Joel Stein: I Welcome My New Overlord

When you've got a terrific new boss, flattery just comes naturally

Illustration by Tomasz Walenta for TIME; Getty Images (3)

I have worked with Nancy Gibbs, who was just named the managing editor of TIME, for 16 years and like her tremendously. Normally if something great happened to her, I'd say something nice. But now she's my boss. There's no more saying something nice. Now there is only strategically saying something nice.

For advice on how to best kiss up to my new boss, I called Ithai Stern, an assistant professor at the Kellogg School of Management, who co-wrote a paper called "Flattery Will Get You Everywhere (Especially if You Are a Male Caucasian)." Stern told me that because of the...

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