My boss is generally seen as a bit nuts, and has her own set of rules depending on her mood. I’ve butted heads with her before, but I’ve been essentially warned, and I’m tired of the stress.
I now go out of my way to appear enthusiastic and helpful, despite my opinions of what she does. It’s not going to change. I’ve not met anyone more oblivious to the idea that she could be wrong. It just gets me trouble.
As others have noted, the motivation behind doing these things is important. If you do everything because you like doing it and you like helping other people, that usually shows. If you’re doing it as part of your ruthless climb up the ladder, that usually shows, too, and that’s the kind of people I’m talking about.
True, but sometimes people midjudge the motivation, especially in school. I was a teacher’s pet, but it was because I genuinely am the the type who likes to learn, and is nice to a fault. (Okay, so that last part is changing a bit.)
To me, actually playing “The Game” is always a negative. Those of you pointing out positives really aren’t playing the game, in my opinion. To me, the whole point is tricking your boss into thinking you are better than you are. If you actually are trying to be a better worker, then what game are you playing?
Well…I suppose if everyone knows how to play The Game so well, you must all be captains of industry by now.
Speaking as a mid-level manager in one of those “high performance” Manhattan professional services companies, here is my advice on what I’ve seen work and not work.
First. Probably shouldn’t be writing this when a partner is standing right behind me. I’ll impart my wisdom later.
You’re mean, making some of us lose for the second time in a single thread like that:(
As for the OP, I don’t play that “The Game” very well. I’m not content to sit back and let things go wrong as long as management doesn’t notice, which seems to be key to playing the game well; I talk to higher ups about how to make things work better and more efficiently. This does mean that I’ve gotten to help improve things since some suggestions are heard, but it doesn’t help me get ahead. It’s frustrating that ass-kissers who don’t care about improving anything are treated better, but that’s life.
Ok…now that I have a few minutes.
At it’s most simple, fundamental level, the essence of “playing the game” is to give the perception to the people who make decisions on your career that it is in their best interest for them to make decisions that are actually favorable to you.
Note that I did not say “what is best for the company”. Your career decision makers may have their own agendas that may or may not align with the overall goals of the company.
Also keep in mind that the person or people who make those decisions may actually be in a dead-end in their own careers. Therefore, they may have zero interest in anything you do as long as it doesn’t create headaches for them. This is usually a clear indication that its time to either find a new job or transfer to another group.
More later…
Bahahaha!! I thought you meant “the one you and I just lost”!
Ooh, you are good. 
You assume that if we recognize the game, we also give it any value. Some of us have other goals.
I don’t know what it means, but I don’t do it. I could have - had great grades, SAT score, etc, like many (most?) Dopers. But I just… don’t want that. The money would be nice, but I’m just not interested.
Joe
Bring a baseball bat into the office and …
Declan
I thought the game was related to those little basketball hoops people put above their trashcans.
I’m terrible at playing the game, but I’m getting a tiny bit better. Part of it is realizing that what appears most efficient, productive, or logical on the surface is not necessarily what will get the desired results for you and your superiors. I’ve wasted a lot of time arguing/challenging why we were doing something a “silly” way that I could have spent doing it the gosh darn silly way and moving on to the next task. Also, perfect is the enemy of good. I’ve learned to accept good enough and keep my head down if it’s something minor.
Hmm, maybe that’s not playing the game, maybe that’s not being a completely obnoxious misfit. Either way, I’m making progress and keeping my head down.
I think ‘play the game’ refers to a set of shallow, egocentric, selfish and self-serving behaviours that some people misguidedly believe to be one route to success in the business world. It would include things like…
…idenitfying the power-brokers and decision-makers and sucking up to them, routinely, purposefully and deceptively, while behaving dismissively towards everyone else.
…taking any credit that’s going, whether you deserve it or not, and avoiding any sort of blame or correction, usually by directing it to someone else behind their back.
…lying and cheating if you have to in order to secure advantage and privilege.
…regarding co-workers essentially as obstacles on your way to the top, to be trampled on in a rather brutal way that you kid yourself is simply ‘natural selection at work’.
…getting away with the least amount of work and effort while painting a rosy picture of yourself as some sort of ideal and perfect employee.
And so on. It’s bad advice. It’s bad advice in the business world for the same reason it’s bad advice anywhere else: because it’s the very least you are capable of being, not the best. The better option is to realise that your purpose in life is to fulfill your potential, and to realise that doing this necessarily involves helping others to do the same.
I’ll match my business success against anyone’s, and my core business strategies have always been the same: make lots of friends, treat them well, be a nice person, be honest, never fall out over money, and practise pre-emptive kindness.
I have risen in the corporate world using a handful of simple approaches:
Be competent. Be very competent. Be an expert at what you do. Competence will earn you trust over the long run.
Be forthright in your opinions. I am easily the most outspoken person in my circles and am therefore the most trusted…
Earn the right to say negative things and know the right time to say them. I’ve earned the right to stand up and speak directly to my chain of command, all the way to the CEO of a Fortune top 25. On the other hand I know when and how to be negative. My boss doesn’t need to be straightened out in front of customers, but she’s happy to hear any concern I have in a private meeting.
