Office Politics
Office politics is a tricky subject. And it is safe to say that for some people, these two words elicit the same level of pain and discomfort as words such as "cancer".
There are thousands of books written about how to survive in a political environment, the best ones however, are written not by HR practitioners but business people who have been in the trenches. Jack Welch's books provide a brutal and uncomfortable - yet realistic view of how to handle office politics. Since we can not stop gossip spread about us or choose our managers, it is wise to focus our efforts on influencing how we respond to the environment.
It seems that there is no finite set of strategies that can help you tackle every sticky political situations. Over the years, I observed that if we are able to align ourselves with the the following groups of people, our lives will be much easier:
Informal power holders - workers who have gained the respect of their colleagues because of their knowledge and expertise. They often have deep connections within the formal leadership and to a certain extend, have a say as to who stays and who goes.
Managers of other departments who sit close by - these group of people have similar level of experience and people skills to rise through the ranks as your own managers, however, the lack of conflicting interests means that they are more open and willing to inform you the economic reality of the firm (e.g. upcoming downsizing) or your own areas of improvement.
Things that I guarantee you will create stress to colleagues and thus make enemies:
* Make excessive personal calls and talk loudly
* Wear too much perfume
* Bring smelly food and eat at the desk
* Use the F word excessively
These are just the basics. But many seem to be oblivious to their behavior and unnecessarily make themselves unpopular.
Here are some things to do if you are stressed out:
* Make use of the third party counseling hotline or services paid for by HR (Be careful when disclosing information, especially if your company does not have a contracted third party to handle requests and counsel in house, your information may not be confidential)
* Visit a day spa
* Treat yourself to a luxurious lunch on Fridays
* Get a good night of sleep every night
* Read about politics, history and poetry.
* Paint
* Meditate
There are thousands of books written about how to survive in a political environment, the best ones however, are written not by HR practitioners but business people who have been in the trenches. Jack Welch's books provide a brutal and uncomfortable - yet realistic view of how to handle office politics. Since we can not stop gossip spread about us or choose our managers, it is wise to focus our efforts on influencing how we respond to the environment.
It seems that there is no finite set of strategies that can help you tackle every sticky political situations. Over the years, I observed that if we are able to align ourselves with the the following groups of people, our lives will be much easier:
Informal power holders - workers who have gained the respect of their colleagues because of their knowledge and expertise. They often have deep connections within the formal leadership and to a certain extend, have a say as to who stays and who goes.
Managers of other departments who sit close by - these group of people have similar level of experience and people skills to rise through the ranks as your own managers, however, the lack of conflicting interests means that they are more open and willing to inform you the economic reality of the firm (e.g. upcoming downsizing) or your own areas of improvement.
Things that I guarantee you will create stress to colleagues and thus make enemies:
* Make excessive personal calls and talk loudly
* Wear too much perfume
* Bring smelly food and eat at the desk
* Use the F word excessively
These are just the basics. But many seem to be oblivious to their behavior and unnecessarily make themselves unpopular.
Here are some things to do if you are stressed out:
* Make use of the third party counseling hotline or services paid for by HR (Be careful when disclosing information, especially if your company does not have a contracted third party to handle requests and counsel in house, your information may not be confidential)
* Visit a day spa
* Treat yourself to a luxurious lunch on Fridays
* Get a good night of sleep every night
* Read about politics, history and poetry.
* Paint
* Meditate
Labels: anxiety, depression, guided meditations, motivation, office politics, self help
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