Before you set foot in your boss’s office, he or she has to know you’re indispensable. You can accomplish this by exploiting the office grapevine, says ghostwriter Jane Genova. Before your meeting, have a colleague plant a ­complimentary rumor about you—perhaps a rival is courting you? Or maybe you just donated a kidney. Genova suggests finding someone “credible, well-liked, discreet”—and easy to buy off.