I learned that lesson in 1974
That was the year when Peter B., who was subordinate to me, got a better company car. Like many good middle management female executives, I didn't much care about one-upping people with status symbols. My car was a respectable model, brand new with unlimited free petrol and I was perfectly happy with that.. But Peter had his eye on better things. So once-monthly, he went to the (male) CEO with leaflets about his car of choice and how it would be better value for the company. Once monthly, he was knocked back and every time the CEO laughed. Peter took this with good humour and returned with the same request the following month. He was laughed at every month but on the eighth one, got the car of his dreams. After that I started studying successful male behaviour patterns and quickly found those that worked, whichever your gender, as long as the boss was male. (They certainly don't work woman to woman but there weren't many female corporate bosses in those days.) The male approach also works well in serious politics. Hilary Clinton is a good example (except when she's having a bad day.) However, one of the problems for a female in using male behaviour to advance her situation, is that so many of the things she needs to do are just so boring. In politics there'd be much more fun in just being Sarah Palin rather than trying to be Mitt Romney or (imagine it) Newt Gingrich. And imagine trying to behave like Barak Obama if you were going through the menopause?
