Office Politics - How to Deal with Workplace Politics

Summary

In this insightful video, Adriana Girdler, president of CornerStone Dynamics, shares five essential tips for navigating office politics. She advises remaining neutral like Switzerland to avoid taking sides, documenting meetings to protect oneself, and maintaining professionalism by not getting personal. Girdler also warns against engaging in gossip and emphasizes the importance of choosing positivity to counteract negativity. Her tips aim to help viewers survive and thrive in the workplace by fostering a positive and professional environment.

Takeaways

• 🇨🇭 **Remain Neutral**: Avoid taking sides in office politics; stay professional and friendly to all parties.
• 📝 **Document Everything**: Keep records of meetings and agreements to protect yourself from potential disputes.
• 🚫 **Avoid Personal Attacks**: Do not engage in personal conflicts; remain neutral and remember that others' anger is about them, not you.
• 🗣️ **Stay Away from Gossip**: Refrain from participating in gossip and associate with positive, mentorship-driven individuals.
• 🌟 **Choose Positivity**: Opt for a positive outlook in the face of office politics; it will reflect back on you positively.
• 🏋️‍♀️ **Maintain Professionalism**: Focus on your work tasks and remain professional amidst office politics.
• 🤔 **Mindfulness**: Practice mindfulness to help navigate through emotionally charged situations.
• 🤝 **Build Positive Relationships**: Seek out relationships with colleagues who can provide mentorship and support.
• 🔍 **Be Observant**: Notice who the perpetual gossipers are and avoid getting entangled with them.
• 💡 **Give Benefit of the Doubt**: Approach situations with an open mind and consider others' perspectives before jumping to conclusions.

Q & A

What is the primary advice given for navigating office politics?

The primary advice is to remain neutral and not pick sides, similar to how Switzerland maintains neutrality.

How should one respond to negative comments about other departments or individuals?

One should ignore personal attacks and instead suggest solutions like providing training to improve performance.

Why is documentation suggested in the context of office politics?

Documentation is advised to keep a record of meetings, agreements, and dates, which can help defuse conflicts and maintain neutrality.

What is the significance of not getting personal during office conflicts?

Not getting personal helps maintain professionalism and emotional stability, and it's important to remember that others' anger is often about their own issues, not about you.

How does Adriana Girdler suggest dealing with someone who is angry due to office politics?

Adriana suggests using mindfulness techniques, taking deep breaths, and not taking it personally.

Why is it important to stay away from gossip in the workplace?

Staying away from gossip prevents negative associations and helps maintain a professional image.

What type of people should one avoid associating with in the workplace according to the script?

One should avoid associating with perpetual gossipers who are known and called out for spreading rumors.

What role does positivity play in navigating office politics?

Positivity allows one to choose a different perspective, show compassion, and give people the benefit of the doubt, which can help counteract negativity.

What is the final tip provided for dealing with office politics?

The final tip is to choose positivity, as it can influence one's outlook and potentially influence the responses of others.

How does Adriana Girdler encourage viewers to apply the tips provided?

She encourages viewers to write 'survive and thrive' in the comments if they find the tips helpful, emphasizing the goal of success in the workplace.

What action does Adriana Girdler request from viewers at the end of the video?

She asks viewers to subscribe to her channel, give the video a thumbs up, and share it with friends, family, and colleagues.

Outlines

00:00

🏢 Navigating Office Politics

Adriana Girdler, president of CornerStone Dynamics and a productivity expert, shares five tips for surviving office politics. The first tip is to remain neutral and not pick sides, treating oneself as Switzerland in conflicts. The second tip is to document meetings and agreements to avoid disputes. The third tip is to avoid getting personal and to remain professional even when others are emotionally charged. The fourth tip is to stay away from gossip and find mentors instead. The final tip is to choose positivity and not get dragged into negativity.

Keywords

💡Office Politics

Office politics refers to the unwritten rules and interpersonal dynamics that affect how work gets done in an organization. It encompasses the informal social structures, power relationships, and alliances that can influence decision-making and career advancement. In the video, navigating office politics is the central theme, with the speaker offering advice on how to handle such dynamics without getting entangled in negative behaviors.

💡Neutrality

Neutrality in the context of the video means maintaining an impartial stance, especially when there are conflicts or disagreements among colleagues. The speaker advises viewers to remain neutral like 'Switzerland' to avoid taking sides in office conflicts, which helps in maintaining professionalism and focusing on work tasks.

💡Documentation

Documentation, as mentioned in the video, is the act of recording important information such as meeting attendees, agreements, and dates. This practice is recommended to protect oneself from potential disputes or accusations that may arise from office politics. It serves as a professional record to reference when disagreements occur.

💡Personal Attacks

Personal attacks refer to instances where individuals direct hurtful or aggressive comments towards others, often fueled by emotions. The video advises viewers not to reciprocate such behavior, emphasizing the importance of staying neutral and professional. It suggests that when someone is angry, it's more about their issues than about the person they are attacking.

💡Mindfulness

Mindfulness, as alluded to in the video, is the practice of being fully present and engaged in the moment. It is suggested as a technique to help manage stress and emotional reactions in the face of office politics. By being mindful, one can maintain composure and not take things personally.

💡Gossip

Gossip is defined as casual or unconstrained conversation about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as true. The video warns against engaging in gossip, as it can damage professional relationships and reputations. It encourages viewers to distance themselves from gossipers and seek positive, mentorship-driven relationships instead.

💡Positivity

Positivity in the video is portrayed as a conscious choice to maintain a positive outlook and attitude, even when faced with the negativity that can come with office politics. The speaker encourages choosing positivity to counteract the potential for a downward spiral into negativity, emphasizing that a positive demeanor can influence one's work environment and personal outcomes.

