Analyzing the Power Struggle and Office Politics

To Control or Not to Control...

In learning how to survive office politics, it's best to learn how smart people rise to power. You may understand how they campaign, but how do they actually get the position they crave? The short answer is that they always strive to be in control, and since they do, they are perceived as natural leaders. Dominating weak-minded people is the easy part. The challenge comes in the politician controlling other strong-minded opponents. When the dominant personality senses there is resistance they go into full battle mode. They may try to subtly disparage you in private or even publicly if they feel that confident. They will look for your weaknesses and any tidbit of information that they can use to damage your reputation.

If they feel that you have robbed him of some attention, then they will seek to gain it back. They may keep up their usual antics or try something very dramatic if they feel the timing is right. The intent here is to surprise you and to shake your confidence. Don't be surprised to see some rather desperate tactics including throwing temper tantrums (i.e. pounding on a desk or shouting) or making personal attacks. One well-known trick that they use to regain control is the old "rush away" at the first sign of conflict. Not only does this end the argument, saving the politician from having to defend themselves, they also attempt to break your confidence by abruptly interrupting your statement.

The politician is not the same thing as an office bully. Bullies are actually much easier to thwart because they have no strategy besides aggression. The politician is wise enough to know not to get into a power struggle if they are tired, if they are outmatched in expertise, or if you have more friends than they do. Always anticipate the friendship gesture (usually offered when they suspects that you're on to him) and pay careful attention to their eyes and facial expressions. Have you ever read that people "smile" with their eyes? You may be able to pick up on their true feelings if you look closely into their eyes.

The most important directive of the politician is to never lose, they being a creature of intense competition. They would sooner walk away then lose an argument. Once you lose an argument, especially in public, then you have lost a measurable amount of control and influence. If you can't handle a public debate with an experienced talker, don't even try to argue.

Telling People What They Want to Hear

The politician is an expert at telling people what they want to hear, whether they are selling themselves, selling others on their ideas or merely trying to influence someone to follow their lead and take action. They are extremely talented at remembering information and taking mental notes about their opponents. So be careful about sharing too much information with someone that you know cannot be trusted. The politician counts on other people coming to their defense so be aware if some alliances are being formed. Some workers have found that respectfully approaching other co-workers (particularly if there's a problem) brings the best results and actually strengthens relationships. About now, you should be relieved that you have worked so hard to make friends out of your other co-workers! Last but not least, the politician may resort to a pity party if they feel that they is losing control. Play this one by ear...it never hurts to be sympathetic, but it always pays to be smart about common manipulation tactics.

Politics are just a part of life inside any community. The best scenario is that you avoid blatantly campaigning for power or intentionally injuring anyone else's reputation. However, the more you learn about the different types of personalities in the workplace, the more you realize that some psychometric education can help you even this early in your career. If you successfully manage to handle the politician, as opposed to making them a permanent enemy, then you may eventually impress management with your people skills.