[quote=zk]It seems to me that the philosophy that I frequently see being followed is more like, “be good to people who have pleasant personalities.”
When you first meet someone, that’s usually all you have to go on. But later on, when you get to know someone, it still seems to hold. I know people who are funny and sociable but who are mean or dishonest or conniving. I know people who are awkward and not smooth or sociable but who have great integrity, are very nice, honorable and unselfish. The former are, almost without exception, treated better than the latter.
The former’s transgressions are quickly forgotten about or glossed over. While the latter’s gaffes are talked about, exaggerated, or blown out of proportion.[/quote]
This may be the case with total strangers, but people you work with are a different story. You’re around them enough to know if they’re conniving jerks or not. And even if someone IS secretly a conniving jerk, it doesn’t matter – I’m not rewarding them for their personality, I’m rewarding them for being nice in the few minutes I have to deal with them. That may help change them for the better and it may not.
It isn’t perfect, but it’s better than always giving equal treatment, IMO.
