WHAT ARE OFFICE POLITICS?

Office politicians thrive in this muddy field. Any office worker should know how to survive this sticky minefield for any attempts to avoid it is near to impossible.

If you want to try the political ground, you need not feel stressed in thinking of ways how to do it. Authenticity and being natural works pretty well for those who want a clearer way on their career paths without the hassle of being caught up in a game of dirty office politics.

Being aware of safety precautions can guide you against being tossed in the sea of politics and now is the best time to hear out some of these:

~ Be authentic. Do not try too hard by wearing masks. Just to try to fit in and be comfortable in certain situations and in front of powerful people.

~ Try to soften the truth but do not dilute it. It is always better if you are transparent and your agenda is as clear as water. If you are asked about your opinions, tell your colleagues the truth. He may not agree with you and you may come out too strong for him; but you can always say your thoughts in a non-confrontational or acceptable manner.

~ Be flexible and accept opinions of others. Not all your opinions may be accepted by the majority. Do not attempt to defend some lame positions because people will not buy it and they might have wrong impressions about you.

~ Practice your listening skills. You can genuinely show your interest to your colleagues by listening to their issues and concerns. Put your ego into the backseat because it will not come in handy while playing politics. This will make it hard for you to accept others' opinion as you go on defending your lame positions to your total detriment.

~ If you wanted an easy life, do not build an empire. Being a sycophant is different from being genuinely interested to the needs of your co-workers. You do not need an army of supporters behind you.

~ As much as possible, stay away from gossip and guard your mouth at all times. Gossiping is a very unproductive activity. If you do not want to fall pray to this, never participate in such.

~ Focus on the concerns and issues at hand.
Focus on where you can contribute and be of service.

~ In case you unintentionally bypassed someone with your actions, apologize later. Realize that sometimes you need to make quick decisions.

Yes, it is possible to minimize the influence of office politics in you and your career.

Well, sorry folks but you are dead wrong on this!

Human beings are political and social animals. This is a reality: man cannot live without politics.

Politics is not only confined to politicians and leaders of nations but it is all around, including in your work place. If three or more persons are gathered around in one setting, there will always be politics whether you like it or not.

Instead of blindly insisting on the ideal world that you have in mind, it would be better to understand and know the inner workings of office politics. You do not want to be the subject of it in the future, right?

So, it is best to arm yourself with information about office politics. After all, knowledge is the best weapon that you have.

In the first place, office politics is not as bad as how other people picture it. It is essential in the decision-making process and consensus building inside the company. You can make politics work for you rather than against you.

It is possible to participate in office politics without being unethical in the process. You can still do this in a very principled manner.

To do this, you need to have power in order to make it through office politics. It is not bad to gain power especially if your position entails you to have it, but to play it safely and ethically, you need to be:

~ in your best principled behavior, which means you have to practice reliability, honesty, and professionalism

~ focused on the goals of your organization even if this means that you have to initially set aside your own advancement and success

~ skilled and driven to advance the goals of your company but do this within the grounds of good character

How do you deal with competition or rivals? Respect the opinions and goals of rivals and adversaries. This does not mean that you agree with them but instead you recognize their opinions.

Act in a very trustworthy and honest way even if your rivals are not acting such because this can help earn the respect of the higher ups. Good deeds spread like wildfire among executives.

Here are some other ways to deal with office politics. Rest assured that this would not send you off to go look for another job:

1. Be focused on your work. If you want to keep your soul while playing politics, try hard not to divert your attention to dirty games, gossips, and issues. Know your goals and keep that in mind. Learn to have good judgments on things.

2. Be committed to excellent work and build good working relationships with your colleagues. This will keep you near the eye of some "politicians" at work.

3. It is always best to delegate tasks and not to control everything. Potential leaders are good in delegating and empowering others to do their job well.

4. Be in touch with yourself. Always make a mental inventory of your strengths and weaknesses. If there are some things you need to fix within yourself, get the appropriate training and help.

