‘I Value Nice’

When I was 18 we though Steve Jobs was just some guy who started a company. Then a bunch of movies came out and glorified being a prick and somehow made being a nasty individual admirable.

It’s funny how each phase of Job’s life now has real time, age appropriate imitators. There’s a version of Jobs for the startup kids up to high-ranking executives, and it’s all a very perilous example to follow.

You don’t get ahead in life by acting like Steve Jobs. Really, the intimidators, criticizers, and one-uppers get left by the wayside — who would choose to interact with someone like this? Opportunity belongs to those who make people feel comfortable, who are respectful, who make the person on the other side of the table feel smart, and, to put it simply, who are nice.

This is the connection economy, it’s the givers who win, not the takers. When there is an infinite amount of people to partner with or promote, people are going to veer towards those they like.

As I do my research for books and articles I find myself talking with immensely successful people on almost a daily basis. These are people in government, CEOs, well-connected university professors, highly respected researchers — people who have “made it” in their respective pursuits. They all have something in common: they act nothing like Steve Jobs.