Brown-Nosing 101

Are you a Brown-Nosing Cynic?

I've received some interesting emails from readers of this blog who seem to think that these Brown-Nosing skills are not needed for you to get a promotion.  In fact, some of you continue to believe that being good at your job is all that should be required and you are even whining about the fact that your organization is full of brownnosers and you can't get anywhere and I'm doing nothing but promoting the behavior.  No, I am not promoting being a brownnoser.  I am promoting the use of the skills that brownnosers use which is a BIG difference.  

If you think that building relationships and alliances, creating visibility for yourself and your work, positioning yourself and your ideas in ways that make people see their value and being able to make fundamental human connections with others is all a bunch of bunk, allow me to enlighten you by sharing a lesson - one I like to call Organizations and Careers 101.

As you continue to take on increasing levels of responsibility in your organization the skills required to be successful at those levels changes.  There are three types of skills that people need at work; technical skills, human relations skills, and conceptual or strategic skills.

Another Quick Brown-Nosing Tip - What are your Assets?

Today, I've got a quick tip for you to help you understand the power and the tools you have at your disposal when trying to outmaneuver brownnosers at work. 

The other night I watched a finance class talk about assets and how they are used to help a company make money.  Hum, I thought.  When it comes right down to it, we all have assets that we use to make money. They are called our skills, knowledge, abilities, education, perspectives, experience, expertise, attitudes....

Have you ever watched a brownnoser with his or her boss?  The brown-noser ALWAYS knows what he brings to the table in terms of his assets.  It may just be a word of encouragement with little substance behind it, but he knows when someone needs encouraging, doesn't he?  Isn't that why we dislike him so?  It's as if he's got a some sort of tracking device that can sniff out opportunities to get in front of the boss and look good.  Not so - he simply knows what his assets are and then puts them into play to help him make money, friends, influence people, get jobs, get your promotion, etc.

Here's what I want you to do.  Take an inventory or your assets.  How can you possibly position yourself or your ideas if you don't know what you have to offer?  Be careful - this requires some soul-searching and an honest attempt to assess yourself.  Don't discount anything and don't assume that simply because you aren't allowed to use an asset at this particular time that it should not be on your list.

What would a brown-noser do?

I've categorized this post as Purpose of Work because in all of our careers - our lives- there comes a time  when some event pushes us to examine how we spend our time.  One of those events came for me a little over three years ago when I was diagnosed with breast cancer.   The big "C".  Swell.  The good news is that we caught it early so my prognosis is excellent.  But I must admit I was stunned at first. Once the shock wore off I realized that I was more determined than ever to make every moment matter,  since I don't know how many of them I have left.  Do any of us?   Do you know how many of them YOU have?

This is the very reason I decided to tackle this subject - brown-nosing.  Sounds like an odd subject to wrap a mission around but  in my time out there in corporate America I have seen too many people become angry or disappointed, even depressed about their jobs, their careers and their futures simply because they believe that others - brownnosers - are out maneuvering them in the world of work.  This anger, disappointment and depression seems like such a waste to me - a waste of talent, life, love, mission, purpose.

Do you know yourself well enough to know if you are in the right career?

I typically spend my mornings in quiet contemplation (occasionally interrupted by barking dogs).  I like to take an inventory of all of the goodness in my life - my blessings - give thanks for what can only be described as abundance in all these things, and then think about how I might best use my unique set of skills to make the world a better place that day.  I'll often do some spiritual or inspirational reading to help me 'get my mind right'.

This morning I read a review of a book by J. Krishnamurti, Life Ahead: On Learning and the Search for Meaning, (New World Library).  Since I'm interested in learning and education I found Krishnamurti's comments intriguing.  In the book, Krishnamurti says, " The more you know yourself through awareness of what you are thinking, what you are feeling, the more you will discover the truth of what is; and it is this truth that will help you be free."

Most of us are longing to be free of the bonds that have been placed on our abilities in our workplaces.  Most of us want to offer our uniqueness to make the world a better place.  The challenge we face is that most of us are so busy doing our jobs that we spend very little time thinking about who we are and what we offer.  What we can offer is often much different than what we are actually doing.

Career Tip #10 - Know Your Business

To take your career to the highest level possible you must first know your business. After all, how can you expect to add value to the organization if you don’t know the business? You add the greatest value to your organization when you understand your business and your industry. Your competence and intelligence will be evident when you can discuss the business in the same terms and on the same level that people several levels above you do.

If you consistently do this, you have a good chance of developing a reputation as someone who can actually help the business grow-- someone who sees the company as more than a place to collect a paycheck. Over time, this lends to your credibility which helps you create a reputation as someone who can be counted on to understand the issues—and builds confidence in your ability to move up to the next level.

True game players are competent. They understand the company’s industry, keep up with industry trends, know what the competition is doing, know what the stock price traded for the previous day, understand the organization’s mission, vision, values, objectives and strategy. They understand what the customers need and they understand the company’s products and services.

They take the time to expand their capabilities in this area because it is from this foundation that they are able to recognize how best to solve the problems that they are faced with each and every day. Taking the time to learn about and understand the company’s business also sends a message that you are dedicated, loyal and above all, interested and interesting.

If you are early in your career (or even if you are not) and spend much of your time doing rather uncomplicated, somewhat boring work, use your time, wisely, to learn more.

Do you know what your colleagues do and how their work interacts with yours? Do you know what your boss does and how his/her work helps the company to achieve its objectives? What are your company’s plans for the future? Do you read the company’s annual report? Do you take the time to read the company newsletter? Industry trade magazines and journals? For that matter, do you read the business section of the paper each day?

Career Advice and Purpose

To all my loyal friends, colleagues, family members and students, both former and current --- Thank you for hanging in there with me!  You've continued to provide inspiration to me as I complete my work on Brown-Nosing 101 - my book about how to get noticed and get ahead at work.

For a number of months (or perhaps years) I've been sharing my thoughts about the project.  Though initially I made good progress my enthusiasm waned when I realized that no matter how useful this career advice was there was something missing in my approach. 

You see, I believe that we each have a unique set of skills, abilities, attitudes and perspectives that make our contribution to the organizations in which we work of great value - beyond what we measure by our paycheck.  Yet as I wrote the book, I was leaving out my own unique perspective for fear that it would alienate business readers - my primary market.  I was not following my own advice and I was assuming that personal purpose was not compatible with business and how the game of work is played.  I now realize that's crap and it was my own fear of criticism that made me so cautious I became paralyzed.  And then one of my students gently reminded me that while I sit here paralyzed my message is not being spread to those who need it most.