Office politics can make for rotten bedfellows: greedy, conniving, manipulative bedfellows. And if you're like many, you don't want anything to do with that nasty scene. You'd rather sit in the corner of the lunchroom alone, with your nose buried in the newspaper. Or stay in your office with the door closed, bur rowed in a stack of reports and memos.
You can hide behind the mountains of paperwork on your desk, but there's nowhere to go. You're trapped. While others are gossiping at the water cooler or walking arm-in-arm to the local bar (deeply engrossed in conversation), you're turning into a sullen, isolated person who's always the last to learn about things you need to know.
Invisibility has its price. People know you sit in judgment of them and, guess what, they're not going to let you get in the way of their goals. What's more, you can't achieve success entirely on your own. Sure, Paul Simon wanted to believe, "I am a rock. I am an island." But did you happen to notice Art Garfunkel on backup making him look good?
The term "office politics" has such a bad connotation that you might well forget it altogether. Since it's good for your career to get along with co-workers, why not call it "social intelligence" instead? Start viewing "politics" as the developmental challenge of getting along with difficult people.
"Most people aren't political enough," says Mike Murphy of the Signet Group, an outplacement firm in Chicago. "They want to bury their heads in the sand and hope the problem will go away. They don't realize you can't solve a problem by ignoring it." Two senior managers had trouble getting along, which was creating problems for their subordinates as well as the VP who supervised them. In a particularly astute political move, one manager decided to find ways to relate better to her (more volatile) colleague. She shared this goal with the VP, and together they brainstormed the possibilities.
By demonstrating the initiative to solve the problem and further her boss's agenda, this savvy manager turned an interpersonal conflict into an opportunity to improve her team-playing skills and strengthen her alliance with higher-ups. Meanwhile, the other manager began looking like a difficult, irrational person to work with.
For the manager who made the extra effort, there are two immediate payoffs. First, she's no longer a passive victim of her co-worker's moodiness. Second, her boss is now more likely to cooperate with her when incidents arise. There are long-term benefits, too. Down the road, she's likely to be viewed (and to view herself) as a team player who keeps her cool under pressure. Who would you recommend for a promotion?
The moral of the story: The next time some irrational but highly ambitious co-worker gets under your skin, experiment with creative ways to use the experience to your professional advantage. In other words: Find a way to get even by getting ahead. While this can be a real test of interpersonal skill, it's worth the effort. When office animosities run high, careers get sabotaged. Hostilities escalate. And you can end up dreading every minute in the office.
As long as you're committed to staying, you'll have to find a way to fit in with the people you must work with. I'm not talking best buddies here - just cordial working relationships. The alliances you form should enhance your career goals and satisfaction or there's no point informing them. Rather than lament the politics, you need a rational strategy for working with difficult people. Ranting and raving won't work. Neither will silent suffering ("poor me" makes you look more pitiful than powerful). Is it really so gratifying to play the victim? Wouldn't you rather try a stronger, more assertive role?
