As an alumnus of beautiful Miami University, I attended a networking event for past Miami students at the Razorfish offices here in Chicago. Someone gave a presentation about Razorfish and threw in some career tips at the end. Among the many great tips, the presenter told us to
- Be nice
- Get stuff done
- Be smart
He claimed that very often, highly intelligent people tend to be rather arrogant, and forget to take care of points one and two. The more I think about this piece of advice, the more I agree with it! What good does it do when you work with the smartest people, but they don’t move forward, and they can’t communicate in a polite manner?
I collaborate with a person who is amazing at attracting business. It seems to me as if clients find her, and not the other way around. When I asked her how she does that, she told me that she’s just nice to people. It may seem too easy, but that’s really a big part of the secret. If you are nice to folks, and you deliver what you promised in a timely manner, then you are on a very good path. It is here that I see a huge chance for freelancers and small businesses. The limited size makes it a lot easier to remain personal, to care about human relationships and to be dedicated to deliver on time.