In my presentation, Performance Maximizing Leadership, I often refer to an article written in 2008 by Calvin Sun titled 10 Ways to Survive Office Politics.
The foundation of the presentation is based on the fact that performance-maximizing leaders must become proficient at office politics to be effective in the workplace. In his article Sun writes, “Office politics will never go away. It’s a fact of company life. However, destructive office politics can demoralize an organization, hamper productivity, and increase turnover.”
Office politics is here to stay and can be messy on the best of days. This is part II of this series – click here for part I.
Get good at office politics
Be a straight arrow
Sun says, “The best way to keep out of trouble politically is to be seen as someone who doesn’t play office politics,” even though you do. As a salesperson, I learned that people don’t like to be sold; though most people like to buy. In other words, people want to feel like their buying decisions are completely theirs. It’s the same with politics. Alert people to challenges and concerns and let them benefit from what you know, but avoid being seen as a politician.
Above all else, make sure you do what you say you’re going to do. Do your job with excellence and admit your mistakes. You may even find others bringing you information that will benefit you and your efforts.
Address political issues openly when appropriate
People often have a natural anxiety about politics. As a leader, you have the ability to make them comfortable by reminding them that politics exist in any situation that includes people. In those situations, it’s usually people trying to get things done and assert some sense of control. The best way to work the system is to remain open to receiving information and recognizing that there are always back stories in play.
Answer questions when you can but remember to keep confidential information confidential. Always try to determine if people have a real need to know some of the things you know. If they don’t, keep your mouth shut.
Document everything
Sun says, “Nothing saves a job or career more than having a written record. If you believe a matter will come back to haunt you, make sure you keep a record of the matter, either via email or document.”
There are all kinds of ways to pull this off, but for me (an old guy) there is nothing better than a daily journal. Take just 15 minutes at the end of the day and record what happened. Save your journals! I have several that date back 20 years. I’ll probably never need to look back that far but you never know. Often, I’ll review back five years just to celebrate how far I’ve come.
Set incentives to foster teamwork
Sun states, “If you’re a manager or senior executive, take a close look at your incentives. Are you unwittingly setting up your staff to work against each other?”
Every organization wants collaboration, but every team member wants to know, “What’s in it for me?”
Tell them! Call out exceptional teamwork so others will recognize greatness. Reward team members based on how much they achieve and how much they help others achieve.
Set an example
And finally, Sun stated, “People in an organization look to leadership to see how to act. Do you want your staff to refrain from negative politics? Do you want to see collaboration and teamwork instead of petty rivalries, jealousy, and back-stabbing? Act the way you want your staff to act, and they will follow you.”
People want someone to follow. If you want your team to be comfortable with office politics, then you must be comfortable with them. The more you do it, the easier it gets.
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These tips, and others are presented in Performance Maximizing Leadership, a presentation that assists organizations in training greatness-manifesting, transformational leaders.