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Can Leaders Be Too Nice?

Can a leader be “too nice” to be effective in all situations?

Dr. Christine Riordan, Dean of the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business, has done research in this area and reports that “being too nice won't boost you up the corporate ladder.”

As readers consider their own situations, ask if these comments have ever been given as feedback on performance:

"won't make hard decisions;" "doesn't manage conflict;" "not sure he can lead us through hard times;" "too much of a pushover;" "nice person but never gets anything done"

I really enjoyed the summary of her research. Access it at:

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2194-Workplace-Issues-On-the-Job-Nice-Guys-May-Finish-Last/?sc_extcmp=JS_2194_advice&catid=wi&SiteId=cbmsnhp42194&ArticleID=2194&gt1=23000&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=58366e7f6ebe41ed8dcdcdf5cf3081a9-319809240-wn-6

accessed 2-18-10