Office Politics: A Couple Do's and Don'ts

Everyone’s got an opinion on office politics.  Heck, there's even a website dedicated to Office Politics!  Some decent reads that get more into this topic include Office Politics Handbook, Dealing With Office Politics, Stop Avoiding Office Politics, How Office Politics Work, and How to Handle Office Politics. 

Here's a couple of my simple tips to keep in mind when navigating the office politics maze. 

DO:

·    Identify the influencers within your organization and build relationships with these people.  These are the people who simply get things done (regardless of their level of authority) or seem to always get others to understand and advocate their point of view.  You want these people in your corner.

 

·    Always maintain a consistent, even-keel, professional style.  Colleagues with wildly inconsistent moods, behaviors, and actions tend to experience strong negative effects from office politics.

 

DON'T:

·    Never send an email if you feel the subject matter may fall into an office politics gray area.  This leaves a paper trail that can be used against you in the future.  If you feel the absolute need to speak up about something, make sure it’s a verbal exchange (i.e. face-to-face or phone call).

·    Don’t say anything about anybody that you wouldn’t feel comfortable saying directly to their face.  This is a good rule of thumb that should keep you safe.  You should always be careful what you say to office colleagues.  There's very little upside but significant potential downside to loose lips in office politics. 

One last point.  When it comes to office politics, many people claim they won’t play that game.  That’s their choice.  But they risk being left behind.  At best, they are left out of the loop on collaboration and decision making.  At worst, they end up cast aside and unemployed.  Here’s another way to look at it.  Take dating as an example.  Like it or not (and believe me I didn’t!), dating games are simply a part of life.  Many people claim to refuse to play games when dating and won’t deal with people who do.  I’m guessing many of them are still single.