LAST week I had the idea for this article, which was “nice guys finish first”. And then came the result of the US election.

I thought both candidates were unimpressive. But it wasn’t their qualities that depressed me, as much as the tone of the debate. Like our referendum – and the rancour that continues after it – the presidential contest was bitter, divisive and, at times, downright nasty.

Does it have to be that way? In politics, maybe it does. Maybe social media means that a murky business will inevitably get ever murkier.

Will business go the same way? The popular stereotype remains the ruthless entrepreneur: the man best portrayed by Gordon Gekko in Wall Street, where nice guys finish last and lunch is for wimps. But as I look round the TAB boardroom table I don’t see Gordon Gekko – or Donald Trump.

You might argue that it’s self-selecting: that I wouldn’t want to work with people like that and they wouldn’t want to work with me. But I think it goes deeper than that.

When I first started this blog I jotted down a few notes on how I wanted to come across: Nice guy – loves his family – knowledgeable about business – could help you – good experience working with him.

I wonder now if I was subconsciously defining the clients I wanted. As I look round a TAB table what do I see? Interesting people who are interested in others – who have ethics and values – who want to grow and who want to help others grow – who respect others – who want to know themselves better – and who are, without exception, “nice guys”. And despite having what our archetypal entrepreneur would see as dreadful handicaps – respect and time for other people, ethics and values – the people I see are all successful. They’ve all finished – or are on their way to finishing – first. Clearly, ‘first’ means different things to different people. But there is one common thread running through the definitions of “first” around a TAB table.

“First’” is long term. It’s about developing and nurturing relationships and helping other people along the way. It’s also about people trusting you: and the only way to guarantee that will happen is to treat people well and to deliver on your promises.

In short, the best way to finish first in the long term is to be a “nice guy”..So as I look at the nastiness in politics, I’m desperately hoping it doesn’t spill over into business. I absolutely hope we’re not inspiring a generation of children with the message that the best way to win is to unleash a barrage of hostility via social media and then refuse to accept the result if it has the temerity to go against you.

There are two reasons for this: firstly business is going to be a much less welcoming place. Secondly – and rather more importantly – there are going to be far more failed businesses.

Success – as the old saying goes – is a journey, not a destination. And on that journey we all need to work with other people and develop long-term relationships. In short, we all need to be nice guys…