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Friday, July 30, 2010
Who's a Suck-Up?
Nobody wants to list "brown-noser" on a résumé, although eagerness is usually what it takes to get ahead. So how can an employee be earnestly helpful while avoiding the label?
When a person genuinely seeks to help the boss and the company look good, those actions probably won't be perceived as brown-nosing, says Washington Township, N.J.-based career coach Jeff Cohen.
"Brown-nosing is shallow behavior, such as relentless flattery toward a boss strictly for the purpose of gaining favor or even scoring a promotion ahead of more deserving peers," Cohen says.
Yet the line between a true team player and a brown-noser can be thin. The difference is that the former manages to combine brown-nosing tactics with solid work performance, authenticity and sincere helpfulness, argues Jacksonville, Fla.-based blogger Linda Teza Kulka, who writes about the underappreciated merits of kissing butt.
"Where is it written that one cannot flatter the boss? Where is it written that being nice to people who might have influence in your career development and progress is not allowed? Keep in mind that the reason we call a person a brown-noser and the reason we dislike these people is because they tend to get what we want," she says.
Kulka is not saying that being labeled a brown-noser is a badge of honor. Rather, "There are things brown-nosers do masterfully that everyone in an organization should be doing," she says.
For example, they know how to keep themselves visible and get face time with influential people; they know how to position their ideas so other people can immediately see what's in it for them; and they network and forge connections strategically, working other people's contacts and figuring out who they need to know to gain exposure and get ahead.
"I'm not sure how you can offend workplace associates if everything you do helps achieve a goal or moves the organization forward in some way, and you are making sure that others are getting their share of the credit," Kulka says.
Cohen believes the biggest consequence of brown-nosing is losing the support of peers. "Promotions, raises and good performance reviews are no longer solely about impressing the boss," he points out. "Peer feedback weighs heavily and brown-nosers will get dinged for inauthentic, superficial behavior."
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