Political Dilemmas at Work: How to Maintain Your Integrity and Further Your Career

Use Your Energy to Influence the Decision Makers—Not to Fight Your Rivals

When confronted with politicking that you feel is unfair or offends you, it is easy to consider revenge and retaliation. It is normal to feel aggressive in the face of aggression, and because you are human, the fight-or-flight reflex drives you.

In a competitive environment, it is natural to keep score, and just as you are aware of those to whom you are indebted, you also keep track of those who offend. Only the most magnanimous and emotionally intelligent folk don’t harbor grudges, and most people—somewhere deep down in their psyche—have a little black book where they keep track of the balance.

It is possible to spend more time fighting the many small political battles that come your way than doing good work. When there is a strong political rival to compete with, there are many opportunities to fight. But the energy that goes into fighting could easily go into building an influence campaign with the decision makers. Yes, it is important to defend yourself against the worst political fallout, but contrary to popular myth, attack is not always the best form of defense. It is too easy to concentrate on winning the battle but at the same time, end up loosing the war. Why put energy into scoring points over a rival when you could be influencing the people who could help you, the people who actually make the decision?

Infighting between political rivals—however clever or subtle you think you are being—always ...