Office Politics 201

In My Humble Opinion
21

So, as the IT Director, what techniques should I be using to beat it into the heads of my peers (that is, the other department Directors) that A) I am their co-worker, not their boss, and B) my work is just as demanding, rapidly-moving, and other blah-de-blah adjectives as theirs is? It might help to know that I’m effectively unfireable using techniques alluded to by yourself (the precisely two people above me on the ladder recognize that my skills plus my contacts make me indispensable, and I own everything that’s on my plate in terms of external contacts)

To give a concrete example, I have burned several (necessary) hours this week getting my side of the figures together for our 2010 and 2011 ICP (Incurred Costs for overhead accounting) for the Government Contracts Division. I went to that Division head today to get usage stats from him and untangle what licenses he’s actually giving out since the summaries of his contracts that I see are generally mum on the details. It almost literally took me fifteen minutes to get him to take the question I was asking seriously, and I had to explicitly and repeatedly quote the sum we were potentially liable for depending on how his side of the accounting was working.

22

I can’t speak to the specific dynamics and relationships of your office, but it is a common problem. It frequently is a challenge to get cooperation from other departments where there is no implied direct org chart relationship. And in many companies, this is further complicated by the fact that IT departments are often viewed as a “support” function of the business and thus not as important.

Trying to “beat it into their heads” is typically the wrong approach. If these ICP reports are a regular occurance, you need to develop a relationship with your peer in the accounting group and other groups where you need the information. You also need to provide plenty of notice for them to get this information together. Obviously you would resent “some guy from some other department” coming and demanding a bunch of figures at the last minute.

Like all relationships, there is an implied quid-pro-quo. The implication is that Accounting feels like they are doing you a “favor” as this is outside their usual workstream. So clearly finding opportunities where you can provide assistance to those departments would also go along way.

Remember, people are usually more motivated by their interests than the nebulous “good of the company”.
A lot of this depends on what sort of place you work. I’m used to working in fairly open, unstructured environments. It was quite a shock for me working in a large beurocratic insurance company where if I wanted something from a fellow manager in another department, it had to go up to my VP to be requested from his VP. That was a year spent doing not a whole lot.

23

Try your hardest to be born to a successful executive in a company or industry you might want to work in. I can’t stress this enough.

It also helps if you can do your best to be a white male from an upper-middle class or affluent background.

24

I think these are the two most important factors of all, unfortunately.

25

Lessons! I used to take golf lessons and really enjoyed them - I really need to go back and do that again, I used to have such a nice time sucking at golf.

Or, for real advice, when all the guys are out at the driving range hitting long balls, put the time on your short game.

26

Let’s just say that I thought the OP was a hilarious, timely joke.

Unfortunately…it was not.

27

ha! My only experience w/ golf was a bf taking me to a driving range. Basically hit the dirt a bajillion times.

Since you live in Columbia, you are approximately one hop, jump, and skip away from me. Can you recommend any instruction in the area?

Oh also keep in mind I am relatively po’. That might make golf itself completely unfeasible at this point in my life.

28

This has got to be one of the most useful, random pieces of business advice my dad gave me. When I was in college, he sits me down and says “I’m going to teach you about scotch. It’ll come in handy down the road.” Dad’s old-school, old-boy, and apparently felt this was the most accessible to a girl like me. (My mother, at the time, told him he was being sexist and ridiculous.)

One day, early in my career while I’m working the front desk, I compliment the Big Boss on his Lagavulin (not being brown-nosing, it’s just a good scotch). Couple weeks later, he comes over and invites me to come have some with him and the other senior guys. They had a tradition of gathering to have some on Friday after work, and they told me I was welcome anytime. I think they thought it was entertaining the girl from the front desk had a taste in scotch. I went, I got to know management, they’d even pick my brain on worker-bee things sometimes. Say what you will, but I was off the admin desk inside 6 months.

I was pretty directionless at the time-- I almost certainly owe my career to single malt scotch.

29

Let’s just say that like Spinal Tap and Brittish heavy metal, I’ve found that at the places where I have worked, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between a parody of the business world and the actual business world.

For example, in the 101 class, someone made a point:

What happens when you work in a culture where your company has an office happy hour every other week where some managing director slaps his Amex card down until 2am and then invites you out to the local strip club? The correct answer is you need to find some happy medium between being a drunken buffoon and being the stick in the mud who disapproves of all this shenanigans.

Although we did have one mailroom guy who was immediately fired for blazing up a joint at a company happy hour.

Right now the startup where I work is trying to figure out whether we are a Vegas culture or a Disney World culture for our corporate boondoggle. I vote Vegas because of my “I am not 8 years old” culture.

30

Learn to drink - how to get drunk without being an asshole or falling over or doing anything else stupid. If you can’t, learn to appear to be drinking. Get no more or less drunk that your MD.

Even if you’re a girl, go to the strip club with everybody else. (And in a possibly singular to the situation bit of advice, if your boss is in process of being thrown out and is being manhandled, throw your Blackberry at the guy doing it, causing him to drop your boss, realise he can’t manhadle you cause youre’a girl, and walk away confused with brain overload.)

This is Australia, YMMV anywhere else. We drink like fishes.

31

It also helps to be able to do a bit of slight of hand to make that shot disappear without actually drinking it.

Unfortunately, in the US, girls probably wouldn’t be invited.

32

Be willing to accept risks. You will never have all the data to move comfortably forward, but not moving is death.

Build respect. If people respect you, they will move mountains for you. If they don’t, you won’t be effective. How to build respect depends on the culture.

