Survival kit for office politics

Many times we heard terms like Organizational Politics or just Office Politics and see people falling into traps all over the company just cause they weren’t able to react accordingly or politically aware.

I’ve been around corporate life and enjoying Organizational Politics as a human expression in social environments but I’ve also been dismayed at the number of times strong participants have been tossed to the curb in favor of those who used not their job skills but their carefully honed political strengths to succeed.

I’ve made that observation myself. I recall complaining many years ago about the high conflict politics that seemed to run rampant at the major organizations.

We usually don’t like politics because we’re not good at it. So we’ve made it out to be wrong.

We must admit that politics is a human social side of our own and since corporate life is about relationship with people in a work environment and a social place we would be inmerse sonner or later in the need for a political response to any situation that may come up or lose our position or job in the try.

Corporate life has many times what may call confrontations some time constructive and sometimes not so but always in the need for political skills.

In order to have suggest a sort of tools from my brief experience corporate atmosphere would force participants to defend their positions thoroughly. Usually high confrontation would allow the strongest vantage points (and most of the times higher positions) to prevail. However, even after I’d given the idea full consideration beyond my “knee-jerk” reaction to the culture’s high stress, it was still clear the environment could never work well for most of us.

I disagree to teach people to deal with it. I believe it’s more useful to guide people towards working in environments which are in keeping with their personalities and systems of beliefs. Surely this is a far better way for people to achieve a level of personal and professional satisfaction. To align ourselves with the corporate philosophies and accept politics is about human interaction.

Then for those in social environments such as companies you can’t influence or control, what can you do? here is some points as a survival kit to sail the politics waters we’re not able to avoid:

Follow office protocols: Avoid sticky situations by paying attention to the office protocol. If you make a misstep, make amends quickly. Document all what you do and keep it public and acceptable and even approvable if possible.

Remain on your values: There are those who’ll do anything to “win,” but on the whole, character and credibility will eventually prevail. Keep always calm even in case to lose a battle while you can win a war or future combats. Army generals do not send divisions if in doubt to to win. Don’t give in to the temptation to play underhanded games to rise through the ranks.

Align your message: Refine your message and approach to your audience (co-workers in all levels). What is it that a particular listener wants to know and needs to frame the information within? What are their priorities and goals? As employees we should apply tactics to communicate with co-workers. See their unique work styles, priorities and communication preferences in order to best adapt our approach.

Build support: Lobby for the respect and trust of all your colleagues, including those at the grassroots level. Build alliances by sharing credit for successes and delivering on scheduled.

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you   -   Dale Carnegie

Set your behavior before hand: This is essentially impulse control. You don’t need to always say what is on your mind or jump right in with your solution. If you are composed (especially when things don’t go your way), people are more likely to be at ease around you, allowing you to have difficult conversations, gain support and build political influence. Practice self-regulation.

Avoid email games: Don’t participate in the email and telephone game: Gossip will inevitably reach your cubicle, but ask yourself if there’s any credibility to the rumors. Whether there is or there isn’t, don’t pass it on. People who enjoy gossip usually only have half the story, and taking part is a sure way to wind up with your foot in your mouth.

Instead of join gossip, use it to better know the people around you:

You need to know better your social environment before any situation arises. Just listen twice and speaks only once. Listen the gossip and do not fall into the trap of repeating all around. Someone would use it against you in somehow when the time comes. We all speak from our facts so keep in yours first.

Avoid smearing campaigns: Gossiping or mudslinging can only damage your own credibility. When you are upset or frustrated, wait until you’ve calmed down to express your concerns. Be direct but tactful. Focus on the black and white facts and avoid not clear speeches.

Identify people that do extremely aggressive politics. Do not avoiding them or distance yourself from them, consider getting to know these people better. Try to understand their motivations and goals to work more harmoniously with them (or at least avoid being in the crossfire as much as possible). Be polite, but be careful about what you say as well.

Thank you for reading to the end. Please don’t go away without leaving your thoughts or comments about this article

Partner at Krauss & Livic ? 

The author has a more than twenty years in leadership position in major global companies managing large multicultural teams in several countries. 

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