When you hear the term “Office Politics” how do you react? Do you shrink away and try to avoid the topic?
Even if you don’t like it, you cannot dodge it if you want to be successful (in any way you care to define it). So, how can you adopt the optimum attitude so that you can embrace it constructively?
Quite simple: get curious…
Curiosity and the Necessary Evil of Office Politics
No, I’m certainly not advocating that you learn to play the politics, just remove your negative reaction and learn more about exactly what people are doing.
Exercise to Get Curious about Office Politics
- Think of a political situation that you know reasonably well. It could be something that happened to you, or someone you know.
- Turn it into a story that you could relate to someone else. Either write it down, or say in in your mind, as if describing it to a close friend.
- Now, have some fun. Retell the story as if it we an epic drama on stage, or on the TV. What would the scandal be? Can you relate it as you might see it play out on screen?
This may be a stretch for some of you, but go with it, have some fun and enjoy telling stories to yourself. If you like, you could tell them to someone else and have even more fun, but please don’t descend into gossiping!
Office Politics Curiosity Implementation
- Begin to look for the intrigue, the puzzle, the hidden clues, at every turn.
- Start to fantasise about what might actually be going on behind the scenes.
- Progressively work to prove or disprove your theories.