33

I can’t remember my instructor’s name, but I took lessons at the Golf Center out at the northeast end of town. The great thing is that they also had a gorgeous little nine hole par 3 course, so you could enjoy playing without having to spend a ton of money and time. Especially since I did not and do not have the long drive down. :slight_smile:

I really do suggest taking a few lessons if you’re interested in golf, because it’s a fun game and one that is widely played corporately where we live. You get to go outside and hit stuff with sticks!

34
  1. Protect your integrity with your life. Once it becomes questioned- you have multiple years before you can gain respect again.
  2. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
  3. Perception IS reality
  4. consistently Exceed your annual goals
  5. Hang around after 5:00- ask for extra duty and get your objectives completed per no. 4 above.
  6. Talk less, listen a lot
  7. Go to the right schools- if the MBA’s are from the local university- make certain you came from an equivilent. If they came from Whorton and you came from University of Phoenix- shut up, sit down and figure out how you’re going to pull a rabbit out of your hat to get ahead.
  8. some people may get ahead because they play golf- In my world, you get ahead because you understand the business, communicate and accept challenging projects.
  9. Don’t be afraid to publicly promote your point of view (only after you thoroughly know what you are talking about)
  10. Get to know the boss’ boss.
35

Quiet word to the bartender with a 20 in my hand does the trick for me - every other shot I do Coke…er…cocacola… for brown alcohol and water for clear. I’m a lightweight, but I have to drink with the boys (and I need to be careful full stop because I’ve lost so much weight that my alcohol tolerence has changed.)

It’s one of 10,000 reasons I do not move back to the US (American expat). I keep trying to explain to my Australian husband why the women from the Big 4 firm that works in his Massive Bank are always shocked to be invited anywhere.

I work for a subsidiary of a big telco - we have the two level political game going on here - our office, and the mothership’s office. The game is to do what we do with minimal interference with the mothership, with whom we must interact daily. My role is pretty pivotal in terms of making sure we can do that, so I have my boss’s respect in terms of keeping the mothership off his back. And to be fair, my boss is a brilliant guy, I really respect him.

My company culture is a competitive, testosterone-fueled full on boys club. I actually thrive in it. I’m older than they are, for one thing (not much, five years or so) but that actually helps. I’m competitive and driven. I’ve been here long enough to know where the bodies are buried. And although there’s probably going to be howls, I actually love the culture here. I’m not quite one of the guys, but I’m the person they come to for advice on a lot of issues. I get invited to poker nights and drinking sessions. I’m not the only woman there, but then, it’s different here. Our leadership team is split 50/50 anyway.

So for political advice? Mine is embrace the game. Play it well. Bolster your allies, make your boss look good, close ranks against outsiders. Dress and look the part, whatever that means for your company (that one took me a really long time to come to terms with, but I have now.) In my company, it’s jeans unless you’re meeting with the mothership or our clients, then for me it’s a suit and heels. Be ruthless if you have to, but not just for the sake of it. At the same time, be who you are, because fake gets spotted. I’m the techno-wonk and nerdgirl around here, and that’s ok. It’s who I am. If you have young staff, look after them. Teach them by example. It’s good for you and good for the future of your firm.

In return, I’m getting so many benefits, even as I plan to change careers. My degree is being paid for, I’m making contacts, I have the buy in of my upper management and their full support, including a recent role change to embrace what I’m going to do instead of what I currently do.

If you don’t want to do any of that, then fine, but big business isn’t for you.

36

I get the impression these office politicos spoken of are the corporate ladder-climbing equivalent of the pickup artists on the nightclub scene.

37

Okay, that’s much better. I’ll play nicely.

I would argue that most people have left golf and that it’s a dying leisure activity. Also, I wouldn’t fake enjoying a “rich” activity. Find something you have a genuine interest in or you’ll be caught up in how little you know/care soon. Don’t tell me you like good scotch and then give me blank eyes when I ask if you’ve tried Balvenie’s Doublewood. Don’t say you love boating yet nod silently while I explain why I prefer Malibus to Nautiques.

Don’t comment on a piece of jewelry/clothing/car/item they have and then degrade your own. People hate when their differences are highlighted. I’ll give you a concrete example. Mom has a nicer Rolex. It means a lot to her; her family tradition is that once you pass your bar exam/board exam/licensing exam after professional school, you were given a Rolex. My grandfather passed away before she finished her board exams…so she bought her own. Her very first big purchase.

I notice early on in househunting that her realtor has the same one. I point out “hey, you guys have the exact same watch!” Mom brightly says “how bout that!” Instant comfort level/kinship established. Realtor goes “Oh…but yours has the diamond face :(” Moment = torched.

Every other or every third time you agree to go and be the DD. Make sure you have good excuses for the times you’re not going, too. You have 1-2 drinks so you’re not a stiff. You’ll be loved, you’ll never embarrass yourself and you get dirt on everyone else. So yes, a happy medium.

ETA:

Ahh, but you’re excluding a great many wealthy rural and suburban people.

38

You can also work to find a corporate culture you are comfortable in. Each is different. I’ve worked for “strip clubs and heavy drinking” companies - my current company is NOT like that. I’ve worked for “better play golf” companies. I’ve worked for testosterone companies. And compared to the East Coast, the Midwest is not a big “hang with your coworkers” culture generally.

If you aren’t comfortable in the culture, spend your time in doing a respectable job and get out when you can. You can’t fake “I’m comfortable drinking” if you aren’t. And if its really expected, its going to be a dead end place. Nor can you fake the prayer meetings over lunch convincingly enough to care.

39

You also brought up a legitimate, if highly contestable point: that people who are uncomfortable with authority and institutions tend to be vain egotists.

40

shudder Ain’t that the truth.