Later this week I’ll be speaking with the Grand Rapids Area Professionals for Excellence on the topic of Office Politics.
It’s sure to be a lively event, as nearly everyone I encounter with has a story about colleagues maneuvering in some Machiavellian way to gain power, recognition or some form of “currency”. We love to hate office politics.
But is it all bad? Is there anything positive about behaving “politically” at the office? A year ago, Jane Perdue, founder of The Braithwaite Innovation Group, invited me to participate in a month-long blog series on Positive Office Politics. Like me, Jane thinks that people can be politically astute at the office and still keep their ethics intact. In fact, she’s uncovered research that highlights four key “political” competencies that, when employed effectively, actually create improved relationships.
Jane’s revisiting the series this week at her blog Get Your Leadership BIG On, which features four different bloggers commenting on the political competencies. Jane has created a brand-new kick-off post, which you can read here.
The series will run all week on Get Your Leadership BIG On. Today, it’s my post on Networking within the Company Walls. Tuesday’s post is from Susan Mazza with What’s Your Agenda? Wednesday features Mike Henry with Sincerity and Office Politics.
I hope you’ll enjoy this unique take on politics and be inspired by what each of these “political advisors” has to say about playing nice at the office.
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