Brown-Nosing 101

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 brownnosers 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….

Linda

P.S. Brown-nosing 101 is finally available!  Click on the Buy the Book tab at http://brownnosingonline.com.

 

 

Breast Cancer Blues and Brown-nosing

Breast cancer awareness month is good news and bad news for me.  Good news because it means that we continue the work to understand this disease but bad news because it reminds me that I am a member of a sorority that I did not pledge.  I am reminded of my ordeal just three years ago.

I couldn't believe that less than one month after being diagnosed with breast cancer I was having trouble remaining focused. Oh my God, I thought...I'm human! What a difficult way to learn this lesson.   Of course, a diagnosis like this made me spend some time thinking about what it means to be human and in line with my objective here - to bring my message of competent brown-nosing to the world of repressed talent - it also caused me to reevaluate how I might use this adversity to that end.

I've been spreading my home grown brand of brown-nosing through this blog for a while now and even this cancer experience has shown me how these four skills - gaining visibility, connecting, networking and positioning - are used by all of us all the time. For those of you who can't imagine using 'brown-nosing' skill to further your own agenda, let me share a real world example from this experience.

I Hate Corporate America

Last night I was thinking about a new 'crop' of MBA students in a strategy class I recently taught. Since I haven't had any of these students in any previous class I started off the class with my usual question, "Why did you come back to Graduate School?"

There were the usual responses - to get a better job, to fortify my resume, because I was bored....and then there was the guy who said, "Because I hate Corporate America. All I know is IT and I figured I should learn more about business, though I don't think I"m cut out for a corporate job.  The only thing corporations and the people who work there are interested in is money and getting ahead and they'll step on anyone to get there."

"Oh," I smiled, moving in a little closer for the kill.  "And where do you work now?" 

He replied, "XYZ company" (Note: one of the biggest companies in town). 

"How long have you been there?" 

"About 3 years."

"Where did you work before?"

" ABC Company."

"Why did you move to XYZ Company?"

"For more money and a promotion."

"Oh," I said.  I stopped there, smiled, and waited for the snickering to subside as it made its way around the classroom.

In the past I have tried to be a bit more empathetic and  probing to learn the reasons why particular students felt this way, but for some reason I couldn't stop myself last night. It's like the guy was 'stuck on stupid' (remember the National Guard's General Honoree?).  Here he is most of the way through an MBA program and he still doesn't understand what business is all about.   

Like it or not, business IS about money.  No company can survive the long haul if it doesn't make money.  No money --- no products, no profit for your profit sharing plan, no jobs, no benefits, no decent return for your 401K or IRA, blah, blah, blah.  NO ONE starts any type of business - for profit or not-for-profit without knowing that they will have to generate revenue (i.e. money) and eventually generate a return to either pay back those people who took the risk to invest in the venture or to deliver the services they hope will make the world a better place.  I have to wonder what part of this the student didn't understand?  The irony and hypocrisy of this situation still has me  dumbfounded.

First Impressions and Initial Positions

Earlier this week I talked about positioning.  Positioning helps you make an impression about yourself, your idea or ideas, and consequently your ability.  You must always be aware of the impression you are making on those who have the potential to influence your career.

 I once heard a story of a woman who decided to attend a business event, even though she was nursing the flu. She had just started working for the company and though under the weather, she believed it would do her more harm if she didn’t attend and show people that she was a team player and committed to the organization. Besides, she reasoned, she would have the chance to introduce herself to a number of key leaders whom she had yet to meet.

Though normally quite socially adept and naturally extroverted, this particular evening she was feeling so bad that she was extremely quiet. Other than the obligatory handshakes and small talk she remained distant and somewhat aloof, trying to keep herself upright throughout the evening.

Later, much to her chagrin, she learned that several people to whom she was introduced made comments to each other about how she was ‘different’ than they had expected. Some even wondered if she had ‘fooled’ them during the interview process and whether or not she truly was a good ‘fit’ for the organization.

Building Alliances with Positioning Skill

Positioning is one of the greatest brown-nosing skills in the brown-noser's arsenal and it is one that all of us would be wise to understand and learn.  During these troubled times, when people are somewhat uneasy about their positions at work, is not the time to keep your head down and not rock the boat.  Now is the time to step up and show how you add real value by positioning your ideas in a way that illustrates you have the organization's best interest in mind.  It also helps you build alliances which fortifies your professional network -  always a good thing, but even more important now.  Here's a simple example from the book, Brown-Nosing 101: A career survival manuel for the rest of us, that shows how this can be done. 

I once overheard a conversation about trade show booths. A group of marketing and sales people were discussing how best to increase their product's exposure at national trade shows. The booth that the trade show team set up to present the company had been in use for many years and was universally deemed to be a bit dated and ineffective. During the course of the conversation, one member of the team said, rather forcefully, “Look, we need to invest in something new. Let’s face it, this thing is terrible.”

While most people in the room agreed, but I couldn’t help thinking to myself, “What if someone in this room had originally suggested the booth that was currently being used? By saying it was terrible, is it possible that the person might feel threatened or offended? Might that person begin to think that he made a bad decision? Or that he was being challenged?  Might it put him on the defensive for making the original decision?" 

Now, in all fairness, the critics were quite right: I saw the booth--it was terrible. Sometimes, with the passage of time, good ideas become bad ones. It would be nice if everyone recognized this and get over any personal attachment they have to ideas that have passed their time. However, I am well aware that not everyone feels the same way I do.

 

Career Tip #9 - Sychronizing your Brown-Nosing Skill in YOUR Culture

You may have noticed that all four of the brown-nosing skills I've mentioned here - Networking, Connecting, Positioning, and Visibility - are virtually always used in conjunction with the others.  They work together in a seamless attempt to garner you some favor with those people that have the ability to make something good happen for your career.

When you speak up in a meeting you create instant visibility as well as position yourself as someone who has something of value to bring.  Your words position your idea in a manner that you believe will be beneficial to others and as a consequence you make a connection with them.  Your ultimate objective is to get a promotion or pay raise or prestigious assignment, but your approach has others in mind.

When you take an idea to your boss, you connect with her on some personal level in an attempt to insure that she will actually listen to what you have to say.  Then, you position your idea in terms of what is in it for her.  Your intention is to be considered as someone with potential to think bigger than your own job, but your approach starts with how to make others look good.

Career Tip #3 - Positioning and your career

So I'm teaching a Srategy class a few weeks ago and one of my students presents me with this dilemma.  "How come whenever I take an idea to my boss, it gets shot down?  I know they have merit - am I doing something wrong?"

Duh - if the ideas have merit and are still getting shot down then yes, you are doing something wrong.

All ideas have a time and place.  And in business, ideas are used to further objectives.  So you must present your ideas at the right time, in the right place, to serve some other purpose (other than your own), to the right person who can say yes.  A very important point to keep in mind is that virtually everyone in a company can say no to an idea - but very few can say yes.  Part of your task is learning who can say yes - i.e. cut loose with the resources that will be needed - time, talent, money, materials, etc.  But I digress ---