Those are some interesting comments, Kurt. I spent a couple of years working for a major consulting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers. I saw more ass-kissing there than I will during the rest of my days (unless, of course, I go back to work there).
My question for you is what motivates you to ass-kiss so much? You must have received very positive feedback/results for that behavior, or else you probably wouldn't continue to do it. Does it always work for ya? I think it works with some people, and backfires with others. You have to know who's ass to kiss, when to pucker up, and how deep to stick your tongue up that person's sphincter. You just can't learn that stuff in any classroom, maybe you should write a book...