Updates: 07/18/2024

Politics – the word is everywhere. Whether you feel comfortable dealing with these situations or you want to avoid them, it is still important to learn how to handle them in a constructive way. This article will provide you with 17 good dealing with office politics tips, which will help you deal with potentially destructive workplace easily.

Top 17 Good Dealing With Office Politics Tips Revealed 

1. Think Before Speaking

It is said that the only way to eliminate yourself from the line of political mudslinging at your workplace is to exercise diplomacy in speech. We all know that we are safe at home; however, at the office, we could not risk too many slips of our tongue. Colleagues and superiors usually tend to form impressions rapidly and conveniently hold on to them. Apart from extraordinary situations, it is great to keep your criticisms of co-workers and boss to yourself.

Talking to outsiders about issues within your organization makes you look bad to that outsider. Moreover, your boss will not appreciate your behavior. In other words, people will find out that you spoke about what they told you and they will lose respect for you.

Learn how to communicate professionally and fluently with useful tips here.

2. Stay Away From Gossip

This is one of the fundamental good dealing with office politics tips. Nothing damages the dynamics of an office more than gossip. Therefore, you should stay away from it as nothing good will come from it. If not, you may make your co-workers lose their face and then they will resent you. It is good for you to subtly change the topic. If you do well, no one will even notice that you have moved them away from the gossip.

Check out: useful tips for resolving conflicts in workplace.

3. Beware That You Have An Option

The most popular reactions to the politics at workplace are either fight of flight. Of course, the office now is considered as a modern jungle, yet it might take more than only instinctive reactions for winning in office politics. Remember that instinctive fight reactions will just result in resistance to whatever you try to gain, whilst instinctive flight reactions just label you as a real pushover that other people could easily take for granted. Both of these two options seem not to be good for long-lasting and stable career growth. In fact, winning requires people to consciously choose their reactions to the situations. Just realize that regardless of the circumstances are, you always have an option in choosing the way you react and feel.

In addition to these useful tips, if you want to know how to achieve your goals & increase your influence at work, you should read the Secrets to Winning at Office Politics book.

4. Learn To Say No

Sometimes, people argue that saying “no” is much easier said than done. Actually, a refusal may come with a hefty penalty at times, particularly if it is made to someone “with influence”. Nevertheless, it is time for you to learn how to say “No”. Shielding yourself from being pushed around by co-workers is better for you.

And, if that requires from you an unflinching refusal, just do it. If the situations force you to respond in the negative, you must make sure that you are courteous. Try choosing your words cautiously, thereby reducing the opportunity of making too many enemies.

5. Know Your Values

Not too many people are considered as silent spectators to the modification or storm of organizational politics. Most of them get sucked into the whirlpool by the fear of being sidelined. Nevertheless, you should not allow yourself to be swept by the wave of negative politics directed at both other people and you. Normally, unwanted manipulation is dishonest, not to mention unstable ways of climbing the corporate ladder. Such kinds of interactions are destructive to an organization’s well-being and could only be countered when employees refuse to give in to such ways and stay true to their values.

Want to find your real life purpose? Read on a detailed guide introduced in our website now.

6. Be A Straight Arrow

When it comes to good dealing with office politics tips, it is recommended that the best manner to avoid trouble is to be seen as someone who does not play office politics. In simple words, you should be a straight arrow. That means you should do what you say you will do, admit your own pitfalls and alert people to potential problems. By that way, other people will respect you, even when they do not totally agree with you. Furthermore, you will have reduced chance of being a victim of politics.

7. Know The Hierarchy

To survive and thrive in a politically charged office environment, you had better understand clearly the political landscape and the hierarchies, both formal and informal, among individuals working in the company. If so, you will keep track of the circles of power, know who the most influential members are, who the most knowledgeable individuals are, and who the masters of manipulation are. Besides, you had better identify people around you in order to make the political games less complicated. Nevertheless, just ensure that this precautionary measure will not take a large amount of your working time.

8. Play The Game

The majority of people think that the greatest way to deal with office politics is to avoid it. However, it is totally not true. You have to accept that no one can ignore office politics. It is just a matter of time before you decide to deal with it. The more you run away from it, the more you will be singled out. Thus, the way to deal with this threat is to play the game by yourself. Stay true to the values you have. Moreover, you need to learn to use foresight as well as detection in the daily dealings at your workplace. The advice for you is to counter negative politics with positive networking, establish an immaculate image and connect with the right people who can support you whenever you have trouble. More importantly, just make sure that you are in your superior’s good books.

9. Do Not Take Sides

Normally, it is possible for you to find yourself stuck in among two or even more people who are at odds of each other. In that case, you might feel being thrown around when they are trying to outwit each other as well as defend their own position. If you cannot make them agree on the single decision for a project, it is recommended that you should not take side with either of them, even you like one of them than the other. Just use common communication platform and ensure opened communications among many parties so that they cannot claim “I did not say that”. By this way, you will find an effective conflict solution and build your trust with parties.

