“Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver.”  – So believed Edmund Burke, the great British statesman and philosopher. But Mr. Burke somehow did not work in today’s corporate world. He was after all in a different place at a different time. Flattery is the mantra to success if you want to be at the top.

Ever since we are born, the ideas of good and bad are steadily fed to our brain. Chocolate is bad, veggies are good, being polite is good, being rude is bad and the list is endless. Someone sometime has decided on this list and we blindly follow. So is the case for flattery. We are taught to express our feelings without bias and are not supposed to flatter. But then seriously, how many of us seriously hate flattery? On the face of it, every one of us does. We all despise being goaded as gods. But a bit of the fat of flattery is good to grease all our egos, isn’t it?

Rajit knows the secret to success. He knows he has to please the boss. Rajit gets the best possible rating in the evaluations and he is due for an early promotion. Everything he does is communicated subtly to the boss during casual conversations. He takes the train with the boss, changes his lunch timing to be with the boss and never let’s go of a chance to praise the boss in public. And how far has Rajit gone? Some would say his rise is phenomenal. And how about the actual hard worker, Amit? Is he on his way to the top? Actually no. He is just doing a good job. Everyone loves him, even the boss. But he never gets his chance to impress the rating giver. He is a loser as far as the world is concerned.

This brings us to the most important question. Is flattery really bad? Should it be avoided? It definitely has helped Rajit. I say, if you can handle it, do it. There is nothing wrong in climbing to the top. And there definitely is nothing wrong in trying to impress the boss. There may be some amongst us who would feel that it is not worth it. Well, good for you too. You will have to be satisfied with a lesser life, not always, though.

Flattery is not the only way to success and it never can be. Nothing in this world can override the importance of hard work. Just do your stuff and you might be rewarded with success over a period of time. But grease your work with the fat of flattery and you will notice that your journey is easier. They label this smart work. Smart work they say is efficiently managing your work. Who decided that it is smart? The boss of course. So my advice to all of you would be to give flattery a shot. Keep it subtle, keep it low if you want but don’t avoid it in the name of sin and wrongdoing. If your ultimate goal is to succeed no matter what it takes, then be lavish with your layer of flattery but if you have too much of a ego, keep the layer thin. But all the same, understand the importance of it.

Remember, everyone loves it but no one will admit it. So choose how much you want it in your slice of life.

Does the path matter as long as the winner can take it all? ……..And keep it too.