Overcome the Phobia Against
Organizational Politics
I recently made a presentation to a group of managers and asked for adjectives they would use to describe organizational politics. The adjectives included manipulation, zero-sum game, "brown-nosing," and even intimidating. When asked how many avoided being political, the majority of hands went up.
Being allergic to playing organizational politics is similar to having a phobia. A phobia being "an irrational fear" seems to fit for people allergic to being political. People are simply afraid of politics.
There are many reasons for this fear. One is that people in organizations are uncomfortable talking about politics. Second, companies do not provide the pamphlet on "How to thrive politically here at XYZ Company." Third, people simply don't know how to embrace being political in a positive way.
Recognizing a few myths you will help you overcome your phobia of organizational politics:
Myth #1-Politics is a zero-sum game. This is an overgeneralization. If you focus on "win-win" instead of "win-lose" you will find being political is more comfortable.
Myth #2-Politics only happens at work. Even deciding where to go to dinner between you and your spouse, friend, and partner is political.
Myth #3-Politics is an obstacle to meaningful accomplishments. Actually politics and positive influencing is how decisions are made and initiatives are achieved.
Myth #4-Being political requires being immoral. Yes, there are some people who use politics to undermine others. Yet these people will derail since they alienate instead of authentically engaging others.
Myth #5-Politics cannot be learned. This is ludicrous. Developing political skills can be learned. You can learn how to attune to the political signs and cues in any organization. In a given situation, you need to continually assess "what are the political dynamics at play?"
