You can’t just ignore office politics. As nice as it would be if we could always just all get along in the workplace, there are just too many unfortunate similarities between work and war for political maneuvering not to be an element of your work life. The goal of all conflict, especially at work, is to get past an issue blocking the way to progress for at least one side. But when we’re talking about work, its doubly important to remember that the right move will ultimately help both sides. So while you don’t want to be a two-faced manipulator in life, you do need to make smart choices at work about what you say and who you say it to. Here are several ideas you can equip yourself with to navigate office politics and still sleep the sleep of the just at night.
1.) Pick your battles– There’s politics of any kind for you in a nutshell: you can’t win ‘em all, and knowing when to fight (and what to fight for) is always the most important skill to have in your wheelhouse.
2.) Be a mediator– You may be tempted to pick sides in a conflict between two other co-workers, especially if you have a fondness for one over the other or agree strongly with one party. But your best move is to play the mediator, to encourage understanding between the two parties and help tease out a compromise that will allow tensions to ebb. Sure, you know which side you agree with, but you’ve also hopefully helped solve an immediate office conflict that – now defused – can help the team get back on track for a common goal.
3.) Understand both the official and unoffical power structure – It’s easy to get a sense of who is in charge at a new job, but it will take some observational work on your part to figure out the unofficial power structure: Who has influence on who? Which one goes fishing weekends with the boss? Who has the ear of those with the most power? Better not to make any bold moves in the office until you get a sense of this. Think of it a little like examining the situation on the chess board for a while before making a crucial move.
4.) Use whatever influence you have, but remember much is out of your control – Of course no amount of winning political moves can guarantee you a personal win in every situation. Remind yourself that the palace intrigue is, to a large degree, out of your hands. So be smart and focus all your efforts on the areas you have a direct effect on, and don’t try to stretch beyond them. Keep your own backyard clean and weeded first and foremost.
5.) Focus on the business instead of personal differences– Hopefully both opponents in a work dispute can keep in mind the idea that they’re both attempting to determine the best way forward for the company on an issue, rather than simply clashing over ingrained personal differences. Even if you do end up having to work closely with someone you dislike, it’s in your best interest to keep those cards close to the vest and remember that you’re both on the same team and you’re arguing not about whether you like each other but about which fought-over idea makes more sense for everyone else.
Study: Political Views in the Workplace
6.) No ad hominem attacks– This should come as no surprise to most grown-ups, but name-calling and personal jabs have never helped anyone reach any kind of meaningful and progressive resolution with any kind of opponent. Grade school rules still count: the minute you start name-calling, you lose.
7.) Use your emapthy to understand them even before you feel understood yourself – This one is for the truly gifted office politicians, but anyone can do it. It’s incredibly frustrating to feel unheard or misunderstood, especially when you’re in the middle of some kind of disagreement. Often, the very fact that you feel unheard becomes the main thrust of the argument, and everyone loses sight of what is really being discussed. Instead of demanding to be heard and understood first, bend over backwards to hear and understand the other person’s position. You’ll be surprised how quickly that can defuse a tense moment.
8.) Remember you’re in this together– It’s stated before above in as many words, but make sure you remember that – just like in Washington politics – you’re supposed to be in this together. You’re not combatants in war but fighters on the same side with different ideas of how to get across a certain rocky field. (There we go with the war analogies again.) Remember that the outcome needs to be win-win for everyone to avoid further fracturing of the morale.
