In my very humble opinion, the biggest loss of overall production in most people’s lives is in office politics. And I don’t make that sweeping generalisation lightly. Or not that lightly at least.
It might not be politics that you see as the immediate cause to any inefficiency, but in 8 out of 10 cases, I suspect it is lurking in the background somewhere, pouring salt into wounds, and stirring its dirty spoon.
Before I go into how to combat office politics, I think it is important to recognise that there are a number truths in this area we must accept before we stand a chance of making our own lives easier:
- There will always be office politics. We will can never eliminate them, only move them out of our path;
- We all engage in office politics. Every last one of us. Deny it all you want, but you do; and
- Office politics exists in all groups of people. If you are a member of the design team, the 2nd floor first aiders, and the company softball squad, then each of those will have their own set of politics.
Great. I know you are still arguing that Truth 2 is wrong, but you really need to get over that. The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
Moving on. So how do we make our own lives easier? Well, I didn’t write down three ‘truths’ above just to fill space. Lets have a look at a couple of situations where we could use them to our advantage…
Firstly, acknowledging Truth 1 is very important. Once you realise that you boss is always going to ass-kiss his boss, and say something completely different in front of them that just with you, then you are half way there. Don’t sit at your desk hoping that when he goes into the Big Office to explain why his team his missed a deadline, that he is admitting it is his fault because he has been playing golf every morning – instead, recognise that he will probably blame you or a colleague and spend some time making sure that you personally are harder than the rest to be chosen as a sacrificial lamb.
Secondly, acknowledging Truth 2 is equally important. And I know you still haven’t got there yet. But the sooner you realise that you are already playing politics, then the sooner you will realise that you might as well play a little more to help days pass a little smoother. I’m not talking about some grand Machiavellian scheme – they usually end up shooting you in the foot – just a little buttering of the sides:
- Rather than make it completely obvious that you think someone is not worth their paycheck, just keep you tongue in your mouth;
- Start to realise when it is a good idea to send an e-mail so that a conversation is in writing rather than just verbal;
- Workout who it would be a good idea if they knew your name. And equally, whose radar you are better being under;
- Just because a colleague doesn’t look like they are playing politics, doesn’t mean they are not – still don’t trust them entirely; or
- Keep a CYA (Cover Your Ass) file at home. Fill it with the documents/versions/e-mails that you would normally throw in the trash, but might actually provide you with either proof or deniability later.
Finally, understanding Truth 3 will make your life significantly easier. For every possible way you can segment your colleagues, staff and bosses, there will be a set of politics. At first this will seem to mean an endless set of rules for you to trip over, but the more you think about it you will realise that you don’t need to know the rules – just acknowledge they are there. For example, what groups is your boss in? Senior Management Team, the Board, Operations Management Sub-team, and Treasury Committee? Well, have a think what will drive her in each of those. How can that be used to make your life a little bit easier?
Remember, this is an art not a science. And the more clever you try and be, the more stupid you’ll end up looking. But the more you understand, the stronger you’ll be.
