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The question that comes to my mind is why would you NOT kiss up to your boss if you want to get ahead? At a very young age, we as animals instinctively do what we need to do to ensure we are taken care of. We make cute faces, gurgle and coo, and generally worm our way into the hearts of the adults around us. All animals do it, and humans are no different. This is basic survival. And even at this base level, it is, by all means, "kissing up".

As we grow into adults, some of those protection-seeking instincts are replaced by our own development into mature beings that can take care of ourselves without the assistance of others. However, there remain situations in which it is necessary, and even desirable, to revert to survival mode. One of those situations involves the promotion of oneself above and beyond others of the "tribe" for the sole purpose of goal attainment. In order to do that, we oftentimes rely on our basic instinct of the "kiss-up". We did it as babies and young children to get what we needed or wanted from our parents, we do it as adults to get what we need or want from our bosses.

Not only is there nothing wrong with the kiss-up, it is in fact a vital component of natural selection as it pertains to the workplace. Again I ask why you would not kiss up to your boss if it is so apparent that this activity is ingrained in us throughout evolution? We would not be here today had we not embraced this survivalist pattern of behavior during our creation. Likewise, we may not achieve the promotion we covet if we do not appreciate its value tomorrow.

You may feel the comparison between kissing up to one's boss and the antics of children throughout time to be a bit far-fetched. However, I assure you that history repeats itself, and its patterns can be perceived in many different areas of life. For example, a person who goes to the humane society to adopt a pet may be firmly intent upon choosing a certain breed or type of animal, but becomes beguiled by a curious mutt with one ear and a missing tooth because it offers its paw for handshake. Why? It is because the dog has brilliantly executed the age-old ploy known as the kiss-up.

Therefore it is only right, and expected really, that we, as workplace minions, learn to use our God-given ability to kiss up to our bosses in order to advance ourselves in their estimation. After all, how do you suppose our bosses came to bewell, our bosses?

Learn more about this author, Alex Winter.
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