The definition I'll go with is that it's the actions people take to advance the things they care about in the workplace.
Do you struggle with "office politics," like when Colleague got a promotion because they seem to have the same hobbies as the boss?
Do you have no idea how to play the game?
Do you recoil at the very word?
Then this thread is for you 👇
The definition I'll go with is that it's the actions people take to advance the things they care about in the workplace.
1) The company hitting its goals
2) The success of one's projects and initiatives
3) A promotion
4) A plum assignment or leadership role
4) A change in workplace culture, values or process
5) The advancement of a colleague / group of people
6) Personal reputation
Office politics has a negative connotation but is simply another manifestation of humans being complicated and having multiple, sometimes conflicting desires.
1) there is clear hierarchy + power dynamic (ceos, managers, etc)
2) how we perform at work impacts our self-esteem, identity, and ability to sustain ourselves
3) we spend 1/3+ of our waking hours in our workplace
For example, both of us are angling for one leadership role, or there's a fixed budget and I'm hoping my project gets more, which means yours gets less.
Someone (usually a sr manager) has to make a call.
1) I'm disappointed but accepting of the decision
2) I'm upset bc the decision-maker was unqualified
3) I'm irate bc the criteria was wrong/unfair
1) Ensure that you know how your manager + their managers define success. Ask in 1:1s if this is not clear.
2) Make sure your manager understands how *you* define success.
3) ...
4) Continually hone your communication skills. It is a key advantage.
5) ...
6) Ask yourself: did the decision-maker intend to do what they thought was best for the org?
7) If 6 is yes, ask yourself: do I trust the decision-maker's abilities and their values?
Otherwise, make sure your perspective has been heard, and trust in the process. Don't take the decision personally. Disagreement isn't a bad thing; we all learn from it.
1) Walk the walk + talk the talk in putting the company's goals above your personal goals
2) Create transparency around the process ahead of a decision. Eg what is the criteria for promotion?
3)..
More from Life
1/“What would need to be true for you to….X”
Why is this the most powerful question you can ask when attempting to reach an agreement with another human being or organization?
A thread, co-written by @deanmbrody:
2/ First, “X” could be lots of things. Examples: What would need to be true for you to
- “Feel it's in our best interest for me to be CMO"
- “Feel that we’re in a good place as a company”
- “Feel that we’re on the same page”
- “Feel that we both got what we wanted from this deal
3/ Normally, we aren’t that direct. Example from startup/VC land:
Founders leave VC meetings thinking that every VC will invest, but they rarely do.
Worse over, the founders don’t know what they need to do in order to be fundable.
4/ So why should you ask the magic Q?
To get clarity.
You want to know where you stand, and what it takes to get what you want in a way that also gets them what they want.
It also holds them (mentally) accountable once the thing they need becomes true.
5/ Staying in the context of soliciting investors, the question is “what would need to be true for you to want to invest (or partner with us on this journey, etc)?”
Multiple responses to this question are likely to deliver a positive result.
Why is this the most powerful question you can ask when attempting to reach an agreement with another human being or organization?
A thread, co-written by @deanmbrody:
Next level tactic when closing a sale, candidate, or investment:
— Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) February 27, 2018
Ask: \u201cWhat needs to be true for you to be all in?\u201d
You'll usually get an explicit answer that you might not get otherwise. It also holds them accountable once the thing they need becomes true.
2/ First, “X” could be lots of things. Examples: What would need to be true for you to
- “Feel it's in our best interest for me to be CMO"
- “Feel that we’re in a good place as a company”
- “Feel that we’re on the same page”
- “Feel that we both got what we wanted from this deal
3/ Normally, we aren’t that direct. Example from startup/VC land:
Founders leave VC meetings thinking that every VC will invest, but they rarely do.
Worse over, the founders don’t know what they need to do in order to be fundable.
4/ So why should you ask the magic Q?
To get clarity.
You want to know where you stand, and what it takes to get what you want in a way that also gets them what they want.
It also holds them (mentally) accountable once the thing they need becomes true.
5/ Staying in the context of soliciting investors, the question is “what would need to be true for you to want to invest (or partner with us on this journey, etc)?”
Multiple responses to this question are likely to deliver a positive result.