Office Politicking
By Terry Arndt
"I love my job, but I hate the office politics." This sentiment is commonly held, but useless nonetheless. The truth is that office politics are part of any job. Period. And the sooner you recognize that, whether you like it or not, at work you are a politician, the better you'll be at navigating the shifting and sometimes strange waters of office politics.
While being political at work is a given, it's not necessarily a negative. By definition, politics is simply dealing with people in a way that produces outcomes that are beneficial to you or the group you represent. Nothing wrong with that, right? Right – as long as the playing field is even and people conduct themselves with integrity. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. The bad news is that in your work life you will come across people who brown nose, lie, take credit for work they didn't do, and other generally unsavory characters. The good news is that most people are good, fair people who want the same things that you do: to earn a living while learning and growing as a person, being recognized for a job well done, helping others and having a little fun along the way.
Positive Politicking
The best news, according to Terry Arndt, President of Life After Graduation, LLC and publisher of Backpack To Briefcase: Steps To A Successful Career, is that you don't have to do much more than be a good person to be good at office politicking. He recommends the following tips for achieving success in office politics.
- Develop a genuine interest in other people. If you are really interested in other people's experiences, opinions and perspectives, demonstrate caring, team spirit, and a willingness to open yourself up to other ways of thinking. All of these traits will help you get ahead – plus it's just a more interesting and fulfilling way to live!
- Develop a healthy curiosity about the world. Curiosity leads to growth, learning and a more well-rounded experience, all great things to have when it comes to getting ahead at the office.
- Be empathetic. Half of being a successful office "politician" is understanding what other people want and need.
- Be a good listener. It's hard to empathize with people or express your interest in who they are if you aren't even listening to what they say. Developing good listening skills is key to playing the office politics game.
- Make time for other people. You might think that keeping your head down and clanking away at the keyboard is the best way to get ahead, but you're missing half of the picture. While hard work is appreciated and rewarded, you also have to be likeable and interesting, demonstrate good character, and show that you care about other people in order to achieve career success. All of this is hard to do if you don't take the time to get to know your colleagues – and, yes, participate in a little office politics.
- Be true to yourself. If, in the course of office politics, you begin to feel fake or dishonest, you're going about it the wrong way. You shouldn't have to be someone else to be successful in office politics – you should only have to be your best self.
- Develop gratitude. Being truly grateful for your job, the people who have helped you, and all the positive things in your life is a great way to develop a positive, can-do attitude. Take the time every day to think about what you are grateful for.
- Be positive, respectful and considerate. Act like the person you want to work with.
Office Politics Pitfalls
"The problem with the rat race," comedienne Lily Tomlin once quipped, "is that even if you win, you're still a rat." It's important to recognize that here is a reason the term "office politics" causes so many people to shudder—and that reason might be sitting in the cubicle next to you, plotting the next time she's going to take credit for someone else's ideas, or gabbing in the break room about other colleagues' family situations. Here's how to avoid office politics, middle school style:
Cliques
It's human nature – people with similar interests or experience tend to group together. It's no different at work – the younger single women tend to become work buddies, people who enjoy computers seek each other out in the workplace, working mothers will take their lunch breaks together to discuss kids. There's nothing wrong with developing groups of friends at the office, until it leads to the exclusion of others, hurt feelings and bad morale.
Make sure you're not guilty of creating an office clique by being mindful of others' feelings. Invite co-workers to join you and your friends for lunch, make sure that everyone is always in on the conversation and the joke, and don't give anyone special treatment at the office just because they are your friend. And if you find that you are on the outside of an office clique, don't sweat it. Do your best to be friendly, courteous and helpful to everyone you work with, and work friendships and alliances will develop naturally and fairly.
Gossip
Unfortunately, gossip is all but unavoidable in the workplace. The office "grapevine" is a staple of modern office life, and does serve its purpose. If not wildly speculative, malicious, or untrue, gossip can be a relatively harmless way to bond with co-workers and spread fun and positive news. For example, telling your office mate that Sheila from the IT department got engaged over the weekend and looks really happy is, by most definitions, gossip. But it's also harmless. On the other hand, repeating that you heard Shelia's getting divorced because her husband cheated on her with his secretary isn't harmless – it's hurtful. At its worst, gossip can hurt feelings, lower morale, and even damage or destroy careers. And you don't have to be the subject of gossip to be harmed by it: earning a reputation as an office gossip means you appear disloyal, untrustworthy, superficial, or dishonest in the eyes of colleagues and supervisors.
The best way to figure out if you are repeating harmless news or spreading potentially hurtful gossip is to evaluate your motivation behind repeating it. If your motive is to promote yourself, get attention, or to be the center of attention, you are gossiping. Ask yourself this: How would the subject of this news feel if he or she heard me repeating it? To be truly gossip-free, you have to stop gossip in its tracks – and refuse to listen to it too. If someone starts repeating gossip to you, simply stop them and let them know that you are uncomfortable with the subject matter.
Favoritism, back stabbing, sabotage and other nasty office behavior
It's inevitable – from time to time you will encounter people in your career who are dishonest, unfair, unscrupulous or just plain mean. We all want to consider our co-workers friends, but what to do if you become the object of a co-worker's dirty politics? You don't have to just take it if you are being affected by favoritism, co-worker sabotage, gossip or backstabbing. By using a few simple strategies, you can rise above the drama and stay on course.
- Develop a Paper Trail as a Precaution – Always keep meticulous records of your office communications and work. That way, if a co-worker tries to accuse you of falling behind on work, or a supervisor unfairly claims to have passed you over for a prime assignment because the quality of your work is poor, you can respond with confidence by using your arsenal of proof to the contrary.
- Don't Suffer in Silence – The squeaky wheel gets the grease. If colleagues are unfairly trying to undermine your career or one-up you, making your accomplishments and value known is a great counter-strategy. Make sure your boss knows about your successes and strengths.
- Take the High Road – It's never a good policy to roll in the mud with your enemies. If you are the target of dirty office politics, rise above it by staying calm, focusing on the positive, and proactively – and fairly – addressing the problem. Don't let what is going on affect your job performance or your confidence – that's exactly what the saboteur wants.
- Learn to Communicate – Sometimes, simple communication is the answer. Speaking calmly and directly to the person who is at the root of the problem can go a long way to solving personality conflicts. Honest and open communication can help you understand your co-worker's perspective, and may even make your co-worker aware of how his behavior is affecting you.
