What are some basic skills or things to look out when navigating politics?
That's great that you have not dealt with office politics! Those who navigate office relationships the best are empathetic, authentically themselves, and have a vision of what they want to do.
Be Empathetic - Everyone has their challenges inside the office and at home. Successful people take the time to understand what's driving their colleagues and show genuine compassion and kindness, even when their colleagues are not at their best. People are drawn to those who try to understand or manage the whole person.
Be Authentic - Your most significant asset is the trust your colleagues put in you. Authenticity is built by continually showing as the same person, following up on your promises, and always telling the truth no matter how hard the news or opinion may be.
Proactively Listen - We want to be heard in every facet of our lives. Proactively listening and responding to the presented information builds connections by showing you care about what your colleague is saying.
Assume Positive Intent - Address issues early and assume your colleague was trying their best with the information they have.
Stay neutral and don't gossip - It's easy to spiral when bad things happen in the office. Don't get caught up because 1) you may not know all the details 2) you may isolate someone and 3) whatever you say will come around. Besides, people like those who build people up rather pile on and bring people down.
"Politics" can mean different things at different companies, so for purposes of answering this question it may be helpful to provide a loose definition. A very simple way to think about it is that within any organization, there may be way of operating, driving decisions, gaining support, etc. that is driven more by relationships within the org, than the actual process or content itself. I'd like to say this doesn't exist, but the reality is, every company (especially more mature companies), may have some version of this that exists. These things that are mostly out of your control, so my advice for anyone entering a new team, organization, or project is the following:
Respect people's time and input. Send pre-reads whenever possible and provide clear opportunity to gather feedback. Once all feedback is in, spend ample time addressing comments including why or why not feedback was addressed.
Be the most organized person in the room, document everything. Be hyper diligent about documenting notes, decisions, next steps after meetings. This will provide transparency and clarity for stakeholders and they will respect you for taking the initiative.
Invest in real relationships. Take the time to get to know your peers and stakeholders. Grab coffee, eat lunch together, spend time outside of work if your personal life permits. These connections will help you when you encounter more difficult conversations or environments.
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