Nice Workers Finishing Last in Corporate America? [AUDIO]

Nice guys and girls, you may be at risk of being overlooked for positions of power. When it comes to being a

leader in a highly competitive situation or during tough times, altruism can be perceived as a sign of weakness while selfishness and aggression can be looked upon as having strength. Those are the findings of a new study by researchers at the Kellogg School of Management, Standford Graduate School of Business and Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business.

"Do you want somebody that has dominant traits to be running your sales force? Absolutely," said Central Jersey Leadership Executive and Career Coach Bernadette Norz. But she also believes there are plenty of positions for the so-called nice guy as a collaborator, in teams and in projects that cross boundaries.

The study concluded that altruism does increase prestige, but people who are generous can appear weak or gullible. Despite the findings, most of us seem to want to work with and for people who are kind and we believe those individuals are good at what they do. But, many of us suspect that the aggressive ones succeed in moving up the ladder.

"There are many, many opportunities for people who are not taking the aggressive competitive stance," said Norz. "It's a collaborative world out there in my mind. The people with the less dominant personalities often have a high prestige factor."

A national survey by Workplace Options found that 45% said workers with more "agreeable" personalities are more successful in the workplace, 43% said more "agreeable" workers are more productive, 71% said more "agreeable" personalities make better co-workers. But, 43% said "aggressive" personalities are more likely to be noticed and rewarded.