This document discusses different techniques used by individuals called "Viles" to promote themselves and gain praise and attention from others in an organization. It describes three "strokes" or techniques Viles use to encourage others to praise them: 1) Smiling and appearing pleased when praised, 2) Telling subordinates to praise their deeds to others, and 3) Rewarding "sycophancy" or flattery to encourage more praise. It also covers three strokes of "ingratiating" behavior aimed at currying favor with managers, including acting obsequiously, expressing over-the-top gratitude, and flattering managers for unique traits. The document advises managers to avoid rewarding sycophantic behavior and instead recognize teams

2. CHAPTER TWO
PROMOTING SELF-PRAISE
Even the virtue-less, when praised by others, are
considered virtuous. And even Lord Indra is looked
down upon when he praises his own self.
8 | How a Good Person can Really Win
— Hindu proverb
Promoting self-praise to build one's own authority is an
allied game to credit poaching. Just as Vile cannot brazenly
grab other people's credit for the danger of being seen as
a poacher, he cannot blow his own trumpet for the fear
of looking vain. So he needs someone else to toot his horn.
To get others to praise him, he uses the following
strokes:
Stroke A — Smiling gladly when praised. Vile smiles
when he is praised. He leaves no doubt that he likes it.
This way more praise comes his way.

3. Stroke B — Tell-them-what-we-did stroke. This stroke is
used to encourage a subordinate to praise one's deeds
before others. It is an open exhortation to hear a eulogy.
Stroke C — Rewarding sycophancy. This is one of the
deadliest strokes of Vile, wherein he labels flattery as
positive attitude. He deliberately rewards the sycophant with
promotions, higher increments, better job profiles and with
visible perks such as a bigger car, a bigger office, all of
which constitute the physical indicators of power.
Once this stroke is played, the message, 'lick to leap'
goes loud and clear to all the intelligent employees. Since
an employee's performance at flattering is now directly
proportionate to his growth in the organization, the quality,
quantum and frequency of praise for Vile rise up
tremendously.
VILE — How He Operates | 9

4. Advice for Naive
• When people brag, stay silent.
• Flatter me, and I may not believe you.
Criticize me, and I may not like you.
Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.
Encourage me, and I will not forget you.
10 | How a Good Person can Really Win
— William Arthur Ward
Advice for Vile
• Don't be seduced by self importance. It's not the
whistle that pulls the train.
• Never speak well of yourself if you wish your men to
speak well of you.
• Inauspicious events arise when you detest hearing
about your errors.
• When you start crowing, you stop growing.
Advice for the Ruler
• There is an abundance of junk praise and junk food.
• Receive appreciation without feelings of superiority or
false humility.
• Prevent sycophancy in your organization by giving
more recognition to teams than to individuals.
• When the general brags, his assistants will have few
attainments.

5. There is a fable about two dogs — Barbos and Joujoutka.
One day, Barbos notices his old acquaintance Joujoutka
seated comfortably on a soft cushion, and wonders how
come her life has changed so much since they met. Earlier,
they both used to suffer hunger, but now she lives in
comfort, while Barbos still suffers from hunger, neglect and
cruel whipping from his master. He asks Joujoutka what
she does for being treated so well. She answers, "I walk
upon my hind legs (to please my master)."
Every organization usually has one such Vile who makes
life uncomfortable for everyone else by polluting the
workplace in order to satisfy his economic and personal
ends. By trying to rise through genuflection, he brings
down the standards of executive behaviour. He tries to
wriggle to the top without any talent other than his
obsequiousness.
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CHAPTER SEVEN
INGRATIATING

6. Such a Vile prefers to take the elevator to the top.
He understands if he submerges his ego to the powers-that-
be, rewards shall ensue. Watch him at work. The
professional ingratiator undergoes a complete
metamorphosis when the bosses show up. Almost magically,
he manages to distance himself from his colleagues, and
gives the impression that he'd only been talking with them
to keep them away from disobedience and rebellion.
Often, such Viles flourish in environments where the
boss is too full of himself. Sensing this, they may go to
extreme lengths to feed the boss's vanity, by praising him
openly and singing his song for him. Moreover, they justify
their sycophancy by labeling it as a 'positive attitude' or by
suggesting that it is an outcome of their undying
admiration for their leader. They do not look at their
reflections in the mirror and so never find out what
caricatures they have become. They also do not care how
they appear to others. There are broadly three Super Vile
ingratiating strokes:
Stroke A — Ingratiating through obsequious behaviour.
In an organization in which first name usage is the norm
he addresses his boss as Sir/Mister. You could see him
carrying the senior's bag for him and through such toadying
up vitiates the executive decorum which fellow employees
strive to maintain. As he knows that by so doing he will
win his vain boss's favour, who will prefer to have him
around and he would then be able to walk in the Lion's
shadow.
32 | How a Good Person can Really Win

7. Stroke B — Ingratiating through gratitude. Vile
convinces his master that his admiration for him stems
from what his master has done for him in the past and is
permanent. He differentiates himself from others by his
eternal admiration and sincerity. Through this stroke, not
only does he ingratiate the master, but qualifies for even
bigger favours in the future.
Stroke C — Unique taste-ingratiation. Here the Super
Vile chooses a trait in the master that is unique, but
neither noteworthy nor important. He blows out of
proportion his admiration for this trait. The master, unsure
in the beginning as to how to react, looks askance but
finally starts taking the bow to his applause. Super Vile
thus ties himself to his master with a unique string of
ingratiation, which cannot be cut by any of the other Viles.
Also, his gullible colleagues may see him not so much as
a flatterer but a freak, with an unquenchable love for an
uncommon trait.
Advice for the Ruler
• We love flattery, even though we are not deceived by it,
because it shows that we are of importance enough to
be courted.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Do not let the productive and dignified people lose
their rewards to co-workers who are compliant and
worshipful.
• Encourage the expression of independent opinions
and display of courage of convictions rather than
servility.
VILE — How He Operates | 33