~ Ettiene De Grellet

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Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval have moved to the top of the advertising industry by following a simple but powerful philosophy: it pays to be nice. Where so many companies encourage a dog eat dog mentality, the Kaplan Thaler Group has succeeded through chocolate and flowers. In The Power of Nice, through their own experiences and the stories of other people and businesses, they demonstrate why, contrary to conventional wisdom, nice people finish first.

Turning the well-known adage of “Nice Guys Finish Last” on its ear, The Power of Nice shows that “nice” companies have lower employee turnover, lower recruitment costs, and higher productivity. Nice people live longer, are healthier, and make more money. In today’s interconnected world, companies and people with a reputation for cooperation and fair play forge the kind of relationships that lead to bigger and better opportunities, both in business and in life.

Kaplan Thaler and Koval illustrate the surprising power of nice with an array of real-life examples from the business arena as well as from their personal lives. Most important, they present a plan of action covering everything from creating a positive impression to sweetening the pot to turning enemies into allies. Filled with inspiration and suggestions on how to supercharge your career and expand your reach in the workplace, The Power of Nice will transform how you live and work.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1
The Power of Nice

For years, we have loved a particular security guard in our Manhattan office building. In fact, most of us at The Kaplan Thaler Group think the world of him. A large, jovial man in his mid-fifties, Frank brightens people’s days by giving everyone who walks into our building a huge, warm greeting. “Hello, Linda!” “Hello, Robin!” he’ll say. “Happy Friday!”

Frank’s engaging banter changed the way we started work in the morning. Instead of simply flashing our passes anonymously and making a beeline for the elevator, we found ourselves seeking out Frank and making sure to say hello. He set a positive tone for the entire day. But we never considered how Frank might be helping our business, other than preventing intruders from entering the premises.

That is, until the day Richard Davis, the president and COO of U.S. Bank, the sixth-largest bank in the United States, came to see us. For months, our entire team at The Kaplan Thaler Group had been working to create a pitch that would wow Davis and win us the huge U.S. Bank account.

At the time of Davis’s visit, it was down to the wire. We were one of two agencies still in the running for the account. Davis and his team were flying in from their executive offices in Minneapolis to meet personally with us. We didn’t realize it at the time, but in fact Davis and his staff were a bit apprehensive about the kind of treatment they’d get in New York City. The furious pace and hard-bitten “out of my way” attitude of the Big Apple had become part of the mythology of the city. They were afraid we would be too cold, too aloof.

But when Richard Davis and his team walked into our building, they received a warm, enthusiastic greeting from Frank. When Davis reached our offices a few minutes later, he was gushing about the friendly security guard. “This guy gave me a huge hello!” he said. “And all of a sudden, I thought how could I not want to work with a company that has someone like Frank? How can I feel anything but good about hiring an agency like that?” We won the account.

Of course, Davis wouldn’t have awarded us the job if he wasn’t impressed with our work. But we’ve gotta give Frank credit. With a multimillion-dollar account in the balance, it was Frank’s warm hello that helped us cinch the deal.

That is the power of nice.

The security guard wins the heart of the COO. It might sound like a Disney movie, but we can assure you it was no fantasy. We wrote The Power of Nice because we completely disagreed with the conventional wisdom that “Nice guys finish last” and “No good deed goes unpunished.” Our culture has helped to propagate the myth of social Darwinism–of survival of the fittest–that the cutthroat “me vs. you” philosophy wins the day. One of the biggest-selling career books in the past few years is called Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office. Yet this completely contradicts the way we have run our business and our lives. In less than a decade, we built The Kaplan Thaler Group into a powerhouse in advertising with close to $1 billion in billings, making it one of the nation’s fastest-growing advertising agencies. Our success was won not with pitchforks and spears, but with flowers and chocolates. Our growth is the result not of fear and intimidation, but of smiles and compliments.

It is the patient passenger who politely asks the airline ticket agent to please check one more time who gets the first-class upgrade, rather than the “I’m a triple platinum member” blowhard. It is the driver who is polite and apologetic to the police officer who sometimes is forgiven for driving over the speed limit.

