How to Overcome Office Politics

The most troublesome force, within my office environment, is the political motivation that underlies most of the interactions. My office operates within the radar of governmental politics, but underneath this flow of unavoidable evils, is the general day to day influence of social and professional politics that are characteristic of many offices. My response to this element has been to employ a "fly below the radar" maneuver. This approach holds some measure of logic; however, it fails to conquer the political game and use it to one's advantage.

The New Guy
My assessment of office politics has been that it is a threat that I must avoid falling victim to at all costs. The first thing I did, as a new employee at this agency, was take notes on how things were operating around me. I underestimated no one and did my best to be polite and as interested in learning as possible. Had I realized that this was the period of time when everything I said and did was most open to rumor, ridicule and stereotype, I would have felt a great deal more stress than the usual, new-job jitters. In my case, ignorance was bliss and I was spared the pressure and paranoia of knowing to what extent people were scrutinizing every small detail about me. Over the years, I have seen opinionated, socially careless, or intellectually arrogant people create quite a negative stir.

Where are the Bodies?
The history of an organization's politics is a useful thing to know. As I learned more about my organization, I gained valuable insights into both safe and dangerous behaviors. According to Michael Warshaw (1998): "Always learn the unofficial history of your company: who got into power, how they did it, where the bodies are buried... it will teach you how politics gets played at your company - how far people will go, what happens when they lose" (p. 166). The most important bit of information for me was what happened to those who lost, since I prefer the safest path. I have noticed a definite pattern over the years where people who are in the political spotlight eventually fall from grace because they become careless and forget certain rules of safety.