Don't Plead, Lead

ontrary to what Dilbert might tell you, kissing up is not the way to get ahead in the office. According to a survey of IT workers, good managers lead by example and bad managers operate by intimidation, ingratiation, and by appearing "needy." Those pointy-haired bosses aren't fooling anyone, except maybe themselves, according to John Sosik, associate professor of organization and management at Penn State Great Valley. Sosik asked 83 middle managers in an IT firm to rate their own leadership skills. He then asked supervisors and subordinates to rate the leadership skills of those managers. The result: Everyone recognizes a winner, including the winner him or herself. The most successful leaders were very good at gauging the effectiveness of their leadership abilities, Sosik says.