New summary available for HBR Guide to Office Politics

May 8, 2015 - PRLog -- Every office is political, and every worker must engage in office politics. Instead of getting involved in gossip and backstabbing, workers can choose to be constructive. Workers who stay out of the fray completely risk losing their jobs, so everyone needs strategies for dealing with office politics. These include questioning initial reactions, removing oneself from the equation, accepting that not all conflict is bad, taking charge of fate, and keeping cool under pressure. According to Karen Dillon inHBR Guide to Office Politics, employees who devote their energy to being good colleagues will perform, grow, and become more fulfilled at work.

Key concepts from the book include:

*Every workplace is political, and workers who avoid or fail to acknowledge that fact can put themselves at significant risk. Workers must arm themselves with proactive strategies that can help them work more productively and happily.

*By better understanding the motivations and modus operandi of their bosses and colleagues, workers can approach office conflict more confidently, ensuring success and helping smooth over difficulties at work.

*Rather than avoid conflict, workers should embrace it as a healthy part of every organization. The right allies and the right techniques can help workers deal with everything from problem bosses to difficult coworkers to hard conversations.

*When dealing with difficult bosses, workers should assess the political landscapes of their organizations and see how they can support their bosses and make themselves seem proactive and reliable.

*When dealing with problem colleagues who are hypercompetitive, act as bullies, band together in cliques, steal credit, or are disgruntled about promotions, workers should look at their own behavior first and then approach their colleagues with curiosity and calm before creating solutions.

*Employees should acknowledge the power dynamics and unwritten rules that govern every workplace, then figure out how to use those rules to their advantage by building influence, enlisting allies, and collaborating with others.

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