The owner of the "Girls Gone Wild" video empire was arrested yesterday on racketeering charges after Florida cops learned that several underage girls were filmed topless and bathing together at a local motel. Investigators allege that Joseph Francis, 30, and his cohorts filmed the minors last week during spring break festivities in Panama City. According to cops, the "Girls Gone Wild" team brought two of the girls to a motel where they were each paid $100 for undressing, showering together, and masturbating as they sat on the side of the bathtub. Investigators also allege that Francis offered two of the girls $50 "to touch or play with his penis," and that he and the "Girls Gone Wild" photographer both knew that the girls were all underage. Along with arresting Francis and three of the multimillionaire's associates, cops executed search warrants on Francis's condominium and his corporate Lear jet. Those raids yielded a variety of electronic equipment, cocaine, and evidence of personal use of Ecstasy and pot. Most importantly, cops reported, they found explicit video of the underage girls who had told cops of their March 31 encounter with Francis & Co. In light of these allegations, it makes you wonder whether the previous "Girls Gone Wild" productions (which have raked in nearly $100 million) may also contain kiddie porn. (4 pages)
Brownnosing, at least in its milder forms, can work wonders as a short-term career booster. Just don't overdo it. By Kim Girard, April 2003 Issue
Academics who study career strategies call it "ingratiating." To the rest of us, it's just "brownnosing." You know the tactics: Take copious notes whenever the boss opens his or her mouth, volunteer for office grunt work, e-mail managers in the wee hours to prove your tireless industry, fawn without mercy at every opportunity. Colleagues may roll their eyes and marvel that the boss can't see the obvious manipulation, but forget them. It works.
Brownnosing succeeds because what the manager sees isn't what your colleagues see. Where they perceive insincerity, the boss notes only energy, enthusiasm, and drive. To measure the value of sucking up, Jenny Chatman, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley's Haas School of Business, grilled 120 Northwestern students who were interviewing for jobs. Those who told corporate recruiters what they wanted to hear -- "Your company has a reputation for being team-oriented, and that is something I truly value" -- landed jobs at twice the rate of their more reserved but equally qualified peers. "Targets eat it up," Chatman explains. "People are happy to be ingratiated upon."
So what are you waiting for? Odds are you could become a much more effective butt-kisser. All it takes is a little practice.
Master the art of eye contact. Bob Rosner, who filled The Boss's Survival Guide with workplace advice, suggests that beginners practice this skill by locking eyes intently with a friend's, over a beer, as he's droning on about his latest sales coup. If you can make him think his stories are more compelling than the buzzer-beater on the big-screen TV over his shoulder, you're ready to try it with your managers.
Parrot key ideas or slogans. Using the boss's pet phrases in meetings, reports, and memos shows that you are getting the message, you respect her opinions, and you firmly grasp what she wants from you on the job. This doesn't take practice, just shamelessness.
The Top 5 Lines to Use on Your Boss
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"I'm really excited about your proposal. What an original idea."(Hyperbole should be down-to-earth.)
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"It's like you said in last week's meeting: The brand is everything." (Bosses like to hear themselves quoted.)
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"Thanks for your excellent advice on the revision. It made a big difference." (Who doesn't like praise?)
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"You look great. That Zone diet is really working." (Personalize your compliment so it sounds sincere.)
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"Got it. Great idea. I'll do it that way, and you said you want it tonight, right?" (Show you listen intently.)
Be aware of your manager's interests. Those pictures of your manager's dopey-looking kids cover her desk for a reason. Ask how they're doing. Does the boss love tennis? Suggest a match after work. At the very least, ask the boss to lunch. Talk about her, not you.
Run ideas by managers who are most likely to hate them. This protects you from looking like a dolt later on and proves that you covet their opinion.
Take credit for accomplishments. Beverly Purtell, principal consultant at HRValue Group, recommends sending to managers concise e-mails that talk up your accomplishments. Just don't forget to give credit to those who helped.
Finally, beware of sucking up to one manager at the expense of another. "The one you were buttering up can disappear," warns Richard Sadai, a former executive at Lucent Technologies (LU). There's nothing worse than hours of eye-locking, all for naught.
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