Game of Thrones: how leaders win at workplace politics
Game of Thrones: how leaders win at workplace politics
Corporate games, a type of battle for power and influence in an organization similar to regular politics, are an unavoidable element of human behavior. The moment you assemble a group of people in one place, a fight for hierarchal position and power begins.
Many suggest that avoiding getting involved in the workplace politics of a given organization will have a divine influence on the development of your career. It will not. And those suggestions are, unfortunately, childishly naive.
Stating that you are not involved in the politics of your office environment is like saying that you are not involved in politics at all. The system is in constant effect, even if we bury our heads in the sand, hoping that nobody will notice us.
The key to an effective strategy in workplace politics is escaping wishful thinking and learning how to live inside the workplace.
You don’t have to dive deep into the fight for position right away; success comes from being smart and engaging in interaction at the right moments.
1. Learn your terrain's topography
No matter whether you just started working or whether you just realized that avoiding office politics is destructive for your career, you need to begin by assessing the behavior of others. The office is full of potential allies and opponents. By carefully listening and observing, you can establish who’s on who’s side.
· Who eats lunch together?
Who is invited to meetings and who is not?
Who is always the first to know about the ongoing changes, and who is the last?
What worldview-related issues make people angry?
Correctly answering these questions will let you analyze the organizational landscape you are a part of. This does not mean that you must join one of the sides; the choice is always yours. It is, however, a good idea to understand the rules of the game and to learn about “the gamers” and their strategies before entering the battle.
Why is that a good idea?
If you take your career seriously, only play with the best. They will teach you the most.
Those who do not have any real “power” in an organization will not be able to help you, so choose your projects and the people you cooperate with carefully.
Another thing is avoiding unproductive conflict. You surely do not want to accidentally get involved in an unpleasant and long-lasting conflict. If you understand the rules in place and learn the topography of the terrain well, you will not let yourself get involved in a game that automatically places you on the losing side.
2. Build broad alliances
The smartest thing you can do is build alliances with members of diverse interest groups. If you succeed and manage to show people outside of your branch or department that they can count on you, you will gain large profit opportunities. You will also not be left to rot if your closest allies decide to leave the company.
3. Negotiate win-win deals
You will have to. The old and, unfortunately, ineffective negotiating school has a bad reputation, namely because it assumes that negotiations are either won or lost. And that you only win when your opponent is “lying in the corner bleeding.” This is not true, as correctly conducted negotiations are not a zero-sum game. As a negotiator, building up a feeling of satisfaction for the other party should be a key issue for you. Navigating this difficult landscape is simplified by the golden rule of negotiation: make all engaged parties feel like they are benefiting from the negotiation. Instead of trying to destroy the opponent, spend your time and energy thinking about how you can all gain what you are simultaneously looking for. This is what a rational, effective game looks like.
4. Focus on your goal
You should always keep one thing in mind: you’re not engaging in corporate games for fun or to be respected by the group. You are doing it for two reasons: to develop your career and to reach professional completion. If your engagement comes from an influx of emotions, you will likely make a decision you will regret. Gossip, manipulation, and other tricks are not needed to be on the winning side. Focusing on your goal can help you shape and maintain a strategic stance to deal with the unique nature of the quest for power in your company.
5. Don’t let yourself be caught between two fighting parties
A situation we would all rather avoid: being caught between two fighting parties is like being stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea. In such a situation, many people choose the following solution: telling everyone exactly what they want to hear, even if that boils down to agreeing to mutually exclusive stances.
Being double-faced has nothing to do with class, nor does it have anything to do with the values you cherish, unless you have very specific ones—which ones? You have to answer that yourself. I know that you have loans, you have a family, and you have children, but you also have your own opinions and self-esteem.
Sooner or later, false loyalty is revealed, and at that point, nobody will believe you anymore. Do everything in your power not to get involved in such a game; utilize your sense of humor; make a dumb joke; or maybe even take a vacation or a day off. Put more emphasis on the decisions that have to be made or the next steps to improve the situation.
6. Stick to the rules
If you abandon your rules, later on they will come back after you in some form. Before you start acting, always ask yourself why you want to do something and what is making you do it. If your motivation is fear, a quest for vengeance, or loathing, consider whether it’s worth it. If you are to enter a conflict between your values, rules, and views on ethical behavior, it’s better to stay away.
Staying away from the field of corporate games is not an effective strategy. If you care about developing your career, you need to play. Do we adore those who sit “on the bench” or those who play on the pitch? As long as corporate games are playing around you, you will be influenced by them. It is much better to be a competent, self-aware player than a passive observer or, even worse, nothing but a piece in someone else’s game.
What is most important here is to understand the rules of the game and the motivation of the players, and then to play by your own ethical rules. Don’t let yourself get involved in any “one-time” endeavors; one time is enough to lose control over yourself and the situation.
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