The Power of Nice

June 26, 2006
With a foreword by Jay Leno, how could this not be a nice book? Coauthors Thaler and Koval submit their own success in the cutthroat world of advertising as evidence that nice girls can finish first while taking home more than a dozen Clio awards along the way. Following up their bestselling look at creating compelling marketing strategies—Bang!
—they turn most truisms about business inside out, arguing that good deeds are returned, not punished. Warning against a me vs. you mentality, they even suggest helping opponents as a good way to boost a career. Game face on? Thaler and Koval say, take it off. Being genuine, they explain, produces much better results. From crediting their friendly building security guard for helping them sign new clients to recommending chocolate as an accompaniment to presentation materials and invoices, they build their case for using little gestures to get you what you want. Though a lively and pleasant read, this is not a cutesy little bonbon of a book. Well thought-out and crisply presented, it offers key principles, case studies and exercises to help make niceness habitual. Some exercises, like turning personal disappointment into positive energy, are even quite therapeutic.

Authors Thaler and Koval, the CEO and president of a large advertising agency, take turns narrating chapters in this book about using kindness in the business world. Their conversational style gives one the feeling of being in their presence and participating in a discussion. They prove through their many experiences that it really does pay to be nice. Climbing the corporate ladder should not be a process of stepping on others to the top. Rather, kindness, appreciation, and just being friendly play a big part in reaching one's goal. These two women, talented in business, writing, and speaking, make this a must-hear book for leaders in any walk of life. N.L. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine