- During my consultant days, there was a colleague, A-kun, who was a favorite of several executives. He was prioritized for interesting projects, invited to dinners with big shots, and even after going independent, he kept getting referrals. He was getting "special treatment" in a good way.\n- After all, being favored by powerful people has nothing but benefits: you get high-visibility work that's easy to evaluate, and your performance reviews go well (theoretically, favoritism is bad in HR, but that's how the world works). Even with the same effort, the results you get are completely different.\n- As someone who wants to work efficiently (good "cospa"), the "skill of being specially treated" was many times more desirable to me than logical thinking or other frameworks. So, I asked A-kun for his secret, and he taught me five tips.\n- I tried these five tips across multiple projects and companies, and they really worked: I was the first to be called for various projects, told off-the-record stories, allowed to transfer to departments I wanted, given discretion and authority, and introduced to projects even after going independent.\n\n## ① Possess rare skills that superiors need\n\n- First, you need to make them think, "This person is useful." The keywords are "benefit" and "uniqueness." If you do the work they want (benefit) and you're the only one who can do it (uniqueness), they will naturally value you. Even if your work style is a bit loose, they'd rather keep you than lose you, so they'll give you special treatment, thinking, "Well, I guess we have to accommodate this guy."\n- In my consultant days, there was an engineer who didn't return greetings, wore earphones with a "don't talk to me" aura, and was harsh to other employees. However, he was a rare talent who always fixed system troubles, so he was favored by client executives and highly evaluated in projects.\n- I understand the argument that "that's just work being person-dependent; it should be standardized." But in reality, "individualizing work that forms the core of the organization" is a survival strategy for rank-and-file employees. Because that way, you can work more freely and get better treatment.\n- I've worked in contradictory ways myself. As an employee, I focused on "how to make important work something only I can do," but as a manager, I'd say, "Individualization is unacceptable. Operations must be standardized and discipline maintained." It's quite comical. But business is about facing contradictions. If executives are contradictory, I think it's fine for me to be too.\n- If you want to live with the vibe of "earning 10-20 million yen, then relaxing and enjoying family and private time," creating person-dependent work that superiors need and selling it at your own price is the most efficient and reproducible method.\n\n## ② Act in a way that respects superiors\n\n- I've written some bold things, but someone who only thinks about their own convenience won't be valued. You can only get favored by balancing respect for superiors with the conduct of a model employee.\n- That said, what you do is simple: frequent reporting/contact (even if there's nothing to report, it gives them peace of mind), reporting bad news early, and scheduling consultations by checking their calendar for a time that's "not too late, not too early, and least stressful for them." Send materials as PDFs so they can check on their phones, and print them for those who prefer paper. These are basics you should do naturally.\n\n## ③ Provide information superiors want in a timely manner\n\n- If you can provide the information they want when they want it, you'll get positions like being invited to important negotiations or dinners, or being consulted on major projects.\n- For example, a client was struggling with AI utilization, so I paid for and used high-end models like ChatGPT and Claude (about $200/month total), summarized how they could be applied to our business, and reported it. As a result, I got an AI utilization project.\n- To get something, you often have to spend first. Many people hesitate here. In that environment, someone who takes action like "I don't know if it'll pay off, but I'll try spending 30,000 yen a month on ChatGPT" will naturally get special treatment.\n- ...I'm acting tough, but since I spent a fair amount on AI, I'm desperate to make it back. I'm working hard to turn my experiments into content for everyone so it's not a waste (lol).\n\n## ④ Match their sense of speed\n\n- The speed of executives is very different from that of regular employees. On the surface, there's a movement to "not send messages during off-hours" or say "you can reply tomorrow." But they do contact limited people outside hours. Compliance and work-style reforms don't lower the KPI hurdles they face.\n- In fact, since they can't force employees to work, they're playing a harder game than in the old "intense" era. In that context, if there's someone who replies instantly late at night or on weekends, they'll naturally want to give them special treatment. They're one of the few allies in this "impossible game."\n- People might say this is "outdated," but even though I reply quickly on weekends or late at night, my actual working hours are very low. I reply when contacted, but otherwise, I'm relaxing, walking, napping, or doing whatever I want during work hours. I use flex time, so my total monthly overtime is almost zero.\n- Conversely, doesn't it make you nervous to set limits like "It's past 7 PM, so I can't look at Slack" or "I'm on a 9-day vacation, so I won't look at email at all"? I'm the type who gets nervous, so I treat it like replying to LINE when a message comes, and otherwise, I'm fine playing with my kids at the park or reading manga. This is a matter of preference, so choose what fits your policy.\n\n## ⑤ Balance politeness with cheekiness\n\n- Finally, the difficult part: balancing politeness and cheekiness. There are people who mix casual language with superiors, tease them, and navigate the border of distance perfectly. I think Kousuke Minowa of Gentosha has a fine sense for this—maintaining a certain level of politeness while teasing people like Horiemon.\n- Principle 1 from observing such people: If you always speak politely, you'll be labeled as "boring." You need to take a risk somewhere to be labeled as "interesting." To do that, you must (1) say things that get to the heart of the matter and (2) boldly interject when a retort is needed.\n- Principle 2: However, you should only do this after building up a "trust balance." Once you have enough trust that you can "repay," you can take on the "debt" of being a bit rude or asking questions everyone else is afraid to ask. Only those who have saved up enough credit can immediately repay the "debt" of their language.\n- Ultimately, "who says it" is more important than "what is said." If you're overweight and a random overweight stranger tells you to lose weight, you'll be annoyed. Conversely, you won't trust someone who only says nice things like "You're fine as you are." But if someone you trust says it, you'll listen. That's how it works.\n- So, take a risk somewhere and say what needs to be said clearly. But do it when your trust balance is high enough that even if it's considered rude, your balance won't hit zero. That's what's important.\n\nI hope this helps!\n\nI run a membership where you can read over 270 articles like this for 500 yen a month. I focus on content that helps you "be efficient at work and go home on time," "freely choose your career," and "understand how to use generative AI in practice." Please take a look if you're interested.\n\nMotoyama's "Work-Efficiency Room"\n\n!Image
5 Tips to Get "Special Treatment" from Your Superiors
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TL;DR
The author shares five practical strategies for gaining preferential treatment from bosses, focusing on rare skills, timely information, and balancing respect with personality.
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