Humans are political beings and politics is played everywhere including offices. Wherever there are humans โ office, market, church, or mosque โ politics must abound. Office politics, however, can consume you if you donโt know how to deal with.
Office politics are not always apparent, yet theyโre always there. In fact, it is an everyday thing. If youโre not careful, office politics can have direct impact on you because itโs the source of your livelihood. If you donโt know how to deal successfully with office politics, it may cost you your job, brings demotion or get you alienated from key projects and people. In short, you need a lot of diplomacy to survive in an office environment.
Depending on the situation, office politics can be positive or negative. But, whatever kind it is, you must learn how to survive the politics that exist in your company without getting dirty. Thus, if youโre looking for practical tips on ways to deal with office politics so you can gain access to key influential players in and outside of your company, advance your career, create more success, and increase your relevance, consider yourself lucky because youโve just stumbled on the page where you can find valuable tips you can use to your advantage. Now read on to learn these tips:
1. Try to be on a good page with everyone or group
Office politics often split people into groups or caucuses. Therefore, if you want to succeed in such environment thatโs full of rivalry and competition, you must learn how to be on everyoneโs good page. You can only achieve this by making sure that youโre transparent in all your interactions and communications. Donโt allow yourself to be drag into the mucky water of politics in your office. Be seen as being neutral by building trust with everyone and never engage in office gossip about one person/group or the other.
2. Learn to understand people
Itโs people that run the affairs of offices. Thus, if you want to survive office politics, you must learn to understand people in your office including office practices and cultures. If you have a good grasp or understanding of people in your office environment and how things are done, you will be able to build strong and effective relationship with team members and office colleagues. This will help you win more friends and bring you opportunities to get involve in progressive projects.
3. Always be willing to collaborate
If you want to be on a good page with people in your office and gain their trust, you must always be willing to collaborate with them in something progressive. While being collaborative, you must learn to always keep your ears open and my mouth shut so you donโt involve yourself in unnecessary office gossip.
4. Keep it professional at all times
Sometimes, office politics can be frustrating and irritating. Donโt let it get to you. Always stay professional in all your dealings. Rather than reacting with anger to show your frustration, itโs vital that you learn how to keep your professional composure. Donโt give people any reason to get you involve in their political mess.
5. Never make other people look bad
If you want to survive office politics, then learn to be conscious about the plight of others. If you have the habit of making others look bad, then youโre brewing the wine of politics that may intoxicate and consume you. Although you canโt completely avoid occasional exposure of other peopleโs shortcomings in your honest feedback, try as much as possible to minimize situations where you make others to look bad.
Office politics can be dangerous to your health as well as your career growth. So, always play save by avoiding getting yourself drown in its mucky waters.
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