How to Handle Flatterers: What They Don’t Teach You in Business School
Business books warn against bosses and other bosses who surround themselves with sycophants (‘sycophants’, ‘brown noses’, ‘crawlers’, ‘lackeys’), those who tell the boss what he or she wants to hear.
Not only are sycophants alive and well in many organizations, but their behavior is encouraged by some bosses who probably used this type of behavior to climb the ladder (or the greasy pole, if that’s your preferred metaphor).
And when a boss jumps ship, he usually takes several of those favored few with him for the (hopefully) continued promotion.
I recently observed sycophantic behavior at work. The organization in question was preparing to relocate some of its operations. Here is a snapshot of three of my observations.
- 1. Faceless, sycophantic people were given titles that made no sense to workers in the coalfield. A ‘Sycophant Club’ ensured groupthink and provided a sense of security in the belief that no one knew what they were really doing.
- 2. Head office made it clear to all employees affected by the change that they only wanted to hear ‘good’ news.
- 3. Coalface managers and supervisors made sure that only feedback that central office wanted to hear was taken into account. When an employee provided feedback that was deemed unacceptable, they were not invited to attend future feedback sessions. Everything the cheese bosses wanted to hear was provided.
When sycophants are involved, ‘honest feedback’ becomes an oxymoron. Employees soon realize the futility of sharing insights from everyday life other than those sought by management. “Best practices” are what the boss wants.
In the example cited, it was clear to everyone involved (including the sycophants) that ‘culture’ was not given enough consideration. However, there was no way for sycophants to draw their bosses’ attention to any problems that might cause the need to reconsider decisions already made. The sycophants knew, as if instinctively, that any ‘blame’ would be attributed to the person delivering the ‘bad news’.
The transition abroad can be successful. It is highly unlikely that anyone close to the project would acknowledge otherwise. However, if it doesn’t succeed, the boss whose responsibility includes the offshoring will never know. He or she will have been promoted by then or have used the current position as a springboard to a new ladder.
Suppose, however, that I brought my observations to the attention of the ‘right’ person or persons. Labels like ‘cynical’ or ‘skeptical’ would almost certainly be used to demonstrate to others that ‘negative’ feedback was not required.