Navigating Office Politics: How to Rise Above the Fray and Make a True Positive Impact

Part of Kathy Caprino's series "Becoming The Most Positive, Powerful You"

If you've held a job at any level in an organization, you most likely know exactly what office politics are, and you understand how difficult and damaging they can be - to our success, mental health, career trajectory, and reputations. According to my latest LinkedIn poll, a full 76% of professionals shared that 50% or more of the organizations they've worked for have difficult or damaging office politics.

But office politics are an inevitable part of organizational life, and unfortunately, we can't just "sit them out."

In my 18 years of corporate life, culminating in director and Vice President roles overseeing multimillion-dollar budgets and global initiatives, I personally lived through some extreme office politics and antics, much of which were damaging to both individuals and teams. These behaviors were often fraught with high emotion, fear, unfair favoritism, and reprisals that in some cases had a deep negative impact on the organizations, their people, and their ability to achieve their ultimate business goals.

While the term "office politics" typically carries with it a negative connotation, I've also seen that we can learn how to understand and navigate through them more effectively - while retaining our integrity and honoring our personal code of ethics and values. Doing so helps us positively shape our careers and professional lives as well as foster our own leadership growth, personal strength and boundaries.

But first, what are office politics?

The term "office politics" refers to a complex web of social, interpersonal, relational, power and influence dynamics within organizations. Typically, it involves people's attempt to leverage power and influence in their ecosystem - and forging key alliances with the goal of getting ahead and obtaining favor and support from those deemed more powerful and influential in the organization.

It can also involve people strategically and actively (both in public and privately) demeaning or diminishing other peoples' contributions, talents, intelligence and capability to get a "leg up" on these individuals whom they view as a competitive threat.

While office politics can certainly be negative and divisive, they can also be navigated positively by building genuine relationships, maintaining integrity, fostering positive communication, achieving greater self-control and self-mastery, and focusing on building collaborative success.

Drawing on my work with thousands of professionals across 6 continents in the past 17 years of career and leadership coaching, and from my former life as a corporate executive and then as a therapist, I share below what I've seen are 9 key steps that keep professionals out of the damaging swirl of negative office politics while helping you make the positive impact you long to - growing your career and leadership in uplifting ways.

Step 1: Lead with Empathy and Compassion

Understand and Address Others' Needs - Empathy is a powerful tool in navigating office politics. Take the time to understand your colleagues' perspectives and needs. By showing genuine compassion and respect, and addressing their concerns, you can build stronger, more supportive relationships.

Be a Supportive Colleague - Offer help and support to your team members and your colleagues, especially during challenging times. Acts of kindness and understanding can foster a more positive work environment and reduce the likelihood of negative political behaviors.

Step 2: Demonstrate Integrity and Accountability

Uphold Your Values - Stay true to your personal values and principles, even (and especially) when faced with difficult situations. Demonstrating integrity builds trust and respect among your colleagues, making it harder for negative political behaviors to take root.

Own Your Actions -Take full responsibility for your actions and decisions. Accountability shows that you are reliable and trustworthy -- qualities that are essential in maintaining a positive reputation and navigating office politics successfully.

Step 3: Communicate Effectively and Transparently

Promote Open Dialogue - Encourage honest, respectful and transparent communication within your team. Creating a culture where people feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns can prevent misunderstandings and conflicts from escalating.

Be Clear and Direct - When communicating, be clear and direct about your intentions and expectations. Transparency helps build trust and ensures that everyone is on the same page, reducing the chances of miscommunication and political maneuvering.

Step 4: Foster Collaboration and Teamwork

Encourage Collective Success - Focus on the success of the team rather than on only individual achievements. But when you do wish to highlight the outstanding achievements of particular individuals, make sure it's not favoritism or bias that motivates you. Promote a collaborative environment where everyone works together towards common goals and can benefit from team success and recognition. This collective mindset can minimize competition and reduce negative politics.

Celebrate Team Achievements - Acknowledge and celebrate the contributions and successes of your team but also other teams from other departments across the organization. Recognizing others' efforts fosters a positive atmosphere and encourages a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect.

Step 5: Practice Self-Mastery and Resilience

Develop Emotional Intelligence - Enhance your emotional intelligence, self-awareness and self-mastery, to better understand and manage your emotions and those of others. High emotional intelligence and self-mastery help you navigate complex social dynamics and respond appropriately to various situations, with balance and calm.

