5 Easy Rules to Play Office Politics and WIN

Another rule someone taught me was never to treat things personally. It’s also why it is important to have a life outside of work. That way you have a much more balanced perspective on all the shenanigans.

The reputation point! I worked extremely hard and was helpful at my old job. I made the mistake of going out drinking with a former coworker who was still good friends with current employees. I got sloppy when I partied that night. The person went back and told one of the worst gossips in the office. The weird stares, murmers and insults disguised as jokes lasted until I resigned recently. These ppl didn't know me outside of work but created a whole backstory based on a random night out. No matter how friendly and helpful I was to them, no matter how hard I worked, they still all treated me weird. Lesson learned. No nights out with coworkers!!!!

Not gonna play the office politics, I accept my losing position in the corporate world. Building strategic relationships, creating alliances - this is some stuff of horrors for an introvert. I just want to do a good job, ideally in silence, away from people, learn a few things along the way and get my paycheck every month.

Worrying about "office politics" or even playing the game is for people without a backbone. This is who I am and this is how I roll. You don't like me? Then you don't need me. Disgusting how people kiss ass and let "superiors" walk on them. I'd rather walk out with my backbone and my pride than play a pretentious game of what you can and can't say.

IF your boss is THAT horrible, you need to leave!

Yes, give your hated boss what they want—more power—so they can easily oust you from your position. This has occurred more frequently than not. The greatest strategy is to avoid giving your boss a reason to fire you. Do your work well and without error, but avoid breaking your back for a boss who doesn't like you. This will just make them think that you are even more foolish than they already thought. Learn the regulations of your workplace, read your contract, only do what you are hired to do, do it flawlessly, and watch your boss spiral into frustration at not being able to kick you. They may attempt to make your life miserable through subtle bullying, but they always face the risk of facing legal action. In the end, the workplace is a mess as it stands. Since most people got where they are due to politics rather than being good at their jobs, politics has totally taken over the working environment and is uncontrollable.

I'm living through this hell right now. But I'm trying to learn to survive from one of my coworkers. He's been with the company for more than 30 years. He never engages in gossiping, never sits in the breakroom. He's always very polite to everybody but never really talks to anybody. I've never seen him being frustrated or mad.

It's been 3years being on the wrong side of my boss. Working in such an environment has been a nightmare for me. Most days I don't feel like going to work cause it's like I am in prison with no voice

I'm totally oblivious to office politics, I just do what I do with honesty and faithfulness.

We should not promote negative, toxic behaviour or support people to keep being like that... it's not only about winning. It is about HOW we compete that defines us. If I had to promote bullying to win, I would take a step back (which would be moving forward).

You are exactly right. I got on the wrong side of a boss years ago when I was young and naive. I stayed with the organization and It took years to recover from her opinions about me. Fortunately, I left the area and got a fresh start, but I would have handled things completely different today and in hindsight, it would have been easier to leave the organization. Get along with management and play nice with your team. It is the quickest and easiest way to promote and improve your situation. Maybe you were treated poorly but it may not have been intentional. I am not against raising legitimate concerns, but those should be rare.

You could play the corporate game by employing the tactics you’ve mentioned, be fake, get ahead etc But at what cost?… employing the mindset you suggest will, over time, empty you of all human qualities like empathy, compassion, authenticity & trust… and it only gets more political the higher you climb While I agree that your tactics will probably work, I’d rather die with my integrity, morals & soul intact

Office politics always makes a work environment toxic. I didn't realize until watching your videos that people were taking my ideas of building revenue and that the toxic people around me at work and during school were stealing my strategies and taking all the credit.

Everything you said is spot on!👍🏽 But I do have to contest that sometimes it can be about you. Sometimes people can become fixated with you, especially if you're doing an unexpected good job and they are hell bent on tarnishing your reputation because they're genuinely enraged with jealousy, anger and disbelief. It can seriously get that twisted😩

The first point is good. I was recently fired because my boss and I could not see eye to eye. I could've strategized a win-win for both of us but stopped caring about how I was perceived. Silver lining, got another job immediately afterwards with a raise.

You are 100% correct on the "You will not win against your boss" thing because they control history. Their version of events become the official version of events. Your dissenting opinion will be erased or discounted as the bitter misgivings of someone who was passed over. I mentioned that I had problems with 3 co-workers in 14 years. I talked about one of them recently. The other 2 happened to be my supervisor. I won the battle against the first horrid boss, because he was doing illegal stuff (long story) but then his protégé got promoted, made my life hell, ran me off the reservation, and used my old slot to hire her BFF's husband.

So grateful to work from home and reduce the amount of mind numbing bullshit politics I have to deal with.

Results speak instead of us! That is happening to me! And I see how my boss is treating me: she is finding flaws in everything I do, where other managers applaud… I was even attacked because I was professional!(because I wasn’t being so communicative without leadership skills) just because I respect authority and don’t want to speak BS and rumor… definitely someone doesn’t want my progress! But my professional integrity is more important than the opinion of my boss , when my boss said “Perception is the truth”, like other people see me like a person who is not a leader and good team player. My reaction won’t be delivered! And I’m seriously looking forward to your new video about building a brand! Thanks for great advices Jenn!

Definitely a harder one to swallow, definitely comes with a fundamental belief that you have to start from a place of kindness until they are openly toxic (not liking them is NOT the same as them being toxic 😂).

"The only way to win is not to play...while you keep looking for another opportunity elsewhere."