Share credit for every success. Only the strong, secure and competent are generous with credit and credit always comes back to the right people. Within any well-run corporation everyone knows who actually accomplished a given task.
Never whine about your job, your circumstance, your unfairness, “the system” or anything else. Those who voice petty complaints and think “the game” means being dishonest or calculating or negative are losers.
If your corporate environment does not advance those with proven skillsets and accomplishments, shut up while you are there and look for a different job. The fastest road to an unhappy corporate life is a poisonous demeanor and a loser attitude that the corporate world is some sort of nasty hellhole full of snakes. It’s full of the same mix of people the rest of the world is full of. Seek out the best ones and learn to deal with the losers, but don’t become one of them.
Fascinating. Lots of posts, but many are lamenting the Game as a burden and something you can “be the victim of” - sure, that can happen, but that is, ultimately, by your choosing. The whole point to calling it “the Game” is that there are rules that you can invest time in and achieve competence in…
Near as I can tell, Chief Pedant, msmith and GargoyleWB have it right. Meaning - the ultimate rule of the game is: make sure you are perceived as part of the solution, not part of the problem. That’s about it.
Sucking up or grabbing credit can work to make you appear to be part of the solution - but we all recognize that the approach can be short term and very likely backfire if you end up getting an assignment you can’t really do…
Saying Yes to all business and informal/social work request only makes sense when you see how saying Yes puts you into the Solution category - are you helping grow group unity by joining? Per other poster’s comments, sometimes being the guy/gal who says No at the right moment is absolutely part of the Solution…
Whining rarely positions you as part of the Solution. Pointing out problems and offering ideas to counteract them is a whole 'nother matter.
Swallowing a lot of crap - i.e., poor decisions from supervisors, comments that are hard not to take personally, etc. - that is definitely part of the Game - showing you are bigger than the petty bullshit positions you as part of the Solution.
Remember: humans learn by adapting - that means we must make mistakes as part of our process. Multiply that by hundreds or thousands as humans group into a busines to achieve shared objectives and jeez, if we get it right 15% of the time we are probably doing pretty well - expecting more efficiency than that, unfortunately, is simply unrealistic in my experience. Learning to live with that and factor it into your choices is essential to learning The Game…
My $.02
Personally I had always thought that playing “The Game” was adapting one’s own work ethic toward a way that best benefits them in their job.
For example, an employee might think its important to solicit feedback from their boss frequently, to make absolutely sure they are doing things right, and the second they aren’t, they can change it. Maybe they spent their life with their mindset, they think its the ‘right’ thing to do.
But they may be in a workplace where confidence and self-awareness is really important, and going to to the boss and constantly asking if he’s doing ok is going to make the employee look infantile, insecure, and dependent. Maybe the boss wants people who know how they’re doing, and only go to him/have him say something when its really out of hand.
In this example, that employee is really going to step outside his comfort zone. He’s used to doing this the X way, but now he’s going to have to do things the Y way. Playing the game is about understanding this and adjusting your work ethic so that it is advantageous in your job.
Exactly - act like you want to be seen as part of the Solution, not part of the Problem - as defined in that work context…
Agent Foxtrot - what are your thoughts about the posts so far?
This pretty much covers my philosophy. Especially the idea that rising in the corporate would should be a drag. You need to be in an industry/position that you like. You need to be passionate about it. If you hate your job/industry, you need to get out. You’ll never be truly happy or successful.
I would also add one more key aspect to playing the game:
Socialize - My greatest weakness as a ‘game player’ is my introverted nature. I think a significant factor for ‘playing the game’ is socializing with coworkers, especially those above you on the totem pole. You need them to know you and your best ideas. That way, when positions open up, they think of you and you beat the competition before the contest even begins.
This is a lovely ideal, but in the real world, competence (and being very competent) is further down the list of important skills than it should be. Being too competent can be threatening to co-workers (especially higher-ups who are insecure in their own competency). If I worked at a good company with good people, I’d be as competent as I possibly could. In most of the companies I work at, I use my observational skills to judge how competent I can appear without stepping on toes.
If you can get your hands on it (and even if you’re not female) I recommend reading the book “Games Mother Never Taught You: Corporate Gamesmanship for Women” by Betty Lehan Harragan. It’s fairly old (written in 77, I think) and thus rather dated in some ways, but a lot of the ideas in it about getting along in corporate life, claiming what’s yours (and how people won’t respect you if you don’t) asking firmly for what you deserve, and recognizing and working with the symbols of authority, the chain of command, and other corporate concepts are still valid today.
I’m still a bit confused. Seems everyone has their own idea of what it means to play the game. One post that especially got my attention was Cat Whisperer saying that one should be competent, but not too competent, as bosses and coworkers could feel threatened. My own boss felt threatened, I think, when I was trying my best every day. I’ve since dialed it down a few notches, and I think doing so is hurting my career.