I started at my current role about 7 months ago. There's a girl at my office that has been promoted ahead of her experience level by about 6 or 7 years. She's very smart, but my line of work doesn't really require rocket scientists--in fact, experience and judgment are the single most valuable skills.
I've been having trouble putting my finger on exactly what it was that has helped her get promoted so fast, and then it struck me. Whenever she interacts with senior level people or with any of her superiors, she laughs at EVERYTHING they say. I mean, you'd think these guys were regular Jerry Lewises. And she doesn't just laugh, she busts out in hysterics. On the other hand, I've hardly been able to get a laugh out of her in 7 months. I don't know if it's conscious or if it's subconscious, but I think it's been a perfect strategy to complement her skill set.
If any of you can swallow your pride then I highly, HIGHLY recommend laughing at your superiors' jokes. Of course, it might be a more useful strategy for women--I think men have a soft spot for women who think the man is funny.
I thought this was going a completely different direction after the first sentence.
LOL!!! Too funny. I can see why.
Maybe that's the real reason for her promotion?
That's it right there!
Is she Asian?
Nope--white as snow. Office hot--like a 6, but the only 6+ in the organization.
Of course we have HR. What's that got to do with it? Anyone can be promoted, hired or fired for any legal reason that can be construed.
as long as she has hands and has a paper bag, looks don't matter and she gets an A+
so basically a 9/10 on a relative scale
There's a good reason why they say that flattery (which is what she is engaging in) will get you everywhere.
Maybe she doesn't laugh at your jokes because they aren't funny....
"Office hot" hahahaha...6.5 easily turns into an 8. Take that, alcohol.
It's a short road from a girl faking a laugh to faking an...
The men in your office must be really insecure. Laughter is like a compliment...it only has value if delivered sparsely and perceived to be honest.
So we all agree that the laughs aren't what got her promoted, right?
Yeah, this is ridiculous. IMO, your bosses have something wrong with them if they are just promoting someone who laughs at their shitty jokes.
The laughs aren't the only thing getting her promoted. She's obviously very good at her job, as OP states, and she plays the game. The day more women start realizing that they can accelerate their career paths faster than men is the day we are all in trouble. I would argue, at this point in time, only a small percentage of women have actually figured this out.
I mean there is playing the game and acting like a fucking moron. I'm sorry, but if laughing like a nut when your boss makes the smallest joke gets you promoted way way above your pay grade it is time to find a place to work with more competent people.
Playing the game is going out for drinks, having conversations, making your bosses life easier, having other influential people in the firm go to bat for you, shit like that. I mean obviously have positive interactions with senior people, but it sounds like these guys just eat up sycophantic behavior.
I guess I think it's probably an "all of the above" scenario. Good at her job? Check. Relatively attractive? Check. Good at flattering superiors? Check. So I take orders from a younger female who is far less experienced than me. Why? She plays the game well. I don't begrudge it--it's impressive, which is kind of my point. Or maybe my larger point should be that "politics" matters. It's not enough to be good at your job.
Sounds like you're into her bro. Sounds like she's played you too...
Actually, I thought I was pretty clear that she hadn’t flattered me in the least. And she was promoted about 18 months before I was hired.
Agreed. "Politics" does matter.
Usually age is the last thing I care about. You can be a 23 year old and right out of school, but you are smart as hell. It's the ones who are incompetent but controlling that annoy me.
Umm, check out my history. I write a lot. This thread was about smart office politics. This thread morphed into being about this girl specifcally from other posters. The comment about her that I made that you replied to was in response to others speculating about why she was promoted so fast. So I agreed with ANT and others that it was about more than just flattery--that it was the whole spectrum of things. Hence, things outside of performance do matter, hence play the game if you can.
You are impressed with her ability to play the game, and that's why you dig her, and happily take orders. I think you're in denial, dude.
Hm didn't see that coming. Anyway, funnily enough a buddy if mine had a similar situation at his work place as well. Chick laughed about everything the seniors said, made sure everyone like her and when the time came she actually said something smart. Fast forward, 1 year with the firm, head of HR. idk that's not bad if you ask me.
Is it just me or is @DCDepository being unusually polite (for him) in this thread?
waiting on UFOinsider to join in so we can get the duel started
My thoughts exactly. I was confused whether it was UFOInsider or NorthSider. Probably both.
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