Don’t be an Abhimanyu at workplace!!!

In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Abhimanyu is a young warrior known for his bravery but also for his tragic fate, trapped in the Chakravyuha formation because he only knew how to enter but not how to exit. This story serves as a metaphor for professionals in the workplace where hybrid working has become the norm, particularly in the context of stakeholder engagement, leadership politics, and favoritism who without realizing enter viscous culture but may not know how to come out of the viscous culture. To avoid being an "Abhimanyu" at work, it's crucial to navigate these aspects to be successful and maintain work life harmony.

Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder engagement is essential for strategic planning and the successful execution of programs. It involves identifying, understanding, and involving individuals or groups who have a stake in the outcomes of the program. Effective engagement requires ongoing communication, listening, and collaboration. By proactively considering the needs, desires, and attitude of stakeholders, you can foster relationships, trust, confidence, and buy-in for your style of program management. This approach helps mitigate potential risks and conflicts, including uncertainty, dissatisfaction, misalignment, and disengagement. To master stakeholder engagement, you should focus on relationships that matter the most, identifying key influencers who cannot easily be replaced, and whose goals align with your program.

Navigating Leadership Politics

Office politics are an inevitable part of organizational life. While many view them negatively, understanding and engaging in office politics can be crucial for career advancement and program success. It’s better to view them as stronger relationships than politics. You can help avoid negative workplace politics by being transparent, holding team members and stakeholders accountable, and modeling positive behavior. Transparency and open communication about the program objectives and challenges can empower all team members and make them stakeholders in the program success. This approach encourages a culture where the program objectives take precedence over personal agendas, fostering a more collaborative and less politically charged environment.

Addressing Favoritism

Favoritism in the workplace can have detrimental effects on morale, productivity, and organizational growth and team member physiological safety. It creates a hostile work environment, strains team member relationships, and can lead to team member disengagement. You must be vigilant against favoritism by promoting equity, using metrics rather than emotions for decision-making, and being transparent about contributions to the program. Training on unconscious bias and creating systems to keep bias out of important decisions can help combat favoritism and build an equitable team culture.

Conclusion

Avoiding the fate of Abhimanyu in the workplace requires a comprehensive approach to stakeholder engagement, a strategic understanding of office politics, and a commitment to fairness and equity to combat favoritism. By focusing on these areas, you can navigate the complexities of the modern workplace successfully, ensuring not just program success, survival but also growth in career.? Just as Abhimanyu's story serves as a cautionary tale in the Mahabharata, let it also remind you of the importance of preparation, knowledge, and strategic thinking in your professional life.

Bhanu Viswanadha (with AI support)

Comments / questions: DM me at [email protected]