Politics Part II - How to keep it "above board."

Last week, I shared the importance of participating in interoffice politics to ensure one has every opportunity available to be ultimately successful in his/her job. While for years, the concept of office politics seemed to be completely negative, today's definition offers a different interpretation of what politics is and, therefore, allows individuals to participate in it differently.  Today, the concept of office politics is not so much back-office dealings and "quid pro quo" but more a focus on ensuring your personal brand has been publicized throughout the company and is recognized by some of the key decision makers within it. While there are many ways to do it, I wanted to share three of the most effective strategies one can take.

GET TO KNOW YOUR CO-WORKERS (ESPECIALLY SENIOR EMPLOYEES)  OUTSIDE OF WORK

This is one of the unspoken strategies that has hurt so many hard-working employees for so long.  As outlined previously, many people believe that if they just work hard and continue to do the right things, everything will work out. This is just not the world in which we live. To truly get the chance for higher level positions within your company, top level executives want to know that you are someone who has a stable life outside of work, so they can trust you with high level decisions when you're at work. To do so, often it is a good practice to interact with them in personal settings, so they can get a sense of who the real you is and get a chance to truly like you.  At work, there are so many social and HR related restrictions, that it can be very hard to build a true friendship. By taking time to get to know your co-workers outside of the office and build that personal friendship, there will be a much greater chance they will be in your corner when discussions arise about whom to give a new high level project or promotion.  

TAKE ON HIGH PROFILE PROJECTS

While this can be scary for some individuals who are afraid of failure, for those who desire to grow their position within their respective company, this is a must-do for achievement.  Always look for opportunities to take on a project that has high visibility and impact for your company. The political capital and respect you will receive upon successful completion of the project will do wonders for your notoriety to high level management. While there is always the risk that you will not do well and a negative connotation will be associated with your name, by not ever stepping up to bat to accept projects such as this, your name will eventually get an even worse negative tag as someone who is afraid to take on a big job.  Many will respect your attempt and feel that taking on something so important for the company still put a feather in your cap, even if it doesn't turn out well.  

HELP OTHERS

There are some who think that work is only about doing what is best for them and not worrying about how they can make an impact on their co-workers. These individuals are sorely mistaken of how to get ahead in most companies. The work world in which we live today is all about collaboration and team work.  The days of the Lone Ranger hotshot who can do everything on his/her own is long gone and has been replaced with the person who is the best communicator and teammate.  To truly increase your office political capital, become known as the person who takes time out of the day to lend a helping had to others.  Often, there are those who are in positions or on projects in which you have served before and could benefit tremendously from your knowledge of how to do something better.  Also, you could identify the different areas in which your direct or indirect boss could use some assistance to take something taxing off of his/her plate and step in to do so.  It may be something as simple as planning an office outing or taking on changing the reporting metrics of the team, so they are more easily digestible.  Whatever it is, it will not only give you a "gold star" for realizing something needed to be done, but also truly improve the efficiency and productivity of others.

While Congress currently has it lowest approval rating in the history of Gallup polling, politics is not all bad when done the right way.  By utilizing the three strategies outlined above, not only are you putting yourself in a great position for promotions and recognition down the road, you are ultimately helping your co-workers and company be more successful as a whole.  

Next week, we'll begin wrapping up this four part series on the Triangle of Success by outlining the importance of Networking to make the triangle complete.  Until then, happy campaign trails...

Ken Middleton is an Account Executive at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

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