HANDLING POLITICS AT WORK
·
Love
it or hate it, you can’t ignore politics at the workplace.
·
So,
understand it, accept it and figure out how best to tackle it.
·
One
needs to acknowledge that a group of people in a closed environment will
invariably influence each other to reconcile different needs.
·
Accepting
this reality means understanding people will work towards furthering their own
interests, and responding appropriately.
·
You
can react in three ways—freeze, flight or fight.
1.
FREEZE
RESPONSE: Hands-off professional
Your
personality type
·
You
didn’t figure out something was wrong till it has happened.
·
You
were the last one to know about any developments.
·
Such
information does not excite you and you don’t care about them.
What works for
you
·
During
office hours, you are happy to deal only with your work.
·
You
prefer to rush home, rather than gossip with your colleagues, and don’t worry
about office politics.
·
You
have your priorities straight, and are comfortable with the freeze response of
a neutral chameleon.
·
Blend
in with the background when warring factions fight and wait for the storm to
blow over before resuming work.
·
The
colleagues who battle it out for power will leave you alone as you pose no
threat.
·
Let
your results speak for you and become an indispensable part of the system.
What doesn’t
work for you
·
You
could be labelled a good worker, whom everyone wants to retain but no one wants
to promote.
·
To
avoid this, draw attention to your awesome work for the team.
·
Keep
your boss appraised of your achievements and let him know that you are ready
for greater challenges.
2.
FLIGHT
RESPONSE: Intrepid influencer
Your
personality type
·
You
are naturally sensitive to other people and attuned to the slightest change in
behaviour and emotions at the workplace.
·
You
find it easy to empathise and share others’ problems.
·
However,
you can’t confront and fight with co-workers.
·
The
concept of office politics and its negative undertones make you want to run.
What works for
you
·
Use
your heightened awareness of social cues to identify trouble before it begins.
·
When
disgruntled coworkers complain about the firm or bosses, don’t be counted among
trouble creators.
·
Since
you love to help people, build a bank of favours, which will be reciprocated
when you are in trouble.
·
If a
colleague tries to poison your boss’s mind against you, advertise your
achievements verbally and in writing to the boss.
·
Act
as a mediator between battling colleagues and defuse tensions.
What doesn’t
work for you
·
Since
your primary mode is of conflict avoidance, your detractors push you away from
rewarding assignments by creating a negative atmosphere.
·
It
also costs you leadership roles since the management believes you can’t take
hard people decisions.
·
To
avoid this, make a conscious effort to confront your baiters.
·
Time
your battles so that they get the most exposure and people know you are no
pushover.
3.
FIGHT
RESPONSE: Political grandmaster
Your
personality type
·
Since
you were a kid, you knew your way around older siblings and could get in and
out of trouble without much effort.
·
In
college, you were elected to the students’ council and your friends invariably
turned to you for common decisions and conflict resolution.
·
At
the office, working alone bores you and you are fully energised by gossip and
power struggle among various interest groups.
What works for
you
·
You
love to take risks and are willing to play the game for all or nothing.
·
Work
your way into cross-functional assignments, where you can display your team-building
and leadership skills with diverse colleagues.
·
Mentor
people to build a following of coworkers, who serve as sources of information
and loyal troops in battle.
·
Use
strategic gossip to spread information that helps you and others get the work
done.
·
Choose
your battles to win and build a reputation for success at work and in leading
groups.
·
You
are destined to be on the fast track to CEO or head of department.
What doesn’t
work for you
·
Do
not cross paths with a stronger opponent.
·
A
major loss will cost you clout and your supporters may switch camps to be on
the winner’s side.
·
Do
not use illegal or unethical means to win battles.
·
No
organisation will tolerate a senior leader whose negative reputation places the
business at risk.
·
Have
back-up options since your ambitions make you the target of equally powerful
opponents who may get you fired.
·
You
need to survive for everyone’s sake, since all businesses need politically
shrewd leaders to navigate troubled waters.