Bootlicking, another popular corporate ‘game’

By Jacobs Odong

AS the boss walks into his office, Peter quickly steps to his side, half-grabs his briefcase, then begins to yap. “Oh sir, as always, you’re smart but today, you more than deserve a dinner at State House.

That driver, Bwire, was saying this morning that you’re the most hardworking boss he has ever seen, just like I’ve been telling you all along . . .” the yapping continues, punctuated with grins and unnecessary chuckles.
Professionally, Anand Patel, a human resource consultant in Jinja, says it is called currying favour or bootlicking. It is a kind of unprofessional behaviour by a subordinate aimed at winning a boss’ favour. It is also called ‘kissing the boss’ ass. But does it work? Experts give us their opinions.

“It should not happen for organisations that have clear performance management systems and clearly set targets for staff,” says Albert Kakama, the human resources and administrative officer of Uganda Management Institute.
He says with proper systems in place, there is no chance of staff hiding behind others since they would be exposed.

“Such organisations also have competent supervisors who will not tolerate under-performers,” Kakama adds.

Moses Thenge, the human resources manager of Kakira Sugar, says bootlicking cannot thrive in a professionally-managed organisation. “Bootlickers are normally managed, tolerated or thrive with managers who are not qualified for the job or are incompetent. An incompetent manager does not want to be challenged by subordinates. So, the bootlickers always tell the boss what he wants to hear.”

Thenge says people who challenge such a manager become a burden to him.

In his book, You Are Too Kind: A Brief History of Flattery, Richard Stengel says: “We think that the smarter a person is, the higher he ascends the ladder of success.” To Stengel, people of high self-esteem and accomplishment view the praise directed to them as shrewd judgment rather than flattery.

He says although most people in positions of power believe they have built no-nonsense detectors, no boss is entirely immune to blandishments from underlings.

Uganda Broadcasting Corporation’s (UBC) publicist, Jane Kasumba, says bootlicking is one of the most annoying things at the workplace. She admits it happens to her often. “But what do I do? Commend them? No. I ignore them until they drop it.”

But Stengel who believes employees can turn bootlicking into an art and a sort of magic wand for climbing the corporate ladder, justifies it thus: “Some leaders need a lot of stroking and demand it from their subordinates. Their subordinates quickly figure out that it is the way to get ahead.”

Sam (not real name), a customer service personnel at Stanbic Bank, admits he got the job through a bootlicker. “I have this friend who would talk to the manager as though they were twins. He had my name to her ears all the time and it worked. He was like her right-hand man.”

At Kampala City Council, Denis started from the lower ebb but thanks to running errands for two bosses, he was quickly promoted. His workmate says Denis was not even a messenger, so the errands were just his way of winning favour. This fictitious Denis is said to have been managing a farm for his boss on weekends.

Kasumba says it is natural for managers to come across people who employ a variety of tactics to win their favour.
“What’s hard is to identify genuine affection that doesn’t have expectations of a pay-back,” she observes.

However, Thenge says he can tell a bootlicker and he would not tolerate him/her. He says bootlicking does not just fool the boss sometimes; it also creates an unpleasant working environment for the flatterer’s peers.

Still, Stengel contends: “Evolution seems to have favoured sycophantic weenies over self-reliant bruisers. Smooth talk trumps brute strength everyday of the week. Survival of the fittest is not survival of the strongest, but sometimes of the most unctuous.”

Thenge says employees should wait for performance reviews and the credit they desire will be won upon “exhibiting integrity, quality output and discipline in the workplace.”
An employee said: “I am suffering in this company because I don’t bootlick.”

Bootlicking corrupts. It harms the organisation by creating tension among people. And when it works, it can be as toxic as bribery or extortion because it distorts decisions. It is one fertile ground for breeding rumours at the workplace.

Forms of bootlicking
Flattery
Compliments about the boss’ attire are popular and the bootlicker may move on to compliment more personal attributes.

Mimicry
Forms of mimicry include adopting the mannerisms, speech or dress of the boss. It can go deeper to include acquiring identical interests in sports, political alignment or religious affiliation.

Adoration
One favourite opportunity to express adoration is making obvious efforts to sit beside the boss at meetings, presentations or lunches and competing with others for the ‘honour.’

Fulfilling the boss’ dreams
When groups debate strategies, bootlickers often propose solutions that please the boss, whether the solutions are feasible or not.