Mastering the Game!!! A Guide To Mastering Office Politics Like a Pro!!

Office politics – Why is it that term causes people to groan, sigh and shake their heads??Why is that even a thing??Don’t we just want a work culture that is nice, respectful, and open??What does politics have to do with work? ?

But sometimes, our workplace feels more like an episode of?Survivor?with deceitful snakes, secret alliances, and the fear of being voted off the island at any time.??

But yet to be in the ‘game’, and to win in the game,?you have to understand all the nuances about the game.?

I’ve been in the corporate game for nearly 40 years, and I was continually surprised by what people would say or do to win –at the expense of others.??

Let me share with you my thoughts on how to master the game of office politics. It will take practice—not many things happen overnight, and neither will mastering office politics.?

But if you do a few things I suggest, your win is not impossible – it is inevitable.??

In this article, we’ll give you key tips to help you thrive in your office’s political culture while acting with integrity. These tips will help you gain political standing in your company, whether the politics are healthy and honest or cutthroat and shadowy.

What Are Office Politics?

Office politics refers to the informal power structures, relationships, and unspoken rules that govern interactions within the workplace. It includes how you and others relate to each other, and the often subtle interpersonal dynamics that can impact your role and your level of influence.

When office folks exploit those informal relationships to advance their personal agenda, mostly at your expense—ie promotion, salary raise, international assignments, etc. especially when they haven’t earned it in the normal manner, that can be construed as office politics.??

Background

The offices we work in are made up of people from various places, cultures, backgrounds,? schools, they bring their ambitions, bad behaviors, insecurities, etc.?with them, and use their own survival styles to try to achieve those ambitions.?

This breeds conflicts of interest, disagreements, etc, and how people walk toward their ambition in order to win is what the negative side of office politics is about.?

There is also positive office politics—where leaders use their influence positively, make meaningful relationships, and drive for productivity, positive change to benefit everyone.??

First of all, know that things will happen.?Be prepared for something.? We cannot always control what happens to us, but we have the ability to choose how we respond to what happened.

And we can be proactively aware and observant of individuals or their interpersonal?relationships that may result in something unexpected.

Second, there will be people (it’s always people) through their own conditioning, who will say things or do things in a certain way that you will not find respectful, helpful or appropriate.?

There are old or new interpersonal relationships that when banned together may allow someone to gain favor in the organization. In some cases organizational politics can lead to efforts to sabotage someone’s work or reputation, to diminish their influence or derail their projects.??

KNOW THE POWER STRUCTURE IN YOUR OFFICE:??

There is relationship power, hierarchical power, information power, reputational power and coercive power.?All of these may exist in just a few people, or may be across many.

The power is often used to drive productivity, improve culture, or drive compliance.? Sometimes the power is used for others to get ahead, simply because they can.

Know the power people have and how they are using it.??

1. Who are the most influential players in the organization?? What kind of power do they have?? (they may be your peers, subordinates, or several layers higher in the organization)
2. How involved are any of them in your day to day life??
3. What relationships do they have that involve people that are in your day to day life???
4. What do they need to know to be successful that you might be able to provide??What kind of help can they provide you to help you be successful?

BUILD STRATEGIC & GENUINE RELATIONSHIPS

Which of those influential people can you forge a meaningful relationship with possibly providing them information or support you know they need to be successful. Building your exposure to people who you can help and who can help you is important.

There will be times you will not be in the room while others are talking about talent, promotions, expat assignments, etc.

The better the relationship you have with these influential people, the more likely you will be in their mind and will be suggested when the opportunities present themselves.??

You can reach out to them and give them reinforcing feedback about an achievement you saw they did.? You can invite them to lunch.?You can ask them if they need some help in an area that may be your expertise. You can ask if you can pick their brain about a specific topic, and get to know them better.??

PROXIMITY DOES NOT MEAN PARTNERSHIP

There are people who you work with every day, closely, and you work together to solve a business problem, and drive growth for your company.?

Just because they work in close proximity to you does not mean they are in partnership with you.?

As I mention in my book – “Win When They Say You Won’t” just because someone is in your circle, does NOT mean they are in your corner.?

These folks that may be in proximity to you may 1) spread your business to other people (ie gossip), 2) manipulate information and twist it to their benefit—not yours 3) seek to control you as if you are a puppet or just a widget 4) seem to take/receive the credit for something that you may have done, or done with them, etc.??

1. Keep your conversation limited to business without revealing information about your personal life.? If asked about your personal life – let them know you are late for a meeting, and walk away!
2. Thank them, but learn to say no when you see them trying to control you—be confident and own your power that you can do your work, in your way.??
3. Ensure your leaders know what you did, the support you have given to others and how your work has helped drive the organization closer to achieving its targets.?This can be done with bi weekly ‘win reports’, one on one’s with your boss, etc.?This will help ensure that credit goes where credit is due.??

