How to Navigate Office Politics – Part One
When thinking about office politics, you can easily picture into your head a bloody battlefield, with people stabbing each other in the back to claw their way to the front. A display of power and greed, pushing all limits in an attempt to get ahead. But is it really that bad? Sadly, it can be. Ironically, political scientists have defined politics as the art of the possible. However, employees often find coping with office politics to be an impossible art.
But office politics is a serious topic, and it can make or break your career. Like with everything else in life, you don’t have only black or white, but all the shades of grey in-between, as well.
Don’t make the mistake of believing that you can ignore or avoid office politics. You can’t. Even if you work from home, issues will arise that force you become embroiled. It’s how you deal with these flashpoints that will define not just your position in that particular job, but in some cases, your entire career.
Whether you like playing office politics or not, it is a part of the work reality. Your success in your workplace depends upon how skilfully you play. The following strategies will help you win at office politics while still allowing you to maintain your integrity.
Make it a central tenet of your working style to be nice to everyone in the workplace. We don’t mean the schmoozy, agree-with-everyone kind of ‘nice’. We mean the kind that builds supporting, encouraging relationships with people. And that means all people, not just those you think will be good for your career or those who immediately manage you.
Don’t be the office gossip. It’s easy to fall into the trap of gossiping at work and trashing a colleague that’s beginning to grate on your last nerve. But speaking negatively about your colleague is going to do more damage than good – even if it is just that once. When someone instigates a conversation where you would be inclined to gossip about another colleague, and you don’t take the bait, you send a very strong message that you can be trusted in the other direction, too. So next time you go to disparage your annoying work pal, think about the repercussions it may have if it backfires and reaches the managers’ ears.
Be as visible as your role will allow. You can’t win office politics by hiding in your cubicle behind your desk. You must get involved, and others need to see you as a valuable asset at work. Get involved in solving important and highly visible problems in the workplace. In this age of precarious job security, many employees are stunned to find out that they lost their jobs because upper management didn’t know what they were contributing to their organisation. You not only have to do good work; others must give you credit for your good work and perceive you as a good worker. That’s positive office politics at play, and it’s an important lesson to learn.
At the end of the day, sometimes it’s you that can be the centre of office politics. When you are desperate, insecure or angry, nine times out of 10, you will do something that you’ll later regret. Whether is it aggressively responding to an email that offended you or angrily complaining to your boss about something a colleague did. The key is, in this type of scenario – do not act solely based on your heightened emotions. You don’t want to come across as a reactive, emotionally unstable loose cannon. Always give it some time, perhaps a day or two. Use this time to formulate a better strategy.
Also, when you are faced with problems with your task at hand, do not immediately go into panic mode. Keep your composure. The number one rule in crisis management is to stay calm. Try to regain control of the situation. Do what you can. Also, be aware of ‘dobbers’ out there who are ready to let others know you’re not coping, steal your project, your position at work or your place in the boss’s heart. That may sound over-reactive, but we’ve seen it happen too many times for it not to be a real thing.
