I have just given a talk to sixth formers at my daughter’s school about my experience in business. I told them that all my promotions in a long career of 26 years in five different organisations have only come about because my boss liked me. As it turns out, these weren’t necessarily the times when I thought I deserved it most. I suggested to the students, therefore, that the best way of getting ahead was to make themselves likeable, but they stared at me in frank disbelief. The thanks I received from the head was somewhat lukewarm. Was this bad advice to have given? Manager, female, 48 ..................................................
我刚给我女儿所在中学的六年级学生做了一个报告，讲的是我的职场经验。我告诉他们，在26年的漫长职业生涯中，我曾先后供职5家不同的公司，而我得到的所有晋升都缘于我讨老板喜欢。事实证明，这些升职未必出现在我认为自己最该获得晋升的时候。