
Why You Don't Want a Nice Boss - djcrayon
http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20160824-why-a-nice-boss-can-hurt-your-career
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kafkaesq
_I’ve seen plenty of bosses who might talk the talk about demanding
exceptional performance but, all too often, they just want employees to like
them. What’s more, they want people to speak well of them, to be “friends”
with them. ... Some of the best leaders I’ve seen, whether in research or
coaching, come to work with a razor-sharp focus on results. These immensely
successful bosses don’t care much about being liked._

He's missing the point of "niceness" (as a trait for managers) entirely. It
isn't about wanting to be _liked_ ; it's about treating people decently
because it's the right thing to do, _and_ no so coincidently is the right
strategy for getting the results, in both the short term and the long term.

The idea that people who go out of their way to treat people decently (despite
the pervasive pressures and inducements not to do) only do so out of a desire
to be "liked" strikes me as a very... shallow, and sad way of viewing the
world.

~~~
djcrayon
Exactly, I was unsure what to make of this story. While being demanding of
exceptional performance may pay off in the short term, I've seen many
environments where this creates a moral problem in the longer term - typically
leading to staff turnover.