5. Everybody hates being the subject of gossip, so stay away from it as far as you can.

6. Develop that calmness within you. The calmer you are, the higher your productivity, and more people will consider you professional.

7. Never declare a crisis unless you are sure of it. Overreacting is not a wise thing to do.

8. Avoid accusing people of anything. Maintain a reputation of being fair and unassailable because people will think twice too of attacking you.

The wisest thing you can do while staying in a shark-infested organization is to be alert and aware of the things that are happening around you. If you can rise above it, it would be better.

At least you will be able to see things in a clearer perspective and avoid being trapped in the web of dirty politicking. Always be on the safe side of the water but keep your guard high.

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Kissing Up Isn't Always Bad

There are various ways to kiss up and these tend to have various flavors. Most people assume that kissing up is a technique that is way below the belt but it does not have to be so all the time.

There is a right way to kiss up and it would not even make you the target of everyone's animosity. All you have to remember is to kiss up only when everyone's doing it. Do this only when you are sure that you will not harm anyone.

If You Have to Say Something Bad, Make Sure It's about Yourself

While it's impossible to please everyone, it's certainly possible not to make anyone angry. One way of doing that is to avoid saying anything bad about anyone in the office.

There will be lesser chance for people to get angry with you. Your boss or co-worker will not get angry with you since they cannot say anything against you. If you are itching to insult someone, quickly change the subject. Prevent your job from being endangered by insulting yourself instead.

Charity Doesn't Exist in the Office

Every relationship is based on the give-and-take principle. Some people expect something out of the good deed that they do. If you have done a favor for someone else, remember that favor because you could use that as leverage in crucial times.

If you have been forced to ask for a favor and you are wondering what he will ask from you in return, research until you have found something that you can help him with without compromising your principles. Nevertheless, you must return the favor at all costs unless you wish to be branded an outcast.

Green is the Color of Success for Others

Remember this: some people will be jealous or envious of others' success. If you have been promoted or given recognition for something you have done, expect some of your colleagues to treat you differently afterwards.

Of course, some things can help reduce the chances of stepping on other people's toes. Refrain from bragging about your success. Let other people commend you for your achievements.

Don't Have Multiple Personalities

Adopting contrasting attitudes when talking to your boss and co-workers is a recipe for disaster! You will not please everyone by doing this. Your actions will only create an atmosphere of mistrust between you and everyone else.

Once they realize you act differently depending on the person you are with, they will think that you have a hidden agenda or motive for doing so.

Most rules for office politics simply require you to use common sense. In addition, you have to show empathy and intuition. All in all, just think ten times before you act and you will be safe!

Just be your self. It is still the best thing that you can do to survive office politics.

However, your opponents, by definition, are not playing by the rules, and you may be overwhelmed.

If this happens, you must weight the costs, and at some point you may decide that the wisest course of action is to move on:

- If the deck is so stacked against you that you simply can't win, or just come out even, it's probably better to cut your losses and look for a better environment.

This can happen when there are so many people who are using these tactics that it has become ingrained in the whole company, or if several of them gang up against you and there is no one willing to take your defense, or if your director sees you as a rival or believes lies others have told about you.

- If you are in a constant state of siege or conflict, the unremitting stress will eventually take its toll on your mental and/or physical health.

It would certainly be better for you to leave before you go into a state of depression or develop an ulcer or worse.

- If you find yourself in a moral dilemma: you may see a lot of unsavory things going on, and there's nothing you can do about it. Even though you are not participating in these actions, you may feel that just by remaining in that company you are compromising your integrity.

Please don't. Your integrity is a precious gift to be cherished. Don't let anyone take it away from you.

- If things are going so badly that you feel you are at a risk of getting fired: you have to consider the alternatives and decide which course of action is in your best interests, to stay to the bitter end or to bail out right away.

In some countries, people who are fired without being accused of serious wrongdoing are eligible for severance pay. But you also have to think of how it will look on your resume and what kind of references you can get;

In any case, be lucid and don't just wait for it to happen. Be proactive.