Adebisi2008’s Weblog

Politics in the workplace can get vicious – and we’re not talking about the governmental kind. Rather, office politics, or how power and influence are managed in your company, will be a part of your career whether you choose to participate in them or not.

Some workers say they don’t want to get caught up in politics at work, but most experts argue that playing the game is crucial to your career success. By not getting involved, you may find your talents ignored and your success limited, and you may feel left out of the loop, says Louellen Essex, co-author of “Manager’s Desktop Consultant: Just-in-Time Solutions to the Top People Problems That Keep You Up at Night.”

“Politics get nasty when an employee is out for his or her personal gain alone,” Essex says. “Think of playing office politics as a game of strategy through which you are able to get the resources and influence you need to accomplish your goals. Most often those who are diplomatic, respectful and build coalitions with effective people win.”

Here are Essex’s nine tips to help you win at office politics and still gain others’ respect.

1. Observe how things get done in your organization
Ask some key questions: What are the core values and how are they enacted? Are short- or long-term results most valued? How are decisions made? How much risk is tolerated? The answers to these questions should give you a good sense of the culture of your organization.

2. Profile powerful individuals
Pay attention to their communication style, network of relationships and what types of proposals they say “yes” to most often. Emulate those traits by drawing on the strengths you have.

3. Determine strategic initiatives in the company
Update your skills to be relevant to company initiatives. For example, don’t lag behind in technology, quality or customer service approaches that are crucial to you and your company’s success.

4. Develop a personal track record as someone who gets results
Style without substance will not gain others’ respect, especially in today’s organizations that focus on outcome.

5. Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn
If no one knows of your good work, you may lose at the game of office politics – when you really deserve to win. Let others know what you’ve accomplished whenever you get the opportunity. If you don’t know the fine art of diplomatic bragging, you might get lost in the shuffle of your co-workers.

6. Treat everyone with respect
Don’t show preferential treatment or treat co-workers badly. You never know to whom someone might be connected, and rude behavior may come back to bite you.

7. Don’t align too strongly with one group
While an alliance may be powerful for the moment, new leadership will often oust existing coalitions and surround themselves with a new team. Bridging across factions may be a more effective strategy for long-term success if you intend to stay in your current organization for some time.

8. Learn to communicate persuasively
Develop an assertive style, backed with solid facts and examples, to focus others’ attention on your ideas and proposals. Good politicians can adjust their messages for their audience and are always well-prepared.

9. Be true to yourself
After analyzing the political landscape in your company, if you decide the game is one you can’t play, prepare to move on. It’s not typical, but some organizations actually condone – even promote – dishonest, ruthless or unethical behavior. The game of office politics in this situation is not one worth winning.

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Rachel Zupek is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Ab initio, there was no hierarchy in the relationship of the early parents, that is Adam and Eve. I mean there was no hierarchy. They were living equally. Perhaps Adam was like a team leader to Eve. Maybe, they have been trying to get things done by influencing one another. Either party was free to make his or her own decision by influencing the other party. There was a total freedom for the woman [Eve]. Eve gave Adam the forbidden fruit to eat. Of course, Adam still had to comply with his wife’s audacious offer, apparently he accepted that fruit due to Eve’s influence. Adam, a man who had spoken with God, who had faith in God’s word, whom God had declared custodians of that splendid garden by a grace-giving God—surely this man would not refuse to sin so egregiously. No resistance? No discussion? No seeking God’s blessing before proceeding with this no-no? Well … no. But as a result of their sins which occured from Eve to Adam, God reversed that system under which they were living and replaced it with a new order. Thus, man ultimately became a figure of authority. See what the Lord God says in Genesis 3:16.

“To the woman he said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. In pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” [Genesis 3:16]

The quotation above depicts God rules in the affairs of men. Since the pronouncement of this curse on Eve and especially the last statement in the above quotation, something of noticeable importance has happened to the Adam and Eve’s way of life. God instituted hierarchy in that family. Meaning that, they were categorized according to their ability and status. He made the man [Adam] to be on top and Eve low. In other words, God made Eve subjective to Adam. She was not free to take her own decision again, all her decision were subjective to her husband. Look at the last statement in that verse 16 again, “Your desire will be for your husband and he shall rule over you”. Thus, every woman is made subjective to their husband. Unfortunately some women of this generation are not willing to live in consonance with God’s verdict as stated above. Some government leaders, and other groups of people would not like to abide by God’s verdict, they lobby and influence their respective national representative body having supreme legislative powers, to enact laws that will directly or indirectly put wife on equal ground with their husband. To worsen the situation in some countries, they try to reverse the verdict of God, by finetunning their constitutions in such a way that make husbands subjective to their wives. Consequently, there are many broken marriages and homes. Broken relationships lead to broken marriages, broken marriages however, lead to broken homes, thus broken homes lead to broken society. If marriages are not broken, hence, homes cannot be broken. There are chaos in families because they have reversed the verdict of God. There a good number of single parents especially in the western world. As a result of single parentship experienced by their offsprings, most of these offsprings have became nuisance on the streets and threat to the peace security of our environment. There will not be end to this pervasive developmental disorder, if we do not trace our steps back to the word of God.

Conclusively, it does not matter whether our culture permits such lifestyle or not. Christians need to know that God did not call us to follow the culture. He sets us apart, as he did this ancient couple, promising Abram, “I will make you into a great nation” (Genesis 12:2). In the push and pull of marriage, both partners bear the responsibility of honoring God first.