Brown-Nosing 101

A New Beginning

My morning routine has always been to spend some time in quiet reflection and though this morning seemed no different, indeed it was.  Today we have a new President-elect.  In January we have a new President and Mr. Obama will take on the role of the most powerful leader on the planet.   As I thought about this momentous event, I also thought about Mr. McCain’s concession speech last night and its implications and example for people in the workforce.

 

Mr. McCain indicated that though Barack Obama was once his opponent, he will now be his President and as such, he will work to respect and support him in his role.  This was a powerful example of how things work in politics and government and how things work in the corporate world, too.

 

As I put the final touches on Brown-Nosing 101 it occurs to me that people who manage to get ahead and use their full potential in the workplace are also those people (we often call them Brown-Nosers) who understand that titles and the decision processes that earn people promotions are to be respected, whether we agree with them or not.

 

When someone earns a position that you believe should have gone to you, how do you handle yourself?  Do you throw your support behind the new boss or leader or do you quietly criticize and undermine his or her authority?  Do you recognize that for some reason, known or unknown to you, the new boss has something that company leadership believes to be valuable to the future of the organization? Do you try to get to know the new boss a little better to learn what this value might be?

 

The new boss needs your support to achieve the organization’s objectives.  Once you recognize this, you become an ally and supporter.  As such, you will be someone who works in support of the company’s goals.  This support can position you in a favorable light to those who have influence over your career.  This doesn’t mean that you become a “yes” man or woman blindly agreeing with everything the new boss suggests; after all, as a wise friend and mentor once told me, if you agree with the boss on everything then apparently one of you doesn’t need to be there.  Your perspective adds value and your support can also include disagreeing in a respectful and diplomatic manner.

 

But at the end of the day in the corporate world, as in politics and government, the boss is the boss; he or she is the one who will ultimately be held accountable.   Your job includes making sure you do what you can to help him or her succeed because your career success is ultimately tied to the organization’s success.

 

Think about it….

 

L

Brown-Nosing and recession

Thanks to so many of my students who have felt comfortable enough in recent weeks (or months) to continue their gentle but constant pressure to get me back on track with the book and with my career advice. 

If the economic indicators are right, we're in for a bit of a bumpy ride for a while.  Difficult economic times always make for interesting career times since increases in unemployment usually force people to rethink their lives in ways that the status quo does not typically encourage.  So too, do other unexpected events in our lives.

Brown-Nosing and positioning negative information

I had a great question in class last night. A student asked, “What if there is a problem someplace at work and you have an idea how to fix it – would you actually make the recommendation if it meant that someone might be offended or insulted because the problem is in his/her department?”

My response was an unequivocal --- Yes, but…

This is a classic example of how the concept of positioning is critical to building alliances and relationships at work. In this case, if you can position your idea in terms that are non-threatening and that actually make the problem department manager look good, then you will not only have shown your astuteness but will most likely make an ally in the process.

 This isn’t easy but can be done if you understand the department manager’s goals, objectives, issues, idiosyncrasies and agenda. This requires some work on your part to understand the dynamics of the workplace. Successful players and certainly brown-nosers do this all the time. Does this look like what brown-nosers do? Suck up to others rather than ‘telling it like it is?”

 I’m not suggesting you don’t tell it like it is. What I am suggesting is that a little social and communication skill on your part will go much farther in making YOU look good. After all, these are skills that are critically important as you move up the corporate ladder.

 Think about it….

L

 

 

Brown-Nose to reach your career dreams

Many of us have the day off today in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King. If you are exposed to any media of any sort this day you will undoubtedly hear reference to Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

 Since we are only two weeks into the New Year, consider adding your dream job to your list of goals or objectives for 2007. Then consider how you will achieve that dream.

 For some of you this means finding a new job with a new company. For others it may mean finding a new job in a new industry or function. Some of you may recognize that if you tweak your game in their current job you can expose yourself to greater opportunity right where you are. Becoming visible in your organization – a classic brown-nosing technique – has the potential to gain you notoriety that positions you well with others when a new position, job or project is available.

Brown-nosers are Change Agents

One of the best ways to make yourself visible in an organization is by becoming a Change Agent. For purposes of this discussion I’ll define change agent as someone who supports, even actively encourages change events that are happening in the company.

 We all know people who balk at every suggestion that something be done different. But without change nothing gets done and progress is not made. Change is the antitheses of the status quo. Companies and organizations are constantly looking for ways to do things bigger, better, faster, stronger, cheaper, simpler and changing the way things are done is how this happens.

Instead of being someone who resists the inevitable changes that will occur, act like those brown-nosers in your organization who not only support the change but support those who are proposing the change and those who are accountable for delivering the result. We snicker at brown-nosers when we hear them say, “That’s a great idea boss. I’m glad to be part of your team. You can count on me.” We laugh at them, but who keeps getting what we want????

 

Brown-nosing and Politics

Over the weekend I heard a story on our local public radio station that cracked me up. Apparently there is some guy in the city who wants to run for office in his precinct but is having trouble getting the required number of signatures necessary to eliminate the hefty filing fee. So, because HE is having trouble he decided to sue, claiming that the requirement is unfair and a hardship on some people. Wahhh…..wahhhh.

