The IT Ninja

Office politics is an unfortunate but unavoidable aspect of the workplace and IT staff seem to be worse at it than others. I tend to avoid the whole seedy mess of maneuvering and wrangling, but I think this is to my detriment. If I could better understand the protocols involved and know how to better handle this stuff better, I think I could develop some valuable skills.

Does anyone have advice or tips on dealing with office politics?

encryptedbytes wrote:Does anyone have advice or tips on dealing with office politics?

Hi encryptedbytes,

I think as IT professional's are focus is tech, this is both a blessing and sometimes to our detriment.

For most non IT workers, our work is mostly a mystery. A guess "Ninja-esk" is good description of what we do day to day.

If its possible to avoid the politics then by all means keep doing that!

However saying that its not always possible to keep out of it. Some managers (not all) may try and "pass" the blame but at the same time take all the credit!!

What I find helps is being honest, and helping others out. If you build a reputation of trust:

When the day comes if some-one tries to shift the blame on to you. Having the office KNOW your character will mean that they will come to your defence.

Ultimately the power of the group is stronger than any one person.

Mark73 wrote:When the day comes if some-one tries to shift the blame on to you. Having the office KNOW your character will mean that they will come to your defence.

Document everything! For instance, if a manager wants to use weak passwords on the network, get him to tell you so in an email. Voice an objection if you can so that's on the record too. Then, when the S#!+storm comes and your manager tries to lay blame on you, you can point to the email and say, "Not only was this your idea, I told you months ago that we shouldn't do it that way."

I always try to make a paper trail for anything shady or less than ideal. Keep all those emails! You might even forward a copy to a Gmail account you set up for just such purposes. This has saved me lots of troubles over the years.

Politics is all about people management. Or you feel uncharitable, people manipulation.

If you intend to spend your entire working life just loitering around the lower ranks of technical work, then there's no need to study politics at all. However, if you have dreams of climbing the management ladder, then politics is a must-study subject.

Start by studying the people you work with: your colleagues, your superiors and, if you are lucky, your subordinates. Everyone has their own plans for their careers. The way to get ahead is to work your plan without derailing other people's plans.

Of course, it's not just that simple. But get started on this people study thing. It's worth it.

The best advice is to try to avoid the problem all together. Then you do not have to be concerned about people getting in your way or even having to be drawn in. I know this sounds odd, but if you are able to do this you will be seen as an outsider, but it will help you in the long run I can tell you.

Victor Leigh wrote:Politics is all about people management. Or you feel uncharitable, people manipulation.

If you intend to spend your entire working life just loitering around the lower ranks of technical work, then there's no need to study politics at all. However, if you have dreams of climbing the management ladder, then politics is a must-study subject.

Start by studying the people you work with: your colleagues, your superiors and, if you are lucky, your subordinates. Everyone has their own plans for their careers. The way to get ahead is to work your plan without derailing other people's plans.

Of course, it's not just that simple. But get started on this people study thing. It's worth it.

Meh, you can climb the ladder without getting involved. I have.

Personally, I do not associate with my co-workers outside of work in any form or fashion. I work for a large Fortune 500 company and I have found it easy to do. I come to work, perform and go home. I don't attend any happy or social hours, Christmas parties or participate in any of it. One of my co-workers that is in the same position as me is "Captain Social" and always has his nose in the office hub bub. He's been with the company for 6 more years than I have and I've rocketed past him because all I do is come to work and perform.

At the end of the day, the company needs to make money. If you're job is critical to the bottom line in some shape or form, those that perform usually will win out.