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The Politics of Your Team at Work


Many people have negative associations with politics, especially in the workplace. However, some political skill is needed to successfully navigate most organizations, both for your own survival, and to get more done than you might otherwise. Here are three tips to help you manage the politics which can exist in the workplace:

Get buy-in early, by focusing on common goals
Politics tends to have a momentum all its own. That momentum is usually either working in your favor, or against you, so you want to start off on good terms by focusing on those issues everyone can readily agree upon. This not only has the benefit of allowing you to get more accomplished at work, but also builds up goodwill, which you can then use to tackle more contentious issues.
Pick the right time and venue for unpopular causes
Occasionally, you will have to champion an idea or cause which you know will meet resistance. Your best bet is to stack as many of the cards in your favor; pick the right time, venue, and supporters so you win over moderates whose support can ensure an effort succeeds. Until then, provide favors to others shortly in advance of the discussion of the issue. This ensures that others will remember you favorably right before they consider whether or not to support the cause. Finding out about others' interests also helps; you can then align the success of the cause with the success of their interests.
Stay on good terms with as many people as you can
The more people you can help at work, the more favors you have to call in for situations where you really need them. You gain these by not just being good at your own job, but also by helping others with the difficult parts of theirs. If you plan carefully, you can steer the right resources to others, so that the hard part of their job is solved by those who find that particular problem to be relatively easy. For this reason, being great at networking is essential to master the political game at work.

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