Believing that you can get ahead in your career whilst ignoring office politics is a mistake and it's a mistake that many people make. What is it about 'office politics' that puts so many of us off?
I remember being in the corporate world and thinking I could avoid the topic all together. To me then, politics were for people who were 'career climbers' and they were snakey, slippery people who would stab you in the back without a moment's thought.
As I've got older I've realised that politics are vital - to both your success and fulfillment. And if you understand how to use it, it can work wonders for you.
The first step is to re-name what you call 'office politics'.
The words themselves make it feel dry, hard-work and unpleasant.
A much better approach in my opinion is to consider the ingredients that go into 'being political':
• Making alliances with other people
• Learning 'useful' information that could help you further your career
• Hearing 'stuff' on the grapevine about your industry and clients
• Asking to be involved in particular projects to help you raise your profile
When you think about it, 'office politics' is simply 'effective career management'.
Think of it this way (or something similar) and all of a sudden it sounds useful, easy and dare I say it, fun!
- RW
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