In a time of economic strain, it seems that maintaining goodwill is more important than ever. So many of the projects that I deal with (both in public and private spheres) depend on benevolence and generosity and patience.

Losing Goodwill

One example of this concept not working was with a publisher that solicited chapters for a book. The editor mentioned that all contributors would get a free contributor copy. Then, when the book was about to be published, they sent out contracts where people signed over all rights and would only be getting a digital proof of the chapter. Not one contributor’s copy. Nothing.

The idea was that contributors would “benefit” from a third-party such as a university which would respect the peer-edited publication.

For many contributors, who put in dozens and dozens of hours of work to propose, research, write, revise, edit, and finalize the chapters, that was an unhappy moment. Not only had the norms of publishing been breached, but whatever initial trust there was gone. And the editor who worked as the “agent” of the publisher had been misinformed or had passed along inaccurate information about the complimentary copy.

Heavy on Charm

There are faculty members who consciously build the good will by laying on the charm. They will offer books for reading. They’ll do invites to concerts and coffees and meals and visits to local walking neighborhoods. They’ll share personal stories.

This is an echo of the concept of “friend-raising” instead of “fund-raising” for those who work for non-profits and charitable organizations that are dependent on those with deep pockets.

But the challenge here is that these same people will push the edges of the approved hours for the work, and that gets difficult in a workplace.

This whole strategic goodwill approach is a double-edged endeavor. Some sort of professional civility seems to be the best, with a clear awareness of social exchanges…and not stepping too far off appropriate.