Singing to the delight of bosses

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Maswood Alam Khan from Maryland, USA | Published: October 19, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

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Adolf Hitler, during the World War II, was not sure whether the fall of Moscow was imminent. Hitler kept looking at the time, fretted and fumed. A military adviser gave his candid opinion and told Hitler that Moscow might never be taken and suggested to withdraw troops, pointing to history that many invaders in such a situation had to turn back. The adviser was dismissed instantly and a courier, who blindly assured Hitler that German troops were at that moment marching in the streets of Moscow, was promoted very high. The military adviser was an unfit person under Hitler and the courier was the right man to serve the Fuhrer.
We know from experience that many of our leaders lost touch with the of people and miserably failed mainly because they placed their henchmen at the helm of affairs in the country's policy-making bodies and administration
One can identify these sycophants by their servile speeches and obsequious writings in public forums and the media. Some of them pretend to be highly educated and flaunt their so-called credentials. They are not ashamed of condoning corruption or disgusting behaviour of the government of the day.
Such a sycophant's role is not confined only to politics. In every government or private organisation we find 'yes-men'. These sycophants are ever watchful and manage to keep their bosses from feeling bothered by pain, conscience, or common sense. Such a sycophant's genius lies in showing a feeling that is not his own. His survival depends on his capacity to take on the hue that his master is likely to assume at any given moment.
During my long banking career I came across a lot of genuine admirers and some crude and clever sycophants. Sometimes I found it pretty difficult to discern between unpretentious appreciation and blatant flatteries. But I would never forget one particular sycophant, one of my senior colleagues in Agrani Bank.
It was in the early 1980s. Nobody found our chief boss in the bank, who was otherwise brilliant and honesty, ever saying his prayers, even on Fridays, or keeping fast during the month of Ramadan. He was not a career banker. He was deputed to the bank from the government service. The boss thought all employees in the bank knew very little about banking or anything that is happening in the intellectual world, therefore every subordinate should listen to his erudite words for getting enlightened. No employee ever dreamed of disagreeing with the boss on any banking, administrative or moral issue.
My senior colleague, on the other hand, was apparently very religious. He was never found skipping a prayer or fasting in Ramadan.
On a day during a month of Ramadan, I was in the chief boss's chamber to discuss on an official matter when my senior colleague entered and found our boss smoking. The boss broached the topic of religious dogmas. To my utter disbelief, my senior colleague, whom I knew as a pious man, joined the boss in criticising against 'fanaticism' of Islam, our own religion. When tea was served at the table, my senior colleague without any hesitation started munching one biscuit after another and gulped tea with a relish. As we came out from our boss's chamber I sheepishly enquired: "Are not you fasting today, sir?" His terse and remorseless reply: "Maswood, never disagree with your boss on any matter, if you care to excel in your career."
One of the most distressing and creeping tendencies among some people in our society, who cannot resist the temptation of gaining some advantages from the authority, is the inclination toward sycophancy. Sycophancy regrettably has been proven to be the most effective tool for career development in our country. Sycophancy helps unscrupulous people obtain personal favours from the boss (or the boss's boss) to compensate for their own lack of merit. By way of sycophancy they can thwart those who might otherwise advance based on their merit, competence and records of genuine achievements.
Sycophancy has many other names - bootlicking, apple-polishing, 'chamchagiri' (in Bangla), and several more colourful synonyms. We all know what those boot-lickers are like and most of us abhor them. But they are powerful as sycophancy is integrated with our culture.
Sycophants know their roles well. They know what to say, how much to say, when to say and when to remain silent. A dexterous sycophant knows the psychology and attitude of his target. He uses the right words in right manner at the right moment to get the right effect. He has a mellifluous tongue and immense patience to wait for the right situation.
Most of the people, including corrupt as well as honest leaders and bosses, know that what are being said and claimed about them by the sycophants are pure flattery; yet they are moved by the musical words of praises which sail through their ears and win their hearts and minds.
Sycophancy with a veneer of genuine-like admiration is a difficult art. But once the mastery over this mischievous art is achieved then it is unfortunately the easiest missile to hit the target with.
But individuals, who will stoop to sycophancy, often do not stop there. They usually wait until their master falls from power and appear, from behind a surface gloss, with their true colour and character. They don't hesitate to turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the same master, now powerless, whose boots only the other day they used to lick. It is almost always a sycophant who robs his master blind and laughs at his misfortune.
The true measure of an individual who is not a sycophant, who sincerely admires a noble person, is how he unselfishly treats the person from whom he cannot gain any benefit. A genuine admirer seeks the affection of those good people who can do nothing for him, but for whom he must do everything. Pure benevolence sways the heart of such an admirer.
So, beware of people around you who praise your every decision, who tell you how smart you are, how knowledgeable you are, how courageous you are, what a lovely suit you are wearing today! Mind you, these are the sycophants, the 'chamchas' and the smooth talkers. They deceive you with lush words that make you feel good. By the skilful and sustained use of their art these sycophants can make you see even a heaven as a hell or an extremely wretched life as a paradise.
maswood@hotmail.com