Reputation above substance

A lot of what it takes to get ahead in the world comes down to how you are perceived, rather than what you can actually achieve. It is essential to make sure that you have the ear of management and that anyone who speaks ill of you is made to look like they've done a bad thing, regardless of whether you are effecting positive change on anything you touch.

Some tips:

• Take criticism in a good humoured way, but act as though you're being magnanimous to the stupidity of the criticiser.
• Google yourself to ensure you know what people are saying about you
• Make links to other people's sites and get them to link to yours
• Offer to do the spadework in any online communities that need pages or digests publishing - this will make you appear to be part of their group
• Never be afraid to speak at a conference, regardless of whether you have something to say
• Be publicly and openly critical of "people that don't get it" - don't mention names, but colour them as stupid
• Dress smart but casual - best of both worlds
• Tell stories about your successes
• Treat any unexpected event as "interesting" and relate it to case studies, fictional if necessary, which show you in a good light

If you are going to have a business based on stepping on other people's toes, the most important thing is to look like you can walk on water.