But nice has an image problem. Nice gets no respect. To be labeled “nice” usually means the other person has little else positive to say about you. To be nice is to be considered Pollyanna and passive, wimpy, and Milquetoast. Let us be clear: Nice is not naive. Nice does not mean smiling blandly while others walk all over you. Nice does not mean being a doormat. In fact, we would argue that nice is the toughest four-letter word you’ll ever hear. It means moving forward with the clear-eyed confidence that comes from knowing that being very nice and placing other people’s needs on the same level as your own will get you everything you want. Think about it:

Nice is luckier in love. People who are low-key and congenial have one-half the divorce rate of the general population, says a University of Toronto study.(1)

Nice makes more money. According to Professor Daniel Goleman, who conducted research on how emotions affect the workplace for his book Primal Leadership, there is a direct correlation between employee morale and the bottom line. One study found that every 2 percent increase in the service climate–that is, the general cheerfulness and helpfulness of the staff–saw a 1 percent increase in revenue.(2)

Nice is healthier. A University of Michigan study found that older Americans who provide support to others– either through volunteer work or simply by being a good friend and neighbor–had a 60 percent lower rate of premature death than their unhelpful peers.

Nice spends less time in court. One study found that doctors who had never been sued spoke to their patients for an average of three minutes longer than physicians who had been sued twice or more, reports Malcolm Gladwell in his book Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.

It is often the small kindnesses–the smiles, gestures, compliments, favors–that make our day and can even change our lives.

Whether you are leading your own company, running for president of the PTA, or just trying to conduct a civil conversation with your teenage daughter, the power of nice will help you break through the misconceptions that keep you from achieving your goals. The power of nice will help you to open doors, improve your relationships at work and at home, and let you sleep a whole lot better. Nice not only finishes first; those who use its nurturing power wind up happier, to boot!

In the chapters ahead, we’ll show you that being nice doesn’t mean sacrificing what you want for someone else. There’s always a second, third, or even fourth solution when you apply the principles of nice.

Chapter 2
The Six Power of Nice Principles

The Power of Nice Principle #1
Positive impressions are like seeds.

Every time you smile at a messenger, laugh at a coworker’s joke, thank an assistant, or treat a stranger with graciousness and respect, you throw off positive energy. That energy makes an impression on the other person that, in turn, is passed along to and imprinted on the myriad others he or she meets. Such imprints have a multiplier effect. And ultimately, those favorable impressions find their way back to you. That doesn’t mean the waiter you tipped well will one day found a Fortune 100 company and offer you stock options (unless it was one hell of a tip). The results of the power of nice are rarely that direct. In fact, you may not notice any impact on your life for years, apart from the warm glow it gives you inside. Nonetheless, we have found that the power of nice has a domino effect.

You may not ever be able to trace your good fortune back to a specific encounter, but it is a mathematical certainty that the power of nice lays the groundwork for many opportunities down the road. These positive impressions are like seeds. You plant them and forget about them, but underneath the surface, they’re growing and expanding, often exponentially.

Here’s an example of how the power of nice has worked for us. Not long ago, we featured Donald Trump’s wife, Melania, in an Aflac commercial, at the suggestion of Aflac chairman and CEO Daniel Amos. We gave Mrs. Trump, as one of the stars of the commercial, her own trailer and made sure she was comfortable and had everything she needed. Our team treated her nicely not because she was married to a famous person, but because we have a policy of being polite and respectful to all the talent on our advertising shoots.

Months later, the producers of The Apprentice asked Linda to be a judge on one of the shows, in which the apprentice hopefuls were required to create a car advertisement:

Before the first segment was shot, I introduced myself to Donald Trump, mentioning that we were the agency that had used his wife in an Aflac duck commercial. Well, Trump clearly remembered his wife’s experience, because right before the shooting started, he leaned over and said, “You were so nice to my wife. Watch how I return the favor.”

Then he got on and described The Kaplan Thaler Group as one of the hottest ad agencies in the country–on network television! He then went out of his way to include me in the on-camera discussions. All because we were nice to his wife.

The Power of Nice Principle #2
You never know.

OK, you’re thinking. So it pays to be nice to Donald Trump’s wife. But we’re all smart enough to cooperate with the important people in our lives–the people we interact with often, like neighbors and coworkers, and the people involved in important transactions, such as mortgage brokers and prospective employers. We’re much less likely, however, to worry about, say, a stranger whom we’ll never see again. Too often, our thinking is “What does it matter?”

