Office politics is a fact of life. Political activity is influencing others to do what you want. It is supposed to be a positive idea. Unfortunately, politics has a negative connotation because we only hear the negative in the news. The question however, is what do you do when confronted by politics in the workplace that takes the form of loose talk, often referred to as gossip? Here are 7 top tips to keep women leaders out of trouble when confronted with office politics.
1. Be careful whom you talk to. If you find yourself in a sticky situation of hearing information you don't know what to do with, the best thing to do is nothing. That's right, don't be the person who spreads the word on what you hear. The people in the office just have to hear you speak one word about another person that doesn't sound right and they might point their fingers at you as the one that started the talk. You're reputation could be in trouble just that fast.
2. If you're tempting to talk about someone but feel you couldn't say it to his or her face, definitely don't say those words to that person's back. That's a simple rule that lets you measure how ethical you're talk really is. The rule of ethics is if you wouldn't want someone to walk in unexpectedly and hear what you are saying, don't let the sayings come out of your mouth at all.
3. Don't get pulled into hearing talk that could get you in trouble. If someone decides to tell you a bit of gossip, do what you can to get away as quickly as possible. What you don't know you can't be a part of. Don't let others drag you into an office politics problem by hearing things that could be questionable about someone else on the job.
4. Learn to turn the tables on someone who is talking about things you don't want to talk about. In other words, learn to change the topic by asking the other person more questions. Answer a question with a question if necessary. When the person answers, proceed to ask them more questions until it becomes obvious that you are doing the asking not the answering.
5. If necessary, confess that you don't like to gossip or hear information about certain situations. If you know what you are hearing can compromise your position, just say you don't want to hear it. When someone asks "Have you heard the latest?" just smile and say nothing and suddenly remember you have something to get to right away.
6. If you are the topic of gossip and it gets back to you, you have every right to approach the person who has your name on his or her lips and let him know you've heard the talk. Ask first if what you heard is actually true. You don' have to be confrontation, but do be honest. Say you heard that he was saying things about you and you wanted to understand what was going on. After talking things through you will probably stop the person from gossiping about your again, especially if he knows you'll find out.
7. Be sure to find out about the truth in what you hear. Remember the old saying "be careful what you hear?" Verbal messages have a tendency to become distorted as they are passed along. By the time you get the message, what was originally stated may not even be in the context of the message. If you decide to pass along what you heard, you could be a part of spreading lies that should have never been told. Just stay out of it and go about your duties.
Office politics is meant to influence others to do something you want done. It can be a positive thing if used correctly; however, it can also be destructive. Do what you can to avoid gossiping and getting involved in negative office politics. Besides, it's always better for the woman in leadership to listen rather to comment; you really learn so much more when you listen and don't speak.
| Consuelo Meux, Ph.D. coaches professional and executive women to build the confidence and communication skills to start and grow a small business that generates elegance and financial freedom. Get a free business plan template, resources and other support at her website. Enjoy monthly teleclasses on Communication Skills for Successful Business Women for only $9.95 a month. Private fast track coaching is available for the woman who is ready to move into her success - fast. http://www.consuelomeux.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Consuelo_Meux |  |
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