In addition to these useful tips, if you want to know how to achieve your goals & increase your influence at work, you should read the Secrets to Winning at Office Politics book.

10. Do Not Be A Perfectionist

 All of us want to make things done well. However, it is not good for you to act as a person who wants perfection in everything occurring in the workplace. Focus on the task assigned to you and avoid interfering in the others’ tasks if they do not ask you to do so. Generally, unwanted interference involving in anything might put you on the hit list of office politics in which you do not want to be.

To avoid being a perfectionist, refer some quick good dealing with office politics tips right now.

11. Create A Professional Attitude

Maintain a professional attitude when working. Do not make problems personal. One you have issues with a certain task, then you can keep them to the task by not making them personal. For instance, if you are a leader of a team, and do not wish your team members to take part in office politics, then you had better stay entirely away from it.

12. Do Not Complain

Though you might be low on the chain of political power, it does not mean that you have to be a doormat. Try to turn complaints into questions, if possible. For instance, if people try to offload their work onto you, in that case, you should find the substantive business issue in the complaint for framing it as a request to get the backup you need.

13. Think Win-Win

This is the last effective one in many good dealing with office politics tips introduced here today. Political conflicts occur due to conflicting interests. Perhaps due to the schooling, people are taught that to win and others need to lose. Conversely, most of us are often afraid of let someone else wine as it implies losing for us. So, in that case, why don’t you think how could you both win out of this situation. If so, you need to understand clearly about the other side’s perspective. After that, you should understand what is in that perspective for him and for you as well. Then, seek out a real solution which is acceptable as well as beneficial to two parties. People do not want to be losers. You might get away with the win-lose strategies once or twice, yet soon, you might find yourself with no allies in the workplace. So, maintaining the idea of win-wine is an effective strategy which builds allies and assists you in winning in the long term.

See: tips for quick personal development and ways to get rid of negative thoughts so you can handle with office politics efficiently.

Well, office politics will always be there and running away is not a good solution. You had better learn to deal with the situation and adapt in a manner that it does not impact your own performance and productivity in anyway.

14. Pay Attention To Your Round Of Influence

Many complicated issues are existing at work, but we cannot control all of them. It is not rare to realize client demands, corporate policies, and mandates that influence your own interests. Complaining and bitching are response to the incidents that we have a little control.

Rather than complaining and feeling dissatisfied with the situation, you should concentrate on the issues which you are able to implement to influence this situation. It is known as the round of influence. It can be seen to be also a powerful technique to get over the unpleasant emotion of weakness. It will get you rid of the feeling as a victim and let others admit that you know how to work within constraints. Maybe, you cannot change the final result, but you are able to do the best in the certain conditions.

Constraints are surrounding the workplace. Through this approach, you will be assessed properly because you are active and understanding.

In addition to these useful tips, if you want to know how to achieve your goals & increase your influence at work, you should read the Secrets to Winning at Office Politics book.

15. Understand Before Being Understood 

This tip advices you to be more active to seek the information to understand your opponents.

The main reason why people always feel unjustified is that they feel misunderstood. Instinctively, the interviewers want to hire the others who are able to understand them instead of choosing others that they have to understand first. Top managers and leaders have learned the way to suppress the urge. Amazingly, seeking to understand is a technique that is considered disarming. When the other party finds that you can understand where he or she is from, they will be open to understand you in return. This leads to an open communication and then a solution that all parties may accept.

Recommended: 20 Interpersonal Communication Skills, Activities And Strategies

16. Do Not Get Personal

When you approach to office politics, you may become angry with many people. It is common to occur. Even you want to teach them a lesson. Please, don’t.

People always remember the time when being humiliated. If you succeed in these arguments and feel satisfied with it at the present, you will feel regrets particularly when you ask for help from these people. To win at your office, you need to develop a link of allies that will support you well. The crucial thing you need in a crisis and a chance is getting your allies push you up. Another purpose to control your emotion is the career promotion. Thus, organizations usually apply reviews with a view to promoting someone. Although you perform well, your employers have to face up with a political battle if others find hard to cooperate with you.

See: How To Deal With A Difficult Boss.

17. Realize What You Are Trying To Gain 

When conflicts occur, it is very simple to be sucked into tunnel-vision and you will pay attention to immediate differences. It is a self-defeating approach. The method to mitigate this problem without being recognized that you are fighting to emerge in these conflicts as a winner is concentrating on the business objectives. In each meeting, everybody will discuss the positive and negative sides of each option. Finally, if the business fails, no one in this organization wins. By learning how to steer discussions in this direction, you have to know how to disengage from small difference. You will be appreciated ad a mature and strategic person.

See: How To Overcome Fear Of Failure.

Well, office politics will always be there and running away is not a good solution. You had better learn to deal with the situation and adapt in a manner that it does not impact your own performance and productivity in anyway.

If you are interested in the topic of 17 good dealing with office politics tips, leave your comments at the end of this post. We will answer all soon!

In addition to these useful tips, if you want to know how to achieve your goals & increase your influence at work, you should read the Secrets to Winning at Office Politics book.

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