Diane Karnett certainly never thought the young woman she met on a train home to New York City would transform her life. The woman was visit…

About the Authors:

Linda Kaplan Thaler is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Creative Officer of The Kaplan Thaler Group, which she founded in 1997. Linda and her agency are responsible for some of the most memorable advertising in America. The hilarious quacking Aflac Duck campaign is just one of the agency’s cherished accomplishments. Read More…

Robin Koval has been a driving force in the advertising world for over 20 years. A marketing strategist and new products expert, her experience spans almost every category from beauty and beverages to distilled spirits and pharmaceuticals. Her successes include the daring”Yes, Yes, Yes” of Herbal Essences and the Aflac Duck quack heard round the world. Simply put, Robin helps marketers get noticed. Read More…

Entire Post Reprinted with Express Permission. © 2006 The Power of Nice, All Rights Reserved. Make it a point to stop by and visit The Power of Nice.com and send an e-card, start a group, and much more…

Tags: The Power of Nice, Change The World, Kindness, The Power of Kindness, One Kind Act, Making a Difference, Helping Others

~ Mother Teresa

“Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other — it doesn’t matter who it is — and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other.”

~ Mother Teresa

“You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

When I was a commentator covering the NBA playoffs for the NBA on NBC, my field producer, Pete Radovich, and I traveled countless miles to report on games in a half-dozen cities. Between the wild crowds and bright lights and intense playoff action, we experienced a lot of down time. And without fail, whether we were in an airport or restaurant or hotel lobby, we would marvel at the courtesy—or lack thereof—of our fellow Americans.

Since Pete and I are such avid people watchers, we turned our observations into a game that we called, “Find Today’s Best Good Samaritan.” It was not as easy as it sounds.

Most days, we’d spy people performing simple tasks like holding the door or assisting with the retrieval of luggage from the overhead compartment. Occasionally we’d see someone engaged in the unusual act of assisting a stranded motorist.

But mostly, we saw men and women whose only concern was protecting their own miniscule space on this third rock from the sun. They were not interested in anything other than to get where they were going, so get out of their way!

One off day, when there was not a Good Samaritan to be found, Pete told me an amazing story of someone who could have been a candidate for Good Samaritan of the Year. He was speaking of his wife, Nancy.

One night, as she waited at JFK Airport for Pete to arrive from a game in Portland, she saw a group of men load their luggage into a van and then quickly pull away. In their wake, Nancy noticed they had left something stranded on the luggage cart. She got out to investigate and realized it was a leather portfolio containing someone’s personal life story: cellular phone, keys, credit cards, a sailor book, airline ticket, and passport.

This oversight was going to be that someone’s personal nightmare.

When Pete arrived, Nancy showed him the portfolio and explained what she had seen. After further examination, Pete concluded that the portfolio’s owner was a 21-year-old Norwegian sailor who was returning home from working on a ship in the Caribbean. He had landed at JFK and was transferring to Newark Airport for his flight to Norway.

Or, at least, that’s what he thought.

Upon even closer inspection, Pete discovered a hidden compartment from which he removed 71 one-hundred-dollar bills—that’s $7,100 in cash! Finders keepers, right?

Pete admitted that, naturally, the thought of keeping the money crossed his mind. They could just return the portfolio’s contents to the airline, which would then track down the sailor and help him get safely home.

As Pete fingered the cash, Nancy painted a picture of a 21-year-old kid who had just lost his entire paycheck and all forms of identity and was stranded in a foreign country with nothing but a world of trouble. Nancy inspired her husband—battle-weary from an extra-long day—to step on the gas and drive to Newark Airport in hopes of finding the lost soul.

Along the way they let their minds wander through the many ways they could spend their newfound treasure. When they arrived at the Scandinavian Airline counter, Pete and Nancy noticed a young man, obviously a wreck, being consoled by his friends.

“Stefan?” Pete said. “I think you forgot something.”

The sailor’s eyes widened like saucers as Pete pulled out the portfolio. “How? Where? I don’t understand….”

After some small talk and an emotional goodbye, Pete and Nancy turned to go.

“Wait!” Stefan said, and thrust a wad of bills into Pete’s reluctant hand. “I insist … and thanks again!”

