48 Laws of Power: Chapter 1 - Never Outshine the Master
Summary:
Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress bosses, do not go too far in displaying your talents, or you might accomplish the opposite - inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are, and you will attain the heights of power. - Robert Greene
Longform Explanation: Insecurity is a ubiquitous human trait, especially among those with some semblance of power. To maintain a sense of self, some often look to squash all known competition. Whether you believe it or not, even though you may be the worker, your boss may be the one envious of you due to the natural talents or abilities you possess and exhibit daily. Because of this potential resentment, recognize when the workspace is shared with someone like this, and handle yourself accordingly. Protect your light at all costs, but in the presence of people who are envious and can hurt your chances of furthering your power, you must move with intelligence and tact.
There are two things that you need to remember:
You can outshine your superior just by being yourself. We all can tell the people who are envious of us, and we have done nothing to invoke their jealousy. They hate us simply for existing, being fly, fresh, and magnetic. Jealousy isn’t a problem with friends or people on equal footing because it can not affect our lives in ways that can alter our life patterns. Bosses require a different mindset and approach. If you can not learn how to mute yourself in the presence of such insecure, vain people, then you have to learn how to identify them and work to avoid them.
Just because the boss (Master) likes you doesn't mean you have free reign in your words and actions. They will constantly be monitoring you for any oversteps and will quickly remind you who is in charge, sometimes to the detriment of your status, standing, or even livelihood. Don't allow bosses to place you in a position of comfort and favor; enable your work to do that for you.
Knowing what will happen if you have a jealous boss will only help you further your interests. You will learn how to handle superiority complexes, as the boss you encounter WILL NOT be the last boss you encounter with insecurity issues. Learn the art of complimenting your boss without kissing ass. Do small things wrong, allowing the boss to give corrections that inflate their ego. If you are much more intelligent than your boss, make yourself seem as though you are not. Ask simple questions, and give them answers you're already supposed to know, which will make your boss appear to shine brighter than before.
All of this sounds like you're kissing ass, but I promise you that you’re setting yourself up to move faster than others who do not use advice like this. Bosses do not like ass-kissers, nor do they like defiance.
In all of these cases, it is not a weakness to disguise your strengths if, in the end, they lead to power. By letting others outshine you, you remain in control instead of victimizing their insecurity. Cunning, shrewd moves will all come in handy the day you decide to rise above your inferior status. - Robert Greene.
Reversal:
There are times when it's excellent to outshine those above you. You can't worry about offending everyone, nor should you, but you have to be wary of ALWAYS trying to outdo everyone. Consistently outshining everyone can come off as boastful and arrogant. However, when you see someone's stock falling, don't hesitate to capitalize on the opportunity to move up. If you don't take the chance to do so, someone else will, and you will seem sluggish and unmotivated. Remember that those in power often step on others to get to positions of power, so take every opportunity to move up, and remember you might have to do so at the expense of others. Take the opportunity every time because power is necessary to change. If your insecure boss is in hot water, don't help them. Instead, do small things that make you seem like a more suitable pick than the current boss. If your insecure boss is on the way out already, let nature take its course. Another boss will remove the incompetent coworker or boss, and you will be able to move up based on your connection to the boss without the ass-kissing.
- All Information Taken from 48 Laws of Power, written by Robert Greene