There are times when people you work with are on the good side of management,?are deemed the ‘floor leaders’ and management may go to them for their thoughts from time to time.?

Be aware of who those are and get on their right side, support them, & help them so as to optimize the likelihood of their being supportive of you.?This doesn’t mean “brown nosing” them, but rather using your skills to help them as you would help anyone else.??

STAY INFORMED

Keep your finger on the pulse of what is happening in the company.?Knowledge is power and when you are aware of what the company is doing, you can proactively make your moves, build new relationships, get more education, etc so you can navigate the changing landscape to your benefit. You can be more in control when you know what is happening.??

PICK YOUR BATTLES & STAY RESILIENT

Not every skirmish is worth your engaging in.?Focus your political capital on those things that matter most to your career, your health, your finances.?Not everything will measure up to something that matters.

WHAT TO DO IN THIS SITUATION?

Here are some examples of political activities that can happen and in some cases, happened to me.????

BEING TALKED OVER IN MEETINGS:

This is one of those situations you may not be able to anticipate until it happens to you.?

Here are a few ways to handle this.

1. If the person is not letting you finish your thoughts in the meeting, and if this is the first offense in the middle of the meeting, say, Sandy, I wasn’t done with my comments, please let me finish.?Or say “ Sandy,?I wasn’t done, but if you’d rather express your point before I finish mine, please go on’.? Chances are, Sandy will back down.? If you choose this second alternative, only do this one time.?Sandy doesn’t get a pass again.
2. In contrast, if this is NOT the first time this person is not letting you finish, then go to him privately and let him know what he is doing.?Maybe he is doing it to others in the meeting, and if so, let him know.?That shows you are not taking it personally, but rather trying to help him show up better.?Also, if your mentor or sponsor was in the room when this happened, or even if they are not, you can ask privately what the mentor/sponsor recommends you do.??

WHEN YOUR COMMENT IS REPEATED BY A MAN WHO GETS THE CREDIT?

This has happened to me many times— and I call this ‘HE-PEATING’.

I was the only woman and person of color reporting to the CEO/Chairman and sat on the Senior Leadership Team. They weren’t used to a woman being in the room…..

Here’s how I handled it. On one occasion, I said something like:? “Jake, you captured and restated my point very well; let me build on my earlier suggestion/observation and make another point“. This type of response gives Jake credit not for the idea, but for the articulate restatement of it. Then you take the idea back to your ownership by adding another point onto it.

In other situations, if the same person kept doing this, or multiple men did it, I would nod to a close colleague (sometimes the senior vice president of HR to whom I had mentioned the situation) to indicate that my comment has just been repeated. My colleague then would say powerfully, “guys I think we are repeating ourselves. Daphne just made that comment so let’s think of new ideas.”

This approach may not seem as forceful as the previous one because it may feel like you need an ally to speak for you. But your colleague was not speaking for you, per se.?He or she was giving you credit for the thought, but was more concerned about productivity and not repeating comments (which happened to be your comment).?

WHEN YOUR PROMOTION IS GIVEN TO SOMEONE ELSE

First, Breathe. Be Calm and Carry On. Clear your head. You will be no good to anyone if you start charging into the office like a bull.?The promotion has been announced; the person who made the decision will not rescind it. So its done. The horse has left the stable.?

Be clear on why you believe it was YOUR promotion and not the other person’s.?Did the CEO or your VP say it was yours and then give it to someone else??OR did you merely believe it was yours and it seems it incorrectly went to someone else?

This is a time for reflection—consider these points:?

1. Identify if some part of your Performance, Image, or Exposure was not emphasized appropriately. Did you perform exceptionally? Is your image and brand intact and positive? Do you have exposure to the right decision makers??How do you know?
2. Think about your relationship with your boss. Is it great, so-so, or poor?
3. Bosses can also be sponsors: Is your boss your sponsor, and does he or she support you a lot more than others? If not, that is something you can work on.

Use these reflections as things to discuss when you talk with someone. Identify whom you want to talk to about it, preferably your mentor. They may be able to help you with your reflections and give you additional considerations.??

Then meet with your boss, and don’t talk about the other person who DID get the promotion, but rather in your discussion, let your boss begin to see how you may be the next choice for a promotion that is in your wheelhouse.

Get feedback from him/her on what you should start doing/stop doing/continue doing to drive even greater value for the organization.

Show emotional intelligence and congratulate your colleague, and ask if you can help him or her in any way in the new role—that will go a long way to show your maturity and company-first mindset. Those elements are important to show where office politics are involved.??

As you go through office politics, know that it can be tough, but for every setback you encounter, look at it as a setup for a comeback, and a stepping stone to future success.?Keep pushing forward, and you will be a seasoned office politician.