It was a $1,000. And as of the next morning, it was the best $1,000 that Pete and Nancy ever spent!
PC

About Pat Croce:
Since the 6th grade, when Pat Croce began delivering daily newspapers door-to-door, he has demonstrated a dynamic entrepreneurial spirit. Upon graduation from the University of Pittsburgh in 1977 with a BS in Physical Therapy and certification in Athletic Training, he pioneered the concept of sports medicine. In 1979 he opened the first sports medicine center in the United States with the Haverford Community Hospital Sports Medicine Center. Four years later, he opened Sports Physical Therapists, the first private non-hospital-based sports medicine center in the country. Ten years later, he opened the fortieth center.

Following the highly profitable sale of Sports Physical Therapists to a public company in 1995, Croce focused his entrepreneurial energy and indestructible positive attitude on the purchase of the NBA’s last-place team, the Philadelphia 76ers. During his 5-year tenure as president and minority owner (1996-2001), the team rose from worst to first in the NBA standings and broke franchise records in attendance, revenue, merchandise, and consecutive wins on the way to the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2001.

Croce’s ascension from the training room to the board room, and his remarkable success in the resurrection of the Philadelphia 76ers as a NBA championship contender, inspired NBC Sports’ Chairman Dick Ebersol to call Croce “the architect of one of the NBA’s greatest turnaround stories.”

The entrepreneurial bug bit again when Croce pursued his passion for pirates by building the world’s first authentic pirate museum – Pirate Soul – in Key West, Florida. The museum has received rave reviews from media and press around the globe. The piratical complex was completed when Croce opened the Rum Barrel restaurant/bar next door.

Croce has also tackled television in his high-energy roles as a lively commentator on the NBA on NBC; a Tae Kwon Do expert for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Greece; the host of a nationally syndicated daily TV show, Pat Croce: Moving In, syndicated by Sony Pictures Television; and most recently as a panel judge on ABC’s hit show American Inventor.

Croce has been the proud recipient of the “Entrepreneur of the Year” Award, was a finalist (with Sports Physical Therapists) for the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, and was featured on the cover of Inc magazine as “The Dale Carnegie of the 21st Century.” He continues to thrive as a serial entrepreneur, funding and launching companies in the fields of fitness, healthcare, spirits, technology, retail, real estate and entertainment.

This story has been reprinted with express permission. Copyright © 2001-2007 Pat Croce & Company – All rights reserved.

Our Thanks…
When I first read this story, I knew right away it would be a “slam dunk” with our members and visitors! It’s stories like this, that show just how powerful Kindness can be! We sincerely thank Pat Croce for allowing us to re-print the story here. His kindness will go a long, long way!

Technorati Tags: giving back, helping others, one kind act, one kind act a day, the power of kindness, good samaritan, pat croce

Not to long ago, I was introduced to Pam Thomas, founder of Make the Most of U. Pam is a Life Coach who’s passion is to help people find the assets and capabilities within themselves and around them, to move forward, accomplish goals, overcome obstacles, defeat fears, and create opportunities.

One day, while reading some of her “thought provoking” posts, I noticed a button on the side of her Blogs that read, “The Kindness Movement, Kindness is Contagious…” Needless to say, I was extremely curious and quite surprised when I clicked on this button.

Pam has created a fantastic presentation on [[Kindness]], which will make you stop, think, and take action.

Be sure to visit The Kindness Movement, take some time and reflect on what you have seen. I am sure you’ll it will motivate you to take a step in the direction of Kindness.

Thanks to Pam Thomas from Make the Most of U for allowing us to share her Kindness with everyone.

After watching this presentation please be sure to stop back and give us some feedback, or maybe a story of how this inspired you to perform a kind act. Just the simple act of sharing your story, makes more of a difference then you’ll ever know!

Your [[Friends]] at One Kind Act.com

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~ William H. Danforth – Founder of Ralston Purina

“Do not wait; the time will never be “just right.” Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.”

~ Napoleon Hill, Writer

“While you have a thing it can be taken from you… but when you give it, you have given it. No robber can take it from you. It is yours then for ever when you have given it. It will be yours always. That is to give.”

~ James Joyce

“In a world where the big things have little difference – it’s the little things that make a big difference.”

~ Peter Thomson

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“One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.

Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry and so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”

“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.” He said, “Then I thank you from my heart.” As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strengthened also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Years later, that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, he went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor’s gown, he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day, he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested from the business office to pass the final billing to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words:

“PAID IN FULL WITH ONE GLASS OF MILK….

