The 7 sins of office politics

Overreaching >> overreaching is simply this: you’re out of your depth, and you know it. What’s worse is that others know it, and they will hold you to your word. They know you don’t have the competence to achieve what you’ve stated. They know you don’t know what you’re talking about. The impulse to act as if we know something can be very powerful, but it is unwise to act upon unless we can finish what we’ve started. (that’s me right there…right now…I feel that everyone in the Division knew about my incompetencies…sigh).

Grandstanding >> the only person who can promote you is you! But illegitimate self-promotion is a dangerous action. We also call it bragging. People don’t like braggarts! And when an entire team is involved, the last thing people want to hear from you is – see what I did.

Stepping over >> do not, in any way, shape or form, step over your manager or director or VP. You may think you’re smart, you may think you have the solution, but don’t overstep them. This sin is career suicide. It generally happens because of a lack of patience to get things done, believing one’s superior is in the way. Think again and talk with them ahead of time if you have an idea.

Upstaging >> this is, by far, one of the most deadly behaviors you can perform. When you make them look bad, you have just put your job at risk.

Inaccuracy >> in my career, my greatest failure ever was providing inaccurate data to my superior. I made excuses for my failures, but it all came down to this: I cut corners, I rushed and avoided the necessary detailed work required to ensure the integrity of my data. Inaccuracy becomes evident very quickly, to all in the room and credibility dissipates like smoke. (sounds like me…I’m just so bad in memorizing the numbers…sigh).

Stepping on >> you’re in a meeting and you want to prove someone wrong or worse, to prove that you’re right…so you blatantly challenge them in front of their boss…or worse, their peers to make a point. People remember the embarrassment and shame moments when someone stepped on them. And one day, they may become your boss.

Overpromising >> when you cannot deliver what you’ve promised, you’ve increased your own stress and you’re likely to increase the success of your team to maintain your reputation. The impulse to act as if we can accomplish the impossible can be very powerful, but it is unwise to act upon unless we can finish what we’ve started.