after purchase supportberufebilder.de

79,99€Buy

Corporate publishing and advice

Do you want to publish, increase your reach or address applicants as an employer? We offer specials for these and other topics Consultant packages (overview) - For example, a personal phone call (price is per hour).

299,00€Buy