I had an interesting email last week from a female IT manager in a large company. Here’s her dilemma:

“I have a management position, but am always coming up against ‘male’ politics. How can I succeed without getting drawn into ugly gender battles and political infighting?”

This is an area that has caused problems for probably hundreds of years, and we’re not going to change them overnight. You may find it helpful to find a mentor (male or female) inside or outside the business. Build your relationships very carefully within the company and find ways in which you can make connections that bring value to your male colleagues. Follow up and ask for feedback. This way, you will build respect and find a tenable position among them.

Remember, politics plays a part in every organisation; it’s an inevitable effect of putting humans together in some sort of hierarchical arrangement. Their behaviours are pretty clearly shown in hypocrisy, double-dealing, cliques, self-interest and deception. People tend to see opportunities for themselves and they will take it. It naturally erodes trust and team performance will deteriorate as motivation is driven downward.

If your organisation is full of political strife, try to follow some simple rules:

Observe the organisation’s style without getting involved. Watch the processes so you can begin to understand what the patterns and motivations are.

Keep your counsel and work according to your own values. If you try to match the values of the business, you will only get stressed. Use your own integrity to make decisions.

Build a network of trusted allies. This helps you to reconfirm and re-establish your own values.

Challenge any politically-motivated behaviour. This takes assertiveness, but will win out in the long run. Saying something like ‘You seem to have a problem with some of my decisions…would you like to discuss them?’ will bring the issues out into the open.

By identifying what exactly are the motives of people who are playing the political hand, you may well uncover some of the issues that are causing other people problems too, and be able to decide on which direction you want to take within the company, even if you eventually decide it’s not for you.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Course

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

The topic of politics in the workplace refers to one or two different subjects. The first is whether or not it is appropriate to discuss political beliefs (ie. the outside government) during work hours. The second refers to the political workings within your organisation.

Today, however, I want to focus on the first topic – the discussion of personal political viewpoints within the workplace. While this may seem like a relatively innocent topic of conversation amongst adults, especially given the time of year, politics is a sensitive subject that has the ability to make many people very uncomfortable.

It’s natural for people to watch debates, read political interviews, form opinions, and then want to have a discussion. But where do we draw the line between appropriate and inappropriate? How do you ensure that none of your employees become uncomfortable within the workplace during what may possibly be one of the most historic election years in history?

Some offices limit discussion of politics to lunch breaks and request that employees not place banners or signs relating to their political affiliations on their desks. Others simply let the discussions slide as regular workday gossip and only get involved if a debate becomes heated. I don’t recommend, ever, that you allow an employee to attempt any sort of political recruitment in the office, regardless of his affiliation.

Please sound off – how do you handle politics within your workplace. Do you think discussing politics displays poor ethics in the workplace? Is it something you encourage, discourage, or ignore?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”