When Leaders Play Office Politics…They are Playing with Fire!

Our nation has become increasingly political (and polarized) in recent years, not surprisingly, setting a tone for organizations that could take us where we may not, or should not, want to go. Building relationships that advance your company’s strategic vision and goals is positive and necessary; but, what happens when relationships are built to advance personal agendas or positions at the expense of others or the greater good?

To motivate leaders to diminish office politics, we need a clear vision on the cost that comes at the expense of limited productivity, diminished outcomes and poor decision making. Consider, for example, the cost of office politics to NASA in 1986 as reported by the American Management Association in an article titled, “The Organizational Cost of Office Politics” excerpted, from The End of Office Politics as Usual by Lawrence B. MacGregor Serven.

After the 1986 Challenger explosion, NASA launched an investigation to determine its cause. The resulting testimony of the scientists and engineers who worked on the space shuttle is, in a word, chilling. The testimony showed some people who worked closely on the project had been worried about the craft’s worthiness. Others just felt that it shouldn’t be launched. However, those interviewed never spoke up because they feared the political ramifications of doing so. They felt that the program needed to look successful and a delay would ruin that image. 

While many people could have suggested stopping the launch, nobody wanted to face the personal ramifications for doing so. Such a call would not have been grounds for dismissal, but it would have been “career limiting,” nonetheless. 

Strong leaders ask themselves, “Do I have the common good at the heart of my actions?” and “Is what’s best for me, the best thing for the future of the organization and everyone else?”

Leaders who engage in inappropriate office politics often exhibit the following behaviors:

• Promote their cause at all cost
• Please their boss and those they perceive as having the right political power regardless of the greater outcome
• Withhold information
• Communicate different messages to different people, depending on their political goal
• Withhold critical support or resources, causing others to fail to achieve their goals
• Gossip about people they do not value or respect

All of these behaviors send out a message that they value and respect some people, but do not hold the same level of value and respect for others. Ultimately, leaders who exhibit the behaviors listed above are perceived as being untrustworthy or unfair. When people don’t consider you trustworthy or fair, it’s difficult to build relationships where people want to follow you.

The office politics in your organization may not have the devastating impact of the Challenger situation, but there’s still a problem with playing workplace politics. It works well as long as you are in perfect alignment with the direction the political winds are blowing. So, if your boss loves you but everyone else on the team thinks you’re an unfair team player, you are most likely secure as long as you have the same boss. The problem begins when the political winds change direction. If your boss retires or gets fired, people participating in politics are in trouble because they don’t have relationships that will support their negative political style moving forward. For the first time, team members have a voice, and they don’t want to work with this type of leader. Another example is when there’s a promotional opportunity within the organization; unless the promotion is under the same boss, chances are strong that this individual will not get the job.

How does one appropriately engage in office politics? Here are 3 keys to building a reputation as a leader playing the right type of office politics.

Do the right thing for the team and the organization. When you are focused on what is best for the overall team or organization, it won’t matter whether someone is liked or perceived to be in the right political favor.

Build strong relationships across the organization. If you build strong relationships across a wide section of the organization, and you have a reputation for doing the right thing, you won’t have to worry when the political winds change direction.

Lean into people who practice bad politics.  People practicing negative politics impact you and/or your work, and you need to get closer to them. Meet with the individual and discuss your concerns. For example, you might ask this political individual, “When you launch this new program without involving, or at the least informing our department, how does that benefit our organization and our customers?”

Positive or negative – politics at work happens. The philosopher Plato said, “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” Positive office politics will help you get what you want in the working world without compromising others in the process. Implement the 3 tips above, and you’ll be on the road to building a reputation as a trusted and fair leader who knows how to build positive relationships to get things done.