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2015-08-14 10:07:03
How many times have you groaned aloud about office politics? Many people just wish they d be judged on the quality of their work alone, not on how well they play the game or where they stand in the political hierarchy.
Yet, those who have mastered the art of office politics seem to have more doors open to them at work. Is there a way to win with your good nature intact, without really playing politics? And what about focusing on your personal character?
These are topics LinkedIn Influencers weighed in on this week. Here s what two of them had to say.
Dr Travis Bradberry, president at TalentSmart
A lot of the advice about how to handle office politics boils down to just don t play , as if avoiding the political system in your office will protect you and your career, wrote Bradberry in his post How to Win at Office Politics. It won t.
So, what s the key to winning at office politics?
Stop wishing it will go away and to start learning how to thrive in your workplace s political environment, he wrote. You don t have to dive right into the seedy underbelly of office politics to win the game; you win by playing smart and knowing when and how it s worth getting involved.
First, Bradberry advised, you need to learn the lay of the land .
Your office is full of allies and rivals, and, if you watch and listen closely, you can get a pretty good sense of who s aligned with whom, he wrote. That includes noticing who has lunch together, who gets invited to important meetings and who doesn t, and who seems to be the first or the last to know about changes that are coming.
The answers to these questions define your political landscape, Bradberry wrote. But don t choose a side yet. It s smart to understand the rules and the players and their strategies before you jump into the fray.
After that, you should build broad alliances , he wrote. If you accomplish this and show people across the board that they can rely on you, you ll stand a good chance of coming out ahead, no matter which political camp is currently winning .
As importantly, keep the goal of playing office politics in mind. You re not engaging in office politics for fun or to be one of them , you re doing it for two reasons: career success and job fulfilment, Bradberry wrote. When you get caught up emotionally, you run the risk of making decisions you ll regret down the road. Gossiping, backstabbing, manipulating and the rest are not needed to win at office politics.
Instead, think about how you and an opponent can both get what you want. Other advice: never pit rivals against one another or you could get caught between two warring parties. Instead steer your conversations back to the facts: What decisions need to be made? What are the next steps? What can I do to help improve this situation?, he wrote.
Most importantly, You must stick to your principles, without fail. Before taking any action that s fuelled by office politics, ask yourself why you re doing it, Bradberry wrote. If you re motivated by fear, revenge, or jealousy, don t do it. If it conflicts with your values and beliefs about fair behaviour, it s better not to get involved.
Neil Blumenthal, co-founder and co-chief executive officer at Warby Parker
In a world where uncertainty and competition are both at a fever pitch, it s easy to feel as though you have no chance of success without the professional version of a fairy godmother to tap you with a wand and whisk you up the corporate ladder, wrote Blumenthal in his post My Parents Were Right Focus on Character, Not Your Career.
But, he wrote, the best mentors are those who live the kind of life you d like to lead, not necessarily someone at the office who can help your career or play politics for you. For Blumenthal, those people were his parents.
In some ways, the behaviour they modelled obviated a need for a more formal mentoring, he wrote. What, exactly, where those behaviours that he watched that helped propel his career?
Let the world in. My parents were diligent about exposing me to as much of the world as possible. Real-world experience ranked high in their book of virtues. My dad travelled a good deal for work, and he often managed to convert those trips into family trips, wrote Blumenthal. Our trips showed me that the world was full of possibility.
Motivate by example. My mother was a registered nurse for more than 30 years. She loved helping people. Simple as that, he wrote.
Teach self-awareness. When I was a kid, my dad had an infuriating habit of answering a question with a question, Blumenthal wrote. At the time, it felt like torture. But to Blumenthal s father, it was a way to prompt me not to be intellectually lazy to seek answers on my own, and construct my own thoughts and opinions, he wrote.
Leading a life filled with happiness and success is about character, not connections, Blumenthal concluded.