One way to start reducing office politics
TGIF. Let’s keep this short.
The best definition of office politics I have come across is from Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team:
“Politics is when people chose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think.”
When team members don’t believe they can be vulnerable with their co-workers, they will spend more energy trying to manage behaviors than focusing on the job at hand.
Plants that aren’t pruned send energy to dead leaves at the expense of the healthy, growing ones.
Want to fertilize your team? Have people share personal information at the start of meetings. The more we know someone, the more we are able to trust them.
What's in your pocket?
Don't know where to start? Try the What's in Your Pocket exercise. Ask everyone to pull an item out of their pocket, purse, wallet, computer bag, whatever, and explain to the group why it's meaningful to them. Take 5 minutes and get to know each other.
