3 ms·

Funny article, but don't people see through this very quickly? Folks that don't play well with others get found out very quickly.

• michaelochurch 13y ago
  The trick is to be subtle and nice while doing it, especially around important people. You're not coming off as bossy but over-helpful. You're not being critical to be mean, but you're sharing your expertise and giving advice about the right way to do things. You always pick a level where you're aggressive enough that people move around you as you wish, but not so much as to cause issues. OP's advice (and if you get to the end, he points out that this will not work except in a dysfunctional environment) is great for people who are looking to inject themselves into power vacuums. If the boss is never there and you start asking for status reports, people start treating you as if you were the boss-- and being passively deferential in the hope that you'll go away and let them get back to work-- and soon enough you've made yourself #2. Then you just need to get the real boss promoted or demoted or fired or disinterested enough to vacate.