Office Politics: Sit Out or Stay in the Game?
In my conversations with clients, one word often spoken with a tone of fear or distaste is “politics,” meaning the jockeying for attention and significance that happens in all human groups, from families to nations. In particular, my clients are referring to “office politics” and are seeking advice on how to relate to their supervisors and coworkers. Common concerns are whether to speak up or wait and see, how to ask for guidance or feedback, when to worry that a boss is incompetent or hostile.
My response is usually to ask questions that reveal patterns and context. If someone worries that a supervisor “doesn’t like me” or “doesn’t listen to me,” we’ll look at communication styles and at whether the supervisor behaves similarly with other people. Communication styles vary both individually and from organization to organization. For example, some people have an easier time taking in information if they can read it before talking about it, so it helps to send an outline or bullet points before a meeting or at least to bring something in writing. Other people are most engaged by speaking with others, so they may not read an outline ahead of time or may need reminders about what was in a report. If that’s a pattern, then we can conclude that it’s not personal toward my client, which makes it easier for her to manage up* by providing information in a form most likely to make the connection.
It's trickier when it appears that a boss or co-worker is actively blocking someone’s ability to do their job well. Recently, two of my clients have had concerns about new supervisors who excluded them from meetings about their projects. It’s hard not to take that personally, especially when the reporting relationship is relatively new. In one case, with a client I’ll call Lily, we reviewed the events and decided that most likely the supervisor didn’t yet grasp the level of expertise Lily brings to the project, because the project is a bit outside his comfort zone. He was actually quite receptive in their next one-on-one when Lily described how she approaches a new project of this sort, and she was able to help him grasp what she would bring to the meetings. We decided her working hypotheses can continue to be that the two of them are still developing their working relationship, that they are both on a learning curve on this new initiative, and that speaking up when there is an apparent misunderstanding is likely to be effective. Because Lily is a coaching client I have known for a long time, we were also able to celebrate together how far she has come in being able to look at the situation objectively and ask herself “What’s happening here?” rather than her old question of “What did I do wrong?”
In the other case, not only is the manager excluding my client, whom I’ll call Chris, from meetings, he had also made a surprise announcement, in front of others, that Chris was responsible for a task, seeming to blame Chris for not being able to report on it. Meanwhile, he was blocking Chris from building the working relationships needed to move forward with that task or with the rest of the project. We concluded that there are red flags here, and that managing up is not likely to be useful. Instead, we strategized how Chris can reach out via other relationships within the company to make sure that senior people who know Chris’ value to the company recognize the dynamics and have a chance to intervene before things get worse. Chris has been with the company a long time and has an excellent reputation with decision makers, but has usually preferred to “let the work speak for me” rather than “play politics.” We identified a growth area for Chris in learning to advocate for the resources and respect they need in order to continue to thrive and succeed in their career.
Respect is a key concept when “politics” arise. Good questions to ask yourself are:
Do I receive the respect I need in order to do my job well here?
Do I respect the people I work with and for?
What information do I need in order to answer these questions with confidence?
Who can I talk to in order to get that information?
What skills do I need to develop in order to advance not only my technical competence but my organizational savvy?
Is there support for me to do that?
Considering organizational dynamics in these terms allows you to be clear-eyed about what is happening, to take stock of your own behavior and that of others without feeling like you are blaming or making excuses, and to be of service to yourself while doing a good job for your employer, colleagues, and customers.
*Managing up refers to intentionally adapting your behavior for the mutual benefit of your manager and yourself, improving communication, and clarifying expectations.
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