Introduction

Every office is political.

For years, I naively thought I worked at a place that wasn’t. I saw our office as more or less fair, more or less healthy, and highly inclusive—perhaps overly so—in decision making. People competed with themselves, I’d proudly tell prospective recruits, not with one another. And I meant it.

All those good things I believed? They were true—but only to a point, I realize with hindsight. We competed with ourselves, but also with one another. Our bosses had favorites, and we noticed. We grumbled about promotions that didn’t seem deserved, assignments that didn’t seem fair. People subtly found ways to elbow one another out of pole position for C-suite attention. Our office was political. Of course it was.

In a 2011 survey by the UK-based management-consulting firm Revelation, 95% of respondents said that manipulation and hidden agendas in the workplace had affected them personally. So you’re in good company if these issues make you crazy. Maybe you’re plagued by an office bully who constantly questions what you’re doing and undermines you in meetings. Or a boss who pits you against your peers. Or a clique that wields an inordinate amount of organizational power. Perhaps you’ve even encountered backstabbing, one-upmanship, or shifting alliances.

You can’t escape politics—no matter what your role or function. That’s what Franke James, founder of Office Politics.com, has learned from the professionals around the world sharing their struggles on her website. It’s inevitable even if you’re self-employed. “If you’re dealing with clients,” James says, “you’re dealing with their office politics, too. You have to make them look good. You have to understand the dynamics behind the scenes for them.”

Does that mean you have to fight fire with fire? Connive and scheme? Get your blows in faster? No. As the experts and consultants cited in this guide argue, you can weather—and even participate in—politics without selling your soul. They base this observation on research, their work with clients, and abundant personal experience. And it’s supported by the many examples (real but disguised) I’ve included throughout.

So what’s the solution? It’s about being constructively political—understanding personal dynamics among colleagues, working together for mutual advantage, and ultimately focusing on the good of the enterprise.

What happens if you simply do what’s asked of you and mutter about colleagues who curry favor? Executive coach Beth Weissenberger, cofounder of the Handel Group, says you’re doing yourself in. She’s seen it happen again and again in her years of coaching: Those who try to stay completely out of the political fray are less likely to meet their job and career goals than those who engage. So she advises her clients to stop getting worked up about the unfairness of it all and build their own positive relationships with colleagues who will help them do their jobs well.

Ron Ashkenas, a managing partner at Schaffer Consulting, agrees. As he puts it: “It’s easy to use politics as an excuse for a lack of achievement or an outlet for your frustration. But it’s a lot more effective to use politics as a way to get things done.” This guide will help you do that. It’s not realistic to assert that you can make all of your work relationships warm and fuzzy. Let’s face it, there are people you’ll work with who are just jerks and no amount of advice can change that. But not having a strategy for dealing with them can definitely make things worse. And you can control much more than you might assume. Here are some common themes you’ll notice throughout:

• Question your reaction: When people appear to be playing political games, we often think we know their motives, but sometimes we’re off the mark. Step back and reevaluate: What else could be driving the behavior? Maybe it’s not as vengeful as it seems—or even intentional.
• Try removing yourself from the equation: Everybody brings her own quirks, worries, and stresses to work. What you assume is a personal attack may have absolutely nothing to do with you.
• Accept that not all conflict is bad: Great performance can come out of being challenged by an aggressive colleague or being forced to collaborate with someone who you can’t stand. We can and often do rise to challenges. Don’t assume “uncomfortable” means bad.
• Take charge of your fate: Even if the playing field isn’t level, you’ll accomplish little by complaining about it. Assume responsibility for your progress. Don’t give your manager and others any reason to dismiss you as a whiner.
• Keep your cool: Office bullies and other game players win every time they see they’ve rattled you. Never give them that satisfaction—you’ll just perpetuate the problem. Stay composed, and they’ll lose their power.

When asked to write this guide, I jumped at the chance. Since I understood the challenges people faced, I’d approach it with empathy. But secretly, I also felt a little smug—I thought I’d successfully navigated most political scenarios in my career. Then, after interviewing about 20 experts and synthesizing their advice on the various dilemmas, I recognized several mistakes I’d made over the years: stewing over injustices, fighting the wrong battles, making things personal when they didn’t need to be. Now, looking back at those moments, I wish I’d done my research sooner.

It’s never too late to learn, though—thank goodness for that.

So what’s the main takeaway, if I had to boil it down to one? As organizational development and HR expert Susan Heathfield puts it, don’t try to be the boss’s pet—be everyone’s pet. That is, devote your energy to being a terrific employee and colleague. You’ll find that you’re less preoccupied with all the jockeying that’s going on around you—and more focused on positive pursuits like performance, growth, and fulfillment.