A colleague recently described someone she had just started working with as “really nice” and it struck me that, in business, we tend to judge less on personality than on skill sets or position. Yet, what makes my best working relationships effective usually boils down to personality. When things get tough, business gets hard, deadlines disappear and budgets fall apart, it’s the “nice” people who come together to iron out the problems, solve the dilemmas and get the job done. I’m just as guilty as the next guy when it comes to letting anger, frustration or fear rule my behavior, but I’ve noticed that when I do, the results aren’t so great. I am fortunate that most of the people I work with consider being “nice” an important part of doing business. As for those who aren’t — I’d just as soon move on. And when I fail to live up to this, feel free to call me on it. This world is going to function a lot more justly and efficiently when we all start smiling on our brothers. (Hint hint BP!)