Don’t play the politics.
If someone asked me in the beginning of my career, whats the biggest hurdle to success within a business or organisation? I think a few things would have come in to my mind. Having your voice heard (or better yet listened to) in a room full of people, having the courage to speak your mind or ask questions in a room full of people more senior than you, securing the next promotion, negotiating pay raises etc.,
After a decade in business, that answer has changed. I now think there is one thing, one crucial piece of the puzzle to understand that makes all other hurdles a lot easier to jump. That is, understand the politics of your business and place of work.
“The politics?” I hear you ask. What is she talking about. I work in [insert industry here] not Politics! Yes, Politics may be an industry in its own right, but its the one thing that also exists in every single other industry. In every email, in every meeting, in every piece of verbal or non verbal communication.
Let me define for you what I mean by “the politics”. I break it down into 3 main sections:
The hierarchical structure is one element of it. Who reports in to who.
The social structure. Who is friends and confidantes with who.
The financial structure. Who controls the purse strings.
These interactions on a day to day basis are the corner stones of a workplace. Understanding these is essential and helps you figure out things like:
Who you direct your opinions to so they have the greatest impact.
Who you direct your questions to so that you get the right answers.
Is the meeting/situation you find yourself in hierarchical, or peer based. This should tailor how you approach things.
Are the people in the room open to discussion or have decisions been formed before the meeting has even begun.
Who in the room is holding the purse string or has the influence on the purse strings.
Once you have a grasp of this, and I find it usually takes at least 6 months to a year to get a feel for this in any given industry, heres the next crucial piece of advice, understand the politics but do not engage in it until you absolutely have to. Steer clear of tying yourself to a select few confidantes or people of influence. By all means have the people whose opinions you trust, and build relationships with them, but do not get in to a silo with them. Stay open and stay neutral. Work hard at building a wide network, naturally but consistently, and maintain integrity within that network.
This approach builds up your character in the eyes of others. Always remember, people talk. It’s human nature. If they talk about you, let it be good things and if it’s not good things (because lets face it if everybody likes you you're probably doing something wrong) make sure that its very hard for them to put examples behind what they dislike about you.
I would liken understanding the politics but never playing it (unless you have to), to being in a chess tournament but getting to play both sides of the board in every game. Its hard to lose when you have an advantage like that.