Civil challenges are necessary. Also, remember that a dead (i.e. fired) change agent can’t help the company. Push the boundaries but not so far or so much that you are “killed.” Win one step in your direction THEN push for the next step.

Find the book “Fearless Change: Patterns for Introducing New Ideas” by Mary Manns and Linda Rising. Worth it’s weight in iPods if you ware working to change something in an organization somewhere!

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Interesting post. Unfortunately, sucking up can and does get you ahead. Social media is rife with examples of this and if you have been watching the evolution of some of the major players in social you will see the formula at work.

Kissing ass DOES buy you influence. It buys you shout outs, followers, and all sorts of other mentions online (blogs, articles, etc).

Is it good to do? Well, it depends on the person I guess. Personally, i’d rather take the long way around. I don’t really begrudge people who go this route. It is the easiest/most effective way to get your name out there. Work smarter, not harder, right?

Then there is the point about challenging people and their ideas. If you can do it _civilly_ thats one thing. If you come across as a total asshole/douche bag, thats another. Here too there are more than a few examples of people who think that by heckling a speaker at a conference they are scoring points. It just doesn’t work that way. The people who do that are small and by and large DON’T have any ideas. Listen to what they say and you will see.