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The Executive Presence Blog:

Office Politics: Why You Need to Play the Game

Learning How to Manage Office Politics Will Help You Get Along & Get Ahead

Understand the Dynamics

The ability to navigate the political waters of your organization is as critical to your success as are a diver’s ability to swim.

Politics define the cultural and relational workplace waters in which you dog paddle each and every day. From the simple act of walking into a room to the critical moment of standing before a team to make a presentation, to the way you defend strategic decisions to the executive board in highly charged conversations, you are being judged by how you are perceived, which always has a political factor in play. At one end of the scale you may be perceived as a threat or a risk, at the other an ally or a go-to player. That spectrum of perception is something you can manage and improve -- if you understand the dynamics of these politics in the first place.

"Politics are an organizational fact life," echoes executive coach and author Gill Corkindale, the former management editor of Financial Times. Managers who believe they can avoid or ignore them are naïve, she said.

 

  • Harrison Monarth

    New York Times bestselling business author Harrison Monarth is founder of GuruMaker, a global communications consulting firm that coaches Fortune 500 executives, politicians, and other high-level professionals in crafting and presenting … Read more...