I never had a good result from making too bold suggestions too soon. That could actually stunt my career for years. I've had much better results from making it clear that I respect my coworkers, and finding things about the system to compliment, regardless of my opinion of the overall quality or design. Nobody around me needs to hear that I think the system they made is net sub-optimal in some general sense.
Excellent points. Often those at the top have gotten where they are because they are good at making others appear less competent and themselves appear superior, regardless of the actual truth. The last thing you want such a person to think is that you are on a level where you might one day be in competition with them. You have to hide your power level or these people will campaign against you by creating the perception that you are inept or difficult. The best strategy in these situations is to follow their directions exactly as instructed and privately broadcast your abilities to others in the organization in such a way as to avoid detection by the inept manager.
