The importance of the kiss-up

The importance of the kiss-up I get a lot of email, and the biggest whiners are the people who refuse to kiss up to their boss and therefore have stalled careers. Newsflash: You have to brown nose, but the professional phrase for this act is manage up. This is such a basic pre-requisite for career success that I am shocked when people have to be convinced to do it. Almost every workplace problem that Ive heard can be boiled down to three pieces of advice: 1. Get to know yourself better. 2. Get to know your boss better. 3. Make sure you are making both of you happy. Jared Sandbergs column this week is a good overview of the culture of managing ones boss, Why Mr. Kiss-up Keeps Getting Ahead. Sandberg is one of my favorite career columnists, maybe because usually he doesnt even pretend to give advice; the only advice is from his headline writer. I have a feeling Sandbergs situation is actually a good example of managing up: He doesnt want to give advice, he wants to do reporting. But his boss knows that career advice sells. So Sandberg writes the column he wants and lets his boss hire someone to slap advice on the top. A good example of how compromising a little can align your own goals with those of your boss.