“Being polite may lead to more opportunities but it doesn’t lead to the best one: the opportunity to make something remarkable. Great products create change. They’re designed to do something different and much better than average. Politeness, meanwhile, is designed to keep things in order. To pull you toward average. But in business, average won’t cut it.” – Mikael Cho
I’ll add that being polite may make people “like you” more. You’ll probably have more friends and more smiles and laughs and high fives, but will it lead to the best work? Probably not.
At Proof, being polite and constructive is expected, but what’s also expected is to be disruptive. To ask questions. To push ideas further. To push each other to be better. Challenging each other in a respectful way is the only way we can sleep easy knowing that the work we put out isn’t simply safe and average and agreeable – but disruptive, creative, and innovative.
Speak up, and let other speak up around you. It’s a sure-fire way to ensure you’re getting to the best possible outcome.