Some senior in my company told me that the only way "to climb the ladder" quickly is to suck up to partners and management. I have seen this amongst my peers...alot of people suck a** and they get good ratings etc.Am just not that type of guy..i do my work and make sure the client is happy. I just cant suck up but apparently its working for my peers. Really cant take it seeing someone sucking up to a director. GrrrrWhats your guys thoughts?

replace 'suck up' with 'be positively visible' and you have your answer; unless you want to leave your career path to the schedulers...

Same sh*t, different nameBrown-nosing isn't just the way to the top, it's the basis of survival

My thoughts are - leave consulting.As a consultant you have to suck up to the partners and their clients. In a proper job there are corporate bosses that some suck up to but at least its only one set of people rather than the two you have in consulting. Rather than sucking up to your bosses (Unfortunate verb that!) just do a bloody exceptional job and retain your dignity as a real man.

You seem to have understood the rules of the game. It is your choice whether to play or not.

Go to local train/bus/airpot/taxi rank. Talk to nice person. Tell them 'Take me to the real world!'. I've heard it's somewhere near Woking.When you get there choose one of two choices:1. Maintain your integrity, be the man, stand up, and plateau mid career if you are lucky. Does that grey flannel suit look nice now? Oooh look, beige stuff on sale...2. Suck up. Suck like a vaccum cleaner. Call yourself Hoover. Just like a Hoover, when you are finally full of sh!t dump on on someone else (who will now be junior to you as your sucking pulls you upwards).

This does not happen only in the industries but is equally true in the field of (supposedly unadulterated) academia! You think or go against your boss, your performance review gets somehow screwed up and your growth is slowed down. If we have to do this in academia with crappy pay in order to survive, then you guys in MC with far greater pay better not complain!