How disgusting! What is this world coming to? Most people would say, "If you have to butter up your boss to get somewhere in this world, you're only prostituting yourself. How true that statement is, of course, depends on you.

If you set out to "butter up your boss", your chances of success are pretty good, but only for the short term. If your only goal is to get ahead right now, give it your best shot: be flattering, make yourself seen at work, steal other people's ideas and tell them to the boss before they get the opportunity, etc. But I must warn you: buttering up the boss only works for a little while, at best. Sooner or later, one of three things will happen. Either (1) You will get tired of it and quit, thus ending up worse off than you were in the first place because not only will your co-workers not like you, the boss won't, either;(2) You'll get the promotion you wanted and not be able to handle it without the tricks you used to get there; or (3) Your boss will either be promoted away from you or move to another job, etc. If this happens, you can rest assured that he won't be taking you with him.

Now, if you really want to get ahead in the workplace and stay ahead, forget about the boss, butter up yourself. Always be neat, presentable, and eager to learn. Don't worry about attracting the boss's attention. Speaking as a manager, myself, I can assure you that you already have it. Managers don't hire people and then ignore them, especially if they are doing a good job. Constantly work on gaining experience and skills in your chosen profession. Your boss will notice whether you realize it or not. Don't be afraid to let your boss know that you want to be successful. In fact, make it a point to tell him and then follow his lead. He will guide you in the right direction.

Don't be just a warm body at work. Take the initiative and do what needs to be done without being asked. Bosses like people who can get things done, and you will reap the benefits for years to come.

Learn more about this author, Tami Dodder.
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