Office politics is real. Those who ignore it do so at their own detriment. You do not have to play it, but you have to develop the skills to avoid it.
Office politics is an integral part of employee activities in many of today’s organizations. But these organizations live in self-denial. They deny the existence of any form of politics within their organizations. They claim that they have never witnessed or encouraged any form of political activities within their fold. Some organizations even claim to belong to the class of highly ethical companies where no form of politicking is allowed. Yet, many of these corporate organizations hide their political activities under the general umbrella of “operational policies”. Paradoxically, the so called “operational policies” are actually products of political maneuverings, approved, orchestrated and administered from the top.
Ideally, being an ethical organization should be the norm. However, rarely can today’s organizations be completely absolved of some form of political jostling within their fold. It may be jostling for board or management control, or for strategic positioning within executive management. Employees sometimes jostle for promotion or for headship of strategic units and departments. Office politics may be in the form of jostling to leave or stay in certain units, departments, branches or locations. There is also jostling for internal relevance or to be close to influential persons or authorities within the organization.
This write-up does not support or defend political jostling within an organization. Instead, it aims to draw everyone’s attention to the existence of this unwritten culture, privately known, but rarely openly discussed. Every organization has its own share of this culture. Some organizations inadvertently practice more sinister aspect of this culture; one that shuts out those who do not understand this internal politics of survival. You do not have to participate in the politics of your organization, but those who disregard the impact of office politics do so at their own detriment.
Understand that office politics exit; you do not have to play it
It is understandable that not everyone wants to be part of any form of office politics; indeed, many employees detest office politics. No one joins an organization for the purpose of playing politics. However, everyone who joins an organization comes with aspirations, hopes and personal ambitions. You do not have to play in the politics of your organization to achieve these goals. However, you need to develop the skills to avoid it. This requires that you position yourself to benefit from your skills, experiences, and competence rather than the internal politics of survival. This blog post suggests ways by which you can avoid the politics of your organization and yet remain relevant.
1. Understand the culture and traditions of your organization
Every organization has its own culture and traditions, some written and some unwritten. The written culture and traditions form integral parts of corporate policies. The unwritten culture and traditions are usually not well defined, yet everyone within the organization knows about their existence. To survive the divisive impact of office politics, you must seek to understand your organization’s culture and traditions, particularly the unwritten part. This is important because the unwritten culture and traditions hide the intricate political activities that shape the overt activities described as “operational policies”.
The unwritten culture and traditions help you identify the power blocks within the organization. They also help you understand how these power blocks form opinions about issues, individuals and activities, and how allegiances are developed. While you do not want to be a player in the politics of your organization, this knowledge helps you to avoid taking actions that might place you on the wrong side of the political divide.
2. Be competent in what you do
Being competent enables you to understand the business of your organization and to apply the skills required in your job. Highly competent people are less likely to be involved in political jostling or manoeuvring because they are committed to a higher ideal, their jobs. Competence places you above the crowd and gives you an advantage over your peers. While less competent colleagues may jostle for recognition and relevance, you will always be relevant because every organization needs its most competent people to drive its operations.
3. Let your works show
It pays to be competent. But it is even more rewarding to show what you are capable of doing. Every workplace harbours its own share of political hustlers. Political hustlers know how to get their average performance recognized in an environment where mega performance is overlooked. Competent employees will normally sit back and expect that everyone will automatically recognize and appreciate their good works. Political jugglers will not let this happen because it will dim their chances of shinning. They will suppress your good work while utilizing every opportunity to project their poor performance.
Showcase your skills. Let your superiors, and subordinates know what you are capable of doing. No one lights a candle and hides it in a cupboard. Use subtle but modest ways to showcase your skills and competence. It is always difficult to overlook an employee whose contribution is critical to the success of a business unit, department or the organization as a whole.
4. Learn to manage your boss
Subordinates need their bosses to provide them with the support base to perform. Bosses require cooperation, loyalty, and honesty. Relationship between subordinates and their bosses should be one of mutual cooperation and dependence. Managing your boss does not imply showering your boss with praises, flattery, ingratiation or being overly compliant. These actions depict political manoeuvring orchestrated to curry unmerited favours, seek affection or to gain recognition from bosses.
Managing your boss implies understanding your bosses, knowing their strengths and weaknesses, and showing that you are both trustworthy and reliable. It also implies being truthful to your boss, taking responsibility, and standing up to your deeds even when they hurt you. The actions described above depict genuine intentions to engender meaningful and productive relationship based on mutual respect and understanding of one another.
5. To survive office politics, be humble but firm
Humility is a primary asset for anyone who wishes to avoid the politics of his organization. Competent people ought to be mindful of a major misconception about their character traits. The misconception is that competent people are manifestly arrogant, inflexible and self-centered. Executive management usually considers these attributes inappropriate for managerial positions. Political jugglers within the organization know this and will usually capitalize on it to side-line competent people. They will emphasize your weaknesses while overlooking your strengths. Do not give them the opportunity.
Being humble endears you to all and puts you in a position of strength rather than weakness. Besides, it enables you to learn from various sources increasing your level of competence. Be humble; but be firm as your subordinates may misconstrue your humility for weakness. Find a balance between being humble and being firm, especially if you are in a position of authority.
6. It pays to work hard
It is not enough to be competent, you also desire to work hard and to deliver on assigned tasks with minimal supervision. This is the hallmark of competence. Be ready to take up difficult tasks, and let your works speak for you. It is always difficult to side-line a hardworking and dedicated staff in the scheme of things.
It is indeed possible to survive all forms of office politics.
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