Change Your Mindset: Office Politics in the Workplace Isn’t a Dirty Word

My coaching client Miles started the executive coaching session by asking, “What is office politics?” He mostly had only negative associations (backstabbing, kissing up, gossip, who you know gets you to advance). As an introvert, he felt intimidated by office politics, so he tried to just keep his nose pressed to the grindstone and avoid getting involved. But whether you work for an international corporation, government agency, small business, or nonprofit, office politics are unavoidable. If you choose to remain on the sidelines, you may miss out on opportunities awarded to those who are playing to win at workplace politics, as Miles found.

Instead, I suggested, Miles could think of office politics as “company culture,” “building relationships,” or “how work is done.” When you have a more positive perspective of this concept, you’ll be able to embrace what is actually happening and leverage it to your benefit.

Once Miles changed his mindset, he was able to use the following tips to harness the power of workplace politics —err, company culture— and you can do the same.

I let Miles in on the secrets of success that would allow him to come out ahead in the realm of office politics, company culture, or whatever you prefer to call it. Read on to find out how he learned to excel in this arena. When you learn to do all of the following, you will too excel at workplace politics!

1 – Know your workplace culture.

Know your culture, how things get done, and what defines success. Stay in tune with how your organization is run, who the most influential people are, how your division is run, how your company defines its culture, any unspoken rules to this culture, how leaders measure success, and what style of management its leaders follow.

2 – Play the political game being played.

Even though you may not like the political game being played, it’s important to stay in tune with it rather than shying away from it. The game being played may not be the one you want to play or think should be played, but you’ll be left behind if you don’t step up and play it.

3 – Persuade others to your opinion.

Nobody exists in an environment where everybody agrees. You will work on projects and assignments in which many different approaches will be used by a variety of people. It’s important to understand where everyone is coming from and their different perspectives. At the same time, you want to work on getting others to buy into your perspective. You can do this by providing factual information backed with logical arguments. Also, strive to build a reputation that garners immediate respect. This will help you get things accomplished by leveraging your influence.

4 – Know when to fight and when to remain quiet.

You can’t always go to bat with all of the politics that exist inside your organization. Be selective when choosing which ones to engage in and which ones to sit out. When you do decide to play the political game, make sure you stay steadfast and strong so you can bring forth the results you want.

5 – Make your boss look good (and don’t intimidate superiors).

You want your boss to become your advocate, and this means maintaining a great rapport. Never intimidate your boss or go over his head, because he could feel threatened by your actions, which could undermine your career. Continually look for opportunities to help your boss shine. Making your boss look bad or saying something negative about him will come back to bite you. Supporting your boss is critical to cultivating him as an advocate. When you bump into a senior leader, mention how your boss has been an exceptional coach or led the team to success in your latest project. Because senior leaders aren’t expecting you to say those things out of the blue, it can really make an impact. Plus, it makes you look good too!

6 – Cultivate a positive, accurate, and likable image.

The image you project can directly affect how much others trust you, like you, and want to work with you. If you project a negative and unlikable image, it makes it easy for people to judge and question you. Strive to become more aware of how you present yourself in every setting, asking for honest feedback and working to make changes as needed.

7 – Communicate accurate information.

When you constantly communicate fair and accurate information, people will perceive you as having integrity. If the office politics start to get out of hand, others will rely on your judgment because of the honest and respectful reputation you have established.

8 – Align yourself with many groups—not just one.

It’s easy to align yourself with one specific group in your company. You may get drawn into a particular circle and latch onto it. However, aligning yourself with many groups will benefit you when the influence of one group gets diminished. In such cases, you will want to rely on other groups and create a coalition to champion your ideas and projects.

9 – Create allies who like you and will go to bat for you.

Having a strong and wide network of allies is vital to your ability to successfully navigate workplace politics. Allies can help mitigate any negative situations that may arise; moreover, having this network will make such situations far less likely to happen.

How to cultivate these allies? Help peers, superiors, and colleagues in other departments so they’ll help you in the future. Pitch in on a project that’s overwhelming your coworker or a senior leader. Then, don’t hesitate to ask for help in turn when you need it.

10 – Learn from the people who work the politics the best.

You probably know some people who know how to play the political game well. They work it for their advantage. They probably have a likeable personality and are a great communicator and relationship builder. Learn from them. Also, take note of those who fail at office politics and avoid making the same mistakes.

11 – Find a mentor who knows the political landscape.

There will always be someone else who knows how to play the political game better than you. Get them on your side. They will help you navigate the politics and use them to your benefit. Seek out a mentor who knows the politics inside and out, including at the top levels of the organizational hierarchy, so they can teach you to handle problems and opportunities.

12 – If all else fails, move on.

If you try all of these things and get nowhere, it might be time to move on. Sometimes the politics are so bad that you need to remove yourself from the toxic environment and make a fresh start in a new company. Speak with numerous employees and leaders at prospective companies, asking questions about the culture and assessing whether it’s truly the right fit for you, to make sure you get it right this time!

Remember that everyone must play the office politics game—or risk getting left behind. Be proactive in facing the politics in your workplace so your career will benefit. Achieving high-profile projects, career advancement, and job security will prove difficult if you stay on the sidelines and remain a spectator. As Miles learned, even introverts need to learn how to deal with office politics—and they absolutely can do so successfully, while steering clear of gossip and remaining true to their principles. He even felt that by participating more actively in office culture, he could influence it in positive ways!

If you need help navigating office politics to get ahead at work, Joel’s executive coaching will give you the competitive edge you need. Contact him today!