How To Handle Office Politics
/It's almost inevitable to work in today's world without noticing or actively engaging in one form of office politics or the other. As long as there are people with different interests, world views, perspectives and opinions, office politics will always exist. It's a fact of life.
According to Marie G. McIntyre, a career coach and organizational psychologist, Office politics is “being smart about how you manage relationships at work.”
For some of us, we're content sitting in our cubicles, getting the work done and calling it a day without getting involved in any drama. For others, playing the game is a way of life. To be successful at work however, you must learn to cope with the politics. Whether you're actively involved or not, there are some key points to be aware of in managing office politics.
Here we go:
Be emotionally intelligent – Emotional Intelligence is one of the most touted skills among business managers. Developing this skill will help you become aware of your own feelings and be sensitive to how others are feeling.
Focus on what's best for the business – In any situation of conflict, concern yourself with achieving the objectives of the business instead of trying to prove to the other person just how right you are or how wrong they are. It's easier to get the other person to back down when what you're proposing is for the benefit of the business and not your benefit.
Don't engage in embarrassing fights, name calling or gossiping – This will only fetch you a bad name. Learn to put things in perspective without taking anything too seriously.
Don't take sides when there are two opposing parties with clearly different interests and objectives. When the dust settles, neither party will forget that you took sides. Instead, try to resolve the situation by helping them come to an agreement, if possible. By not taking sides, you will build trust with the different parties over time.
Don't take things personally – People have their reasons for behaving the way they do and not everything is directed at hurting you.
Be nice to others – What goes around comes around. The last thing you want is to be seen as a difficult and disagreeable person. Never advance your own interests by hurting the progress of others – that's bad politics.
Attribution
"Politics Book And Character Displays Books About Government Demo" Picture by Stuart Miles/Freedigitalphotos.net