(Signed)
Dr. Howard Kelly.”

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: “Thank You, God, that Your love is shed abroad through human hearts and hands.”

(Reprinted with Permission © Copyright 2007 www.helpothers.org)

About Help Others.org:
Help Others.orgOne college student was talking to another slightly older twenty-something guy about pranks that students do for rival football teams. The older guy says, “Isn’t it interesting that students are motivated to do such incredible acts without getting any credit?” Such acts are fun, collective, creative, and incredibly challenging. But typically, they’re not all that constructive nor do they leave anything with a lasting “wow” feeling either. So the question followed –why not do the same with kind acts?

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It was a bright Saturday morning in the late fall. I had stopped at a cafe’ to enjoy a cup of coffee and scan the morning newspaper. Suddenly, I felt a hand on the back of my jacket and heard someone say, “Hey Steve! How ya doin’?”

Looking up, I saw a boy wearing a mechanic’s uniform worn by employees of the gasoline station next to the cafe’. He looked familiar, but, at first, I was unable to recall where we had met.

He also held a cup of coffee, so I asked him to join me. Very soon, his story–and probably my coffee–began to thaw out my memory.

Five years earlier, he had been traveling home late on a February night. He still had several of his friends with him. A ferocious blizzard had arrived that afternoon, and by midnight, the snowdrifts were getting deep. He recalled hitting a drift just down the road from my house.

He had walked to my house for help. I had taken my pickup and a towing rope and pulled him out of the snowdrift and up to the highway where maintenance trucks had cleaned away the snow.

This has been a common occurrence here during the winter. I cannot count the times someone has also pulled my car from a snowdrift.

However, it was an unforgettable experience for him. He was only eighteen at the time, and he described how frightened he had been. One would not want to be stuck all night in a storm like that one. Within a couple hours, my pickup would not have made it to the highway.

As it turned out, his memory and account of that snowy night was a very unexpected–and much appreciated–kindness toward me. I thanked him sincerely for stopping to chat during his break.

His memory of our unexpected meeting in a snowstorm brightened my entire day. Since then, we have had several chats over a Saturday morning cup of coffee.

Leo Buscaglia wrote, “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

Such simple actions can indeed have an underestimated power. Many people desperately need kind words, smiles, and listening ears. They need ears that will hear without judging and respond without possessing.

One simple kindness at the right moment can change the direction of a life and shine a light of hope when all light seems to have gone out. Sometimes it has the power to save a life.

Here is a great quote that I keep in my e-journal. It was written by William Penn…

“I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.”

Make today a memorable day by sharing a smile or kind word with at least one other person. It is difficult to estimate the tremendous power and value that the simplest acts of kindness bring. However, they do not stop where they begin. Their underestimated power will continue to bring you a life of joy and memorable experiences.

© Copyright 2005 by Steve Brunkhorst. Steve is a professional life success coach, motivational author, and the editor of Achieve! 60-Second Nuggets of Inspiration, a popular mini-zine bringing great stories, motivational nuggets, and inspiring thoughts to help you achieve more in your career and personal life. Get the next issue by visiting http://www.AchieveEzine.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Brunkhorst
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Underestimated-Power-of-Kindness&id=57512

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Q. Would you like to make a difference?

A. Sure you do!

Q. Does helping to change the world sound appealing?

A. We certainly hope so.

Q. Do you have a few hours a month that you would like to put to good use?

A. Yes, you do!

Q. Would you like to be on a winning team and work with people from around the globe?

A. Hey, you never know who you’ll meet. If so, read on: We are looking for a few volunteers lend a hand and not only help One Kind Act grow, but change the world at the same time! We are currently searching for passionate people with the following skills:

• Proficient in Photoshop or similar image editing software
• HTML and PHP programming
• Familiar with WordPress or eager to learn
• Merchandising and Administrative skills

If you spare a few hours a month and are seriously interested please fill out the form at the bottom of this page. We would love to have you on the team! Thanking you in advance, The One Kind Act Team..

*Disclaimer: One Kind Act is a NON-Profit organization. Any revenue generated from the sale of merchandise will go directly towards administrative, and operating costs. All One Kind Act team members volunteer their time and effort.

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~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

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