The Art of KISSING UP
How to Manage Up, Tell the Truth, and Earn Trust with Bosses and Clients
Never say ‘absolutely’ when you mean ‘probably.’
Ray used to run the technology behind everyday things: the apps people use to bank, shop, and get paid. Eight months ago he lost his job in a restructuring. Now he drives rideshare through the rain in Toronto, and tomorrow morning he has the interview that could give him his career back. The panel has sent him one question in advance: Tell us about a time you disagreed with a senior leader. Ray has a polished answer ready. It isn’t the true one.
Over one long Tuesday, from a 4:50 a.m. airport run to a midnight ride with a young analyst in tears, Ray rediscovers the four moves that separate people who flatter from people who serve: know them, invest in their win, say the hard thing, and stick with the call. After every ride, the book steps into the office, where the same lessons play out with bosses, clients, sponsors, and boards.
Practical, warm, and honest about what candor costs, this is a book for anyone whose success depends on someone else’s, and for every leader who wants to hear the truth while there’s still time to act on it.
What you’ll take away
• The KISS model: four moves that win the trust of bosses and clients
• Ready-to-use scripts for the conversations everyone dreads
• Emotional intelligence in practice: reading what people feel, not just what they say
• How to get your growth noticed and sponsored
• The Disagreement Ladder: five steps for when the person above you is wrong
• A 90-day plan, a self-assessment, and a guide for team sessions
A day with Ray, five key parts, and 18 chapters.
Contributor
Flattering upward to feel safe
Manager
Expecting candor from your team while rewarding agreement
Leader of leaders
Mistaking a quiet organization for a healthy one
Executive
Believing the filtered version of the truth that reaches you
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Noel Sinnou is a Technology Director at a $70 billion firm who turns complex technology ideas into business results. He has delivered multimillion-dollar IT projects across continents, seeing what separates good ideas from execution.
Raised in Bengaluru, Noel built his career through engineering, an MBA, and experiences in Chicago and Toronto. He learned that success is about more than expertise: it involves people, relationships, communication, and navigating unwritten workplace rules.
Having mentored close to 2,000 professionals, Noel believes career success should not be a mystery for a select few. His writing uses real world experience to explore the human side of professional life, how influence works, and how people advance without losing their identity.
Outside work, he is a left-arm wrist-spin bowler who has taken 90 wickets since returning to cricket after ACL surgery. He has also jumped out of an airplane, no stranger to taking a leap.
In The Art of Kissing Up, Noel brings professional insight and a candid look at workplace dynamics. His aim is to help readers understand the game, navigate with confidence, and succeed on their own terms.
Ordering copies for your team or book club, or looking for a speaker? The book includes a four-week guide for team sessions. Send a note with a few details.
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