Stay Resilient in Adversity - Build resilience to handle the ups and downs of office life (as there will be many). Maintaining a positive outlook and staying calm and balanced under pressure can help you address challenges effectively and set a positive example for others.

Step 6: Be Visionary and Inspirational

Share a Clear, Motivating Vision - Articulate a clear vision for your team or project that aligns with organizational goals but also helps team members leverage their passions, interests and talents. Sharing your vision for growth inspires and motivates others, creating a unified direction that can mitigate the impact of office politics.

Inspire Through Actions - Lead by example and demonstrate the behaviors you wish to see in others. Your actions can inspire colleagues to adopt a positive and ethical approach, while helping them recognize when "political" behavior is happening and how they can effectively manage through it.

Realize this important reality:

People will do as you do, not as you say.

Step 7: Personally Engage in Lifelong Learning and Development

Pursue Continuous Improvement - Commit to your own personal and professional development. By constantly improving your communication, leadership, management approach and other key skills and knowledge, you can make continual progress in your career and effectively navigate the complexities of office politics and the larger working world.

And if your current work culture is simply no longer a fit with your values and ethics, you'll have easier access to other, better career and job options if you've been focusing on your growth and development all along.

Encourage Learning in Others - Support new growth and career "stretching" opportunities for your team and employees. Wherever possible, provide funding for mentorship and sponsorship activities, internal and external networking, skill-building training and leadership learning, all of which foster innovation, commitment and collaboration, reducing the focus on negative politics.

Step 8: Cultivate Gratitude and Positivity

Practice Gratitude - Express gratitude and appreciation for the contributions of your colleagues and the opportunities you have. A positive attitude can shift the workplace culture towards one of greater appreciation and mutual respect.

Spread Positivity - Focus on spreading positivity through your interactions and communications, and avoid office gossip, backstabbing, and badmouthing your managers, colleagues and employees. Positive energy can counteract and neutralize negative aspects of office politics and create a more harmonious work environment. (Here's more on 10 Essential Ways Being More Positive Enhances Your Career and Your Life.)

Step 9: Build a Strong Personal Brand

Establish Your Solid Reputation - Build a reputation for being dependable, ethical, fair and highly competent. A strong personal brand can protect you from negative political tactics and enhance your influence within (and outside) the organization.

Network Strategically - Network strategically (both internally and outside your organization) to build positive alliances with inspiring individuals in your field who share your values and goals and also have positive impact and influence. Strong professional relationships with key mentors and sponsors can provide support and guidance, and open doors for you that you can't open on your own. 

Finally, use all tools available to you today to expand your positive reach and impact.

Know that your reach and impact are not limited to the place at which you work.

For example, understand that LinkedIn is not just for "job search." Networking and building your authentic community on LinkedIn and beyond can be extremely beneficial as you share your professional profile and brand, including the key accomplishments you're most proud of, your guiding values and visions, your thought leadership, and your key mission in your work and leadership.

Receiving powerful endorsements and recommendations on LinkedIn from others whom you admire and who can speak about your great talents and contributions will help you showcase what you stand for in life and work which, in turn, will attract other, like-minded people to join your community and support your ultimate goals. And for every generous recommendation you receive, offer a wonderful endorsement to someone who has made a positive impact on your life and work.

In the end, effectively navigating office politics requires a blend of a core set of traits including self-mastery, empathy, integrity, effective communication, collaboration, resilience, vision, continuous learning, positivity, and strategic networking. By embodying these nine traits, inspired by what are (in my view) the 9 core behaviors of people who positively impact the world, you can successfully manage office politics with grace and effectiveness, and make a powerful, positive impact in your organization and beyond. 

For more hands-on help to build your leadership impact and career growth skills, visit Kathy's Career & Leadership Breakthrough coaching program and join her in the next session of her 8-week live training course The Most Powerful You, based on her book The Most Powerful You: 7 Bravery-Boosting Paths to Career Bliss.

And tune into her podcast Finding Brave for biweekly inspiration, strategies and success tips from top national experts in fields essential to our professional success.

For free resources on building your network on LinkedIn, visit Kathy's info here - Power Up Your LinkedIn Profile For Success.