You can do no wrong

We all know the saying, "everybody makes mistakes." But, what you may not know is that colloquialism is rubbish. For the powerful are infallible.

As you work fervently to gain the respect of your management team you must remember that to be powerful you must model yourself after the powerful.

Does your boss ever make a mistake? You may think so, but do you ever hear him admit as much? Of course not.

Does he ever not know the answer to a question? Perhaps, but does he ever acknowledge it?

When you make a mistake you must never consider for a moment that it was your fault. There is always someone lower on the totem pole that you can blame. And if there isn't, blame the member of your team who is the least liked, least white, least male, or least attractive.

If someone asks you a question that you do not know the answer to, deflect it to the member of your team who does know. If you are working on a solo project, deflect with a generic answer about how you are still pulling the metrics together or something to that extent.

In the event that a co-worker or subordinate brings up a mistake you made, berate them for discovering the "obvious" and let them know you purposely made the mistake to see if any of "you half-wits were paying attention."

If a subordinate or co-worker asks you a question that you don't know the answer to, wave them away and tell them you don't have time to be bothered. If it is clear that you do have time, chastise them for wasting your time with such a ridiculous question. Should the question actually be of some merit, reply with, "frankly, if you don't know such things, I question your position on the team." That will throw them off guard and get them out of your hair, giving you time to come up with the answer.

Corporate America can be a viscous place, and for those who gain a reputation for mistakes and stupidity, Corporate America will be a place they will not be long for.