Handling Office Politics

jerrytz · 2015-08-06T06:14:36+00:00

Here we are,two months away from the next Tanzania presidential election, and the way the media is carrying on about the candidates, youd think it was right around the corner. With the endless cycle of media coverage, the frequent candidate faux pas, and all those awkward moments when friends and family force their political opinions upon us, its no wonder politics gets a bad rap. But we need it. Politics is a necessary component of an open, democratic system. The other kind of politicsoffice politicsare just as fraught with difficulty. Almost nobody likes dealing with office politics, and its the people who do enjoy it that you have to worry about. And just like regular politics, office politics is an unavoidable element of human behaviorbring people together and the jockeying begins. A lot of the advice about how to handle office politics boils down to just dont play, as if avoiding the political system in your office will protect you and your career. It wont. Saying youre not affected by office politics is like saying youre not affected by politics at large. It makes a difference, even if you close your eyes and hope it goes away. The key to winning at office politics is to stop wishing it will go away and to start learning how to thrive in your workplaces political environment. You dont have to dive right into the seedy underbelly of office politics to win the game; you win by playing smart and knowing when and how its worth getting involved. First, you need to learn the lay of the land. Whether you just started a new job or just realized that avoiding office politics is detrimental to your career, you have to begin by figuring out exactly whats going on. Your office is full of allies and rivals, and, if you watch and listen closely, you can get a pretty good sense of whos aligned with whom: Who has lunch together? Who gets invited to important meetings, and who doesnt? Who always seems to be the first to know about coming changes, and who always seems to be last to know? What are the cultural hot buttons that get tempers boiling? The answers to these questions define your political landscape. This doesnt mean that you should choose a sidethat would be counterproductivebut its smart to understand the rules and the players and their strategies before you jump into the fray. Otherwise, you could find yourself unintentionally caught up in a long, simmering rivalry. Next, you should build broad alliances. One of the smartest things you can do is to build alliances throughout the company so that youll have a foot in as many of the political camps as possible. If you accomplish this and show people across the board that they can rely on you, youll stand a good chance of coming out ahead, no matter which political camp is currently winning. You also wont be left out of the cold if a group of allies leaves the company. Throughout the process, you need to keep your eyes on the goal. Remind yourself, as many times as it takes, that youre not engaging in office politics for fun or to be one of them; youre doing it for two reasons: career success and job fulfillment. When you get caught up emotionally, you run the risk of making decisions youll regret down the road. Gossiping, backstabbing, manipulating, and the rest are not needed to win at office politics. Keeping your eyes on the goal lets you develop and maintain a strategic approach for dealing with your workplaces unique political atmosphere. You must stick to your principles, without fail. Before taking any action thats fueled by office politics, ask yourself why youre doing it. If youre motivated by fear, revenge, or jealousy, dont do it. If it conflicts with your values and beliefs about fair behavior, its better not to get involved. Bringing It All Together Deciding to stay out of office politics altogether isnt an effective strategy. As long as its going on around you, youre going to be affected by it. Its a lot better to be a competent, conscious player than to be a bystander or a pawn in the game.

Thread starter jerrytz
Start date Aug 6, 2015

jerrytz

JamiiForums uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.

Accept Learn more…

Back

Top Bottom

Forums

New posts

Handling Office Politics

jerrytz

JF-Expert Member

Our Community

Regional Communities