Too Nice to Innovate? That’s the Silliest Thing I’ve Heard All Year

You know the type.

Crisp shirt. Power stance. Silicon Valley swagger. The kind of guy who thinks he’s being “provocative” when he’s really just being condescending.

Let’s call him Will.

Will flew in from the U.S. to give a keynote about innovation and entrepreneurship in Norway. His big takeaway?

“Norwegians are too nice. Too trusting. That’s why you’ll never succeed.”

And the audience, polite as ever, nodded along.

I nearly fell out of my chair.

Because here’s the thing: no one in the world is looking at America right now and saying, “Wow, I wish we had that level of trust or professionalism.”

When Arrogance Masquerades as Insight

Will’s take wasn’t just lazy. It was hegemonic.

He wasn’t analyzing Norway’s innovation ecosystem, he was exporting American dysfunction and calling it expertise.

The assumption baked into his comment is the same one I’ve heard a hundred times from visiting “thought leaders”: that success looks like them. That Silicon Valley’s brand of hyper-competitive, winner-takes-all chaos is the gold standard.

It’s the same mindset that gave us the 2008 crash, mass tech layoffs, burnout-as-a-badge-of-honor, and an economy where “move fast and break things” ended up breaking … people.

So forgive me if I’m not impressed.

What Niceness Actually Means in Norway

In Norway, “nice” doesn’t mean naïve. It means competent, collaborative, and considerate.

It means not screwing over your suppliers for short-term gains. It means trusting your colleagues to do their jobs without constant surveillance. It means recognizing that the person cleaning your office deserves just as much respect as the person signing the checks.

That’s not weakness, that’s maturity.

And it’s the foundation for one of the world’s highest levels of innovation per capita, a globally trusted brand, and an economy that doesn’t collapse every ten years because someone wanted a bigger yacht.

I’ve Lived in Both Worlds

I’ve worked in the U.S. system where fear, job insecurity, and competition fuel “innovation” until people burn out, quit, or get replaced by the next shiny hire.

I’ve also worked in Norway, where collaboration, trust, and psychological safety make people stay, share, and actually create together.

One system runs on adrenaline. The other runs on sustainability.

Guess which one produces fewer scandals, fewer lawsuits, and more balanced lives?

Will’s comment, that trust is a weakness, perfectly encapsulates why so many American companies are in crisis. They’ve mistaken dominance for competence, and fear for focus.

Trust Is the Future of Innovation

Let’s be clear: trust is not a soft skill. It’s a strategic asset.

High-trust organizations move faster because they waste less time on politics and self-protection. They take smarter risks because information flows freely. They attract talent that values purpose over prestige.

If anything, Norway’s “niceness” is what the rest of the world needs more of - not less.

The Real Weakness

The real weakness isn’t trust. It’s arrogance.

It’s the inability to imagine that your model might not be universal. It’s walking into another country and lecturing them on how to succeed all while your own house is on fire.

If the price of success is cynicism, Norway’s doing just fine.

The world doesn’t need more sharks. It needs more seahorses, steady, graceful, and thriving in community.

P.S.

This isn’t a Norway-vs-America argument. It’s a reminder that the future of innovation belongs to the systems that trust their people. If you’re a leader who still thinks “nice” is a liability, you might want to look around because the world has already moved on without you.