What a whiner. “It’s too hard. You need to make it easier for me.” One of the commentators made a good point. “Politics is tough. If it were easy everyone would be doing it. And it certainly isn’t fair.”

 That’s pretty much what getting ahead in business is all about, too. It takes effort beyond the basics. It’s not always easy and it certainly isn’t always fair. It means getting out of your office and pressing the flesh (visibility and networking) , getting to know others (networking, connecting and visibility) and letting them know what you stand for (connecting, visibility, positioning) and how you can help them achieve their goals (positioning, networking connecting).

Diplomatic Brown-Nosing

I received an email from a student today that is a brilliant example of how to position a 'concern.' 

I teach adults who have chosen to come back to school to further their education and further their careers.  Because many of the students already hold responsible and sometimes impressive positions they are often more enlightened about organizational behavior, office politics and the skills that brown-nosers use to get noticed and get ahead.  This student was no exception.

His previous classwork had taught him that there were a handful of leaders in this class and he included himself in this group.  If I placed him on a study team as the only leader he feared he would end up carrying a greater share of the work than would be fair.  How he expressed this concern was truly artful.

Choices as Power Tools

In his book Running From Safety, one of my favorite authors, Richard Bach, advises that choices are power tools for creating a successful life.  As you think about your career goals for the year I suggest it might be a good idea to review the choices you ha™ve made in the past. They are, after all, the reason you find yourself where you happen to be today.

 I also advise that you look around at the brown-nosers in your workplace and try to see what choices they have made. If you happen to like their career trajectory then you might want to think about incorporating some of those same choices into your plan.

 To the unenlightened eye the choices that brown-nosers make may seem shallow and self-effacing, almost embarrassing. But if you look closer their true skill is in the ability to figure out how things get done in the corporate world, or should I say who gets things done in the corporate world,€“ and then leveraging their skill at connecting with people and positioning ideas to their advantage.

You have three choices this year.

1. You can choose to accept the fact that brown-nosing is not always quite what you think it is and you can learn a little brown-nosing skill of your own.
2. You can choose to hang onto your somewhat naive notion that education, smarts and good work alone will get you where you want to go and ignore any evidence to the contrary.
3. You can recognize that you should learn some of these skills but opt out, even if you know it would be in your best interest to play.

All three choices have consequences. Which tool will you choose?

 Think about it ----

 Linda

Education and Brown-Nosing

Just today I was speaking to a student who proclaimed that she didn’t need to read my book about brown-nosing because she was getting a masters degree and once she had that she would be able to write her own ticket. I didn’t have the heart to burst her bubble but anyone who has spent any time in the corporate world can tell you that education does not necessarily make you a success at work.

Your education helps. It helps you perform better at your job. It helps you understand the organization. It helps you think. It helps you see things in new and different ways. It helps you solve problems, assess risk and manage processes. But it cannot make up for people skills and it cannot make up for the brown-nosing skills I’ve been writing about ---- visibility, positioning, networking and connecting.

Yes, her degree is a ticket.  But this student fails to see that the degree is simply the ticket that she needs to be allowed into the game. A masters degree may be an upgrade from an undergraduate degree which brings with it a few more perks but once allowed into the game you still must know how to play.

 No amount of education can make up for a deficiency in personal and social skill but there are many people out there who have these skills and are quite successful without much formal education.

After all, education doesn’t make you smart, it just makes you educated.

Think about it ---- 

Linda

Happy New Year!

I’ve never been very good at making New Year’s resolutions. Or should I say I’ve never been very good at keeping New Year’s resolutions. I much prefer to consider those things I’m committed to – health, wealth, love, perfect self-expression – and try to set goals in each of these areas of my life. Some years I hit the mark and some years I don’t. 

 I missed most of my goals for last year --- breast cancer took care of that. But through my healing process I did reaffirm what is important to me and what I’m committed to.

 If you would like your career dreams to manifest, along with the rewards that implies, this is a good time to consider just how committed you are to achieving that goal. You can bet your corporate brown-nosing colleagues will be plotting their next move. You might want to do the same.

 Ask yourself these 3 simple questions.

 1. Do I love my work? 

 If you don’t love your work you won’t do it as well as someone who does. Period. Passionless work is just that. Passion is contagious and energizes others.

 2. Am I good at my job?

 If you are not good at your job you will have a hard time convincing others that you have the potential for more complicated or sophisticated tasks.  If you love your job and are good at it, that can be its own reward regardless of your rank or title.  

3. Are there at least 5 influential people at work who know about the good work I do?

 If you haven’t become visible to those people in the organization who can influence your career then you may find others moving past you while your career stalls.  The best brown-nosing ‘players’ know how to do the work AND how to work the system. 

 What is the system? It’s a collection of people, processes, procedures and policies all of which can work together for your good if you take the time and make the effort to learn about them. Once you make a commitment to understand these intricacies little will surprise or confuse you about your organization.  

Work the system or it will work you. 

Think about it ----

Linda