💡Mentorship

Mentorship is a relationship in which a more experienced or knowledgeable person helps guides a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. In the video, finding mentors is suggested as a strategy to navigate office politics. A mentor can provide valuable advice and support, helping one to avoid the pitfalls associated with gossip and negativity.

💡Professionalism

Professionalism is the conduct, approach, or demeanor expected from a professional. It includes being respectful, ethical, and maintaining high standards in the workplace. The video underscores the importance of professionalism, particularly when dealing with office politics, as it helps to maintain one's reputation and credibility.

💡Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution refers to the process of addressing and resolving disputes or disagreements. The video indirectly touches on this concept by suggesting documentation as a way to defuse potential conflicts arising from office politics. Effective conflict resolution skills are essential for maintaining a peaceful work environment.

💡Personal Choice

Personal choice is the idea that individuals have the power to make decisions that affect their lives. The video emphasizes that one's attitude towards office politics is a personal choice. By choosing to be positive and neutral, one can influence their experience and the dynamics of office politics.

Highlights

Office politics can be tricky to navigate, especially for newcomers.

Tip 1: Remain neutral and don't pick sides.

Think of yourself as Switzerland to stay neutral.

Focus on your tasks and ignore personal attacks.

Tip 2: Document meetings and agreements to avoid disputes.

Documenting can help you stay professional and neutral.

Tip 3: Don't get personal when politics get heated.

Remember to stay neutral and don't take things personally.

Tip 4: Stay away from gossip to maintain professionalism.

Choose to associate with mentors rather than gossipers.

Tip 5: Choose positivity to counteract office negativity.

Positivity can help you navigate through office politics.

You have a choice in how you react to office politics.

Look at situations from a positive perspective.

Have compassion and give people the benefit of the doubt.

Your positivity will come back to you.

Engage with the content by commenting 'survive and thrive'.

Subscribe to the channel for more productivity tips.

Share the video with friends, family, and colleagues.

Adriana Girdler provides practical advice for navigating office politics.

Transcripts

Have you picked up on some bad office politics at your new job and you're

wondering how to navigate through the landmines? My name is Adriana Girdler

I'm president of CornerStone Dynamics and a productivity expert. Office

politics can be tricky to navigate whether you're new to an organization or

let alone, new to the working world and this video I'm going to give you five

tips on how to survive those tricky office politics.

Tip number one: don't pick sides. Whatever you do I want you to remain neutral.

Think of yourself as Switzerland so when there's two departments that are pinning

themselves against each other or let alone two individuals, you want to remain

professional and friendly to both sides. Stay in that working environment and

tasks that you have to do at hand and if a conversation does go to where it's the

personal, like someone says, "I can't stand sales, they don't do their job" or "they

don't know anything," ignore it and what you can reply back

with is, well what is it that we can do in order to give training on what they need

to be successful? You really have to play it safe here and be neutral. Tip number

two: I want you to document. Okay it's only when office politics gets

really bad that i really suggest this but you may want to document who is at

meetings, what was agreed to, what time and date that all of that happened and

just keep it in a separate file because the worst thing is down the road when

someone actually says to you, but we didn't agree to this, blah blah blah, and

then the office politics start to come into play, you at least have some

documentation that indicates from a professional standpoint the agreements

that everyone came to. It can really defuse a very ignited situation and

ultimately will help you to be neutral. Tip number three: don't get personal. Now

office politics at times can get pretty nasty and people can get angry, they can

say things that can be really hurtful. Do not sink to their level, they are

emotionally charged at this point. You don't have to be. Remember, be neutral as

possible. Now don't sink to the level and also realize this: when someone's really

angry it's not about you, it's about them, it's their issue so take a deep breath.

There's some great mindfulness techniques I have in another video that

can help you through this so check it out, but take your deep breaths, don't

take it personal and realize it is not about you, it's this other person and

ultimately they should be apologizing to you anyway for the yelling because that

is very unprofessional. Tip number four: stay

away from gossip. Now this may seem like a no-brainer and I know you're probably

saying, of course I wouldn't do it, but hey, stop. I'm gonna tell you, a lot of

times we can get caught in that trap, particularly when we're new of trying to

find our new work friends and therefore hang out with people that perhaps are

gossiping and that we shouldn't be hanging around with but because we don't

know anybody we are. Perpetual gossipers, people know them in the organization and

people call them out for it so you really don't want to be associated with

individuals of that nature. Find people who you can hang around with

who will be your mentors and stay away from the gossip, it is not worth the

energy and effort, no matter how good it may sound it is not, so stay away. Tip

number five: choose positivity. Here's the beauty of life: you have choice. You have

choice in everything you do and when it comes to office politics, choose

positivity. Sometimes office politics, if there's a lot of it going around, it

could bring us down and the negativity can start to come and play and then we

spin into that negative cycle. Don't do it, choose positivity, you have a choice.

Look at things in a different perspective

everyone ultimately is good no one wakes up on purpose to blame somebody for

something but yet that can happen so look at things from a positive

standpoint, have some compassion, give people the benefit of the doubt but be

positive yourself because the way you exude yourself comes back to you tenfold

so choose positivity and I promise you positivity will come back to you as well

I hope these tips help you really deal with any office politics you may be

coming across. If you like these tips please write in the comments below,

"survive and thrive," because that's what it's all about in the working world.

Thank you so much, until the next video please subscribe to my channel, give it a

thumbs up, pass it off to your friends, family and colleagues and I will talk to

you next time. See ya!