Everyone loathes a sycophant. Management experts warn about the poisonous influence of the flatterer. Academics cite the business risks of being surrounded by servile toadies. Leaders insist they are never swayed by suck-ups.
And yet sucking up persists. Why? Because it works. Or rather, it works often enough to justify the indignities involved.
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Financial Times
Pilita Clark is an associate editor and business columnist at the Financial Times. She writes a weekly column on modern corporate life, as well as features and other articles.
