logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
18 m

The problem with being "too nice" at wor...

TED
About this episode

Are you "too nice" at work? Social psychologist Tessa West shares her research on how people attempt to mask anxiety with overly polite feedback — a practice that's more harmful than helpful — and gives three tips to swap generic, unhelpful observations with clear, consistent feedback, even when you feel awkward.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Why winning doesn't always equal success | Valorie Kondos Field (re-release)
Valorie Kondos Field knows a lot about winning. As the longtime coach of the UCLA women's gymnastics team, she won championship after championship and has been widely acclaimed for her leadership. In this inspiring, brutally honest and, at times, gut-wrenching talk, she shares th ... Show More
17m 59s
Jul 8
Confessions of an accidental killer | Gregg Ward
Author Gregg Ward spent decades grappling with guilt from a personal tragedy before recognizing a different path forward — where purpose replaced self-punishment. What he learned about transforming regret into positive change might make you rethink your own mistakes. Hosted on Ac ... Show More
13m 44s
Jul 7
Does working hard really make you a good person? | Azim Shariff (re-release)
Around the world, people who work hard are often seen as morally good -- even if they produce little to no results. Social psychologist Azim Shariff analyzes the roots of this belief and suggests a shift towards a more meaningful way to think about effort, rather than admiring wo ... Show More
14m 59s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
The problem with being "too nice" at work | Tessa West
Are you "too nice" at work? Social psychologist Tessa West shares her research on how people attempt to mask anxiety with overly polite feedback — a practice that's more harmful than helpful — and gives three tips to swap generic, unhelpful observations with clear, consistent fee ... Show More
20m 27s
Aug 2024
Job therapy and toxic coworkers, with Tessa West, PhD
Are you and your job just not clicking anymore? New York University psychology professor Tessa West, PhD, author of “Job Therapy: Finding Work that Works for You,” talks about the most common sources of job dissastisfaction, how you can figure out why you’re unhappy at work and f ... Show More
36m 4s
Nov 2023
Toxic Positivity at Work 5 | 27
Can a “nice” workplace culture be as toxic as an abusive one? This past summer, our content intern Katie Bartlett (hi Katie!) wrote a piece about the workplace culture trend toward “niceness” investigating whether or not prioritizing “nice” feedback that’s full of vague platitude ... Show More
1 h
Aug 2023
315. Jerks At Work: How To Deal With Difficult Colleagues, with Tessa West
<p dir="ltr">In this episode of The Brainy Business podcast, host Melina Palmer is joined by Dr. Tessa West, a renowned expert in social psychology and communication. They dive deep into the topic of workplace jerks, exploring the different types of jerky behaviors that exist and ... Show More
43m 19s
Jul 2024
Is People-Pleasing Holding You Back?
There's a fine line between pitching in to help your team and taking on too much at the expense of your mental health and performance. Author and coach Hailey Magee walks us through why some of us fall into people-pleasing patterns, the negative impact it can have on our careers, ... Show More
29m 52s
Jul 2024
Handling Toxic Coworkers with Tessa West
In this insightful episode of "Negotiate Anything," host Kwame Christian, Esq., M.A., sits down with Tessa West, a psychology professor at NYU, to delve into the complexities of workplace dynamics and negotiation. Tessa brings decades of research on uncomfortable conversations to ... Show More
44m 3s
Aug 2024
319: The Hidden Reason Why People Are Unhappy at Work with Dr. Tessa West
Are you or your team members feeling unhappy at work? When discussing job dissatisfaction, people often point to issues like job title or compensation. However, we frequently overlook the fact that humans have complex emotions, and sometimes, we struggle to express what we truly ... Show More
29m 56s
May 2021
Tip of the week: What's your workplace personality?
How emotional is the right kind of emotional in the workplace? It’s not an easy question to say or to answer. Society no longer expects us to be robots in the office, thank goodness. But there’s still a stigma around sharing our emotions. Links Liz Fosslien: How to embrace emotio ... Show More
4m 56s
May 2022
Top Tip: How much emotion should I show at work?
Society no longer expects us to be robots in the office, thank goodness. But there’s still a stigma around sharing our emotions. To cry or not to cry? It seems it’s all about balance. Using advice from Liz Fosslien – who uses behaviour science to make work a better place for ever ... Show More
4m 30s