Promotion To Boss Pillows

'You'll find there's no middle ground with Kirk Knoland.'

"You've got your corner office, so what more do you want?"

'I hope you're not threatened by powerful women, because you're fired.'

'I'll be late for dinner, dear. I'm up to my neck in paperwork.'

'Let's not go by the book.'

I hope a starting salary of 80 and a severance of 12 is acceptable....

'Finally! A meeting with one of the bigwigs.'

'You could be a constant inspiration for us to come up with a plan to get a leg up on our competition...you're hired!'

"I was just going to say, 'Well, I don't make the rules.' But, of course, I do make the rules."

In basket-case.

"It's clear to me that you want to go far with this company."

Others will fight for you

So which rung are you on my corporate ladder?

'I'll make my final decision on that promotion of yours, after this game.'

Businessman on stilts: 'I had to step over a lot of people to get where I am today.'

"Why can't the rest of you be more like Rollins, here? He does his homework!"

"So, tell me a little bit more about this house training you mention on your CV."

'Don't think of it as being a yes man, think of it as being an employed man.'

Business books - Who's Who & Who's Downsized sections.

'Well, now that I know he's the owner's son, yes, he's the best damned wine steward I've ever seen.'

Things-to-do-today: Daily workboxes piled up on desk.

"Shall we start with an icebreaker?"

'AT&T? I'm letting you go. I'm down-sizing too!'

"I don't care if you are the Immediate Gratification Generation. Get out of my chair and back to the mailroom."

The MBA Draft

'I like the way you handle responsibility, McWit, so I'm going to blame some stuff on you.'

Areas of the Body Where Stress Can Manifest

"Hey, you stick your neck out on a regular basis, it's gonna happen. The important thing is to just get up and keep moving forward."

'Take a few days off. Suck some necks ...'

The trend toward less formal offices began to gain steam.

'The Board has chosen you to handle the restructuring because you have no heart.'

'I clawed my way to the top and then I clawed my way back to the middle.'

"Well the good news is that after the reorganisation you'll be leading the team."

'Ah, Galagher, we made good use of your proposal.'

'You realize, we can't use the 'benign neglect' method for everything.'