Coping with Office Politics: How to Stay Above It All for a Career Newbie
It is tough coping with office politics especially when you are a career newbie. Sure, there are a million of other things you need to consider when dealing with office politics. It is never easy and this article is not here to say that it is easy.
These are merely steps that have worked before in certain circumstances. You will have to be the judge as to how you can make these steps work.
That said, I would urge you to try some of these steps no matter how small. Even if you does not help you to cope with office politics, these are at their basic level good working attitude and behaviors.
As a career newbie, how do you stay above the office politics? How do you cope with the politics?
1. Speak Kindly
Coping with office politics is easy if you choose to speak kindly. What does speaking kindly mean? Speaking kindly means to choose your words carefully. That is not to say to be pretentious. Be sincere, nothing will work if you are not sincere. To choose your words carefully mean do not use scathing remarks or remarks that is of a personal nature.
Learn to compliment and not criticize. If you have a constructive comment you need to give, compliment first. Say what is right about it, then what can be improved. When you learn to compliment more and give sincere constructive comments, coping with office politics becomes less stressful. People cannot attack someone who is positive.
2. Help
One way of dealing with the office politics is to do your best in helping others. Yes, there will be the perception of helping ‘the other camp’ to contend with. But if you sincerely help someone, you neutralize the animosity that was created too.
Doing your best to help others entail looking at the welfare of others. That is not to say you neglect your own welfare. When you take others welfare into consideration, you think about how does your work affects others. That’s help at work at its most basic level. Your work affects another colleague. You should constantly strive to be of service to the others and make your work better. When you do that, you are dealing with the office politics in the most positive manner. You stay above it all and are less prone to attacks.
3. Empathize
Yes, a very often used word in the management world. It is an action that if you are able to do it well, will help you cope with office politics. To empathize simply means putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. Learn not to brush off someone’s opinion just because it differs from our own. You can speak about your differences but do not be disrespectful about it. Remember speak kindly?
Remind yourself - there is no one way in doing anything. Sure some ways maybe better than others. So, discuss and debate. Just do not be disrespectful. Learn to understand where they are coming from even if you do not agree. That is one way of coping with office politics. Firmly disagreeing without being disrespectful.
Sometimes when coping with office politics you need to begin with yourself. Learn to increase your capacity to connect with others. When you do, you turn animosity into affinity and negative energy can be neutralized.
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