Double-Cross the Boss

Your boss’s corner office and sweet Cadillac makes your cube and bicycle look mighty sad. Instead of starting a new job or climbing up the corporate ladder rung by endless rung, you could change your tack and step on a few backs to vault to the top. A columnist on Forbes.com describes (hypothetically, of course) how to trip up your boss in order to steal his job.

• Charm the boss. If you succeed at being the picture-perfect employee, you’ll gain trust and appear indispensable.
• Build a coalition. Become chummy with your boss’s boss by taking an interest in her life and chatting it up in the hallways.
• Set the trap. Your boss will eventually have to give a presentation or have a high-profile assignment. Strike now by withholding a key piece of information, then swoop in at the last minute to save the day. The higher-ups will already have favorable opinions of you after you bought them lunch or listened to them ramble about their child’s latest soccer match and then bam! The job is yours.

She goes on to say this behavior is extremely risky, and if you’re caught sabotaging, you’ll probably end up without any job. Your best bet is to research the company and its competitors and be the problem-solver, not the problem-starter. Finding a mentor or taking a genuine interest in the lives of your coworkers will likely pay off far better than being Mr. Sneaky McGee around the boardroom. Sounds like sage advice to us!

Have you ever gone behind your boss’s back? Do you think manipulating and scheming are always off-limits, or has this crazy mixed-up economy given you an “every man for himself” philosophy? [Forbes.com]