It’s that time of the year again… The time when your boss/superior/senior (or Hitler if you are expressive enough) gains an inordinate amount of power over you… Yes, this power comes from their ability/authority to affect your performance appraisal and through that your future and the current/future company… In addition there is the matter of moolah… Will you stand in that ration queue or will that queue be of a posh night club depends on ‘the Boss’…

Academics who study career strategies call it “ingratiating.” To the rest of us, it’s just “brown-nosing.” You know the tactics:

1. Take copious notes whenever the boss opens his or her mouth
2. Volunteer for office grunt work
3. e-mail managers in the wee hours to prove your tireless industry
4. fawn without mercy at every opportunity

Colleagues may roll their eyes and marvel that the boss can’t see the obvious manipulation, but forget them. It works.

Brown-nosing succeeds because the manager sees what your colleagues don’t see. Where they perceive insincerity, the boss notes only energy, enthusiasm, and drive. According to a research done with 120 students who were getting interviewed for jobs. Those who told corporate recruiters what they wanted to hear i.e. things like “…Your company has a reputation for being team-oriented, and that is something I truly value…” landed jobs at twice the rate of their more reserved but equally qualified peers. “Targets eat it up,” the researcher says. “People are happy to be ingratiated upon.”

So what are you waiting for? Odds are you could become a much more effective butt-kisser. All it takes is a little practice.

Master the art of eye contact. Beginners should practice this skill by locking eyes intently with a friend’s, over a coffee, as he’s droning on about his latest coup in office that you don’t give a damn about… If you can make him think his stories are more compelling than the ab-cruncher that is getting advertised on the big-screen TV over his shoulder, you’re ready to try it with your managers.

Parrot key ideas or slogans. Using the boss’s pet phrases in meetings, reports, and memos shows that you are getting the message, you respect her opinions, and you firmly grasp what she wants from you on the job. This doesn’t take practice, just shamelessness.

Be aware of your manager’s interests. Those pictures of your manager’s dopey-looking kids cover her desk for a reason. Ask how they’re doing. Does the boss love tennis? Suggest a match after work. At the very least, ask the boss to lunch. Talk about her, not you.

Run ideas by managers who are most likely to hate them. This protects you from looking like a dolt later on and proves that you covet their opinion.

Take credit for accomplishments. Beverly Purtell, principal consultant at HRValue Group, recommends sending to managers concise e-mails that talk up your accomplishments. Just don’t forget to give credit to those who helped.

Finally, beware of sucking up to one manager at the expense of another. “The one you were buttering up can disappear,” warns Richard Sadai, a former executive at Lucent Technologies. There’s nothing worse than hours of eye-locking, all for naught.

[via: Business 2.0]

Well, I could not do it so I guess I am doomed but maybe you will fare better at brown-nosing… Best of luck!

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