Tips for Navigating Difficult Office Politics - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / Tips for Navigating Difficult Office Politics - Introvert Whisperer Tips for Navigating Difficult Office Politics The term “office politics” often conjures images of saber-rattling co-workers talking themselves up, gunning for a promotion, or claiming a project all for themselves. Nothing could be further from the behavior of an introvert. However, it’s certainly possible for those who are less socially outgoing to successfully engage in difficult office politics. Here are a few ways that introverts can use their natural inclinations and abilities in order to navigate the often dangerous waters of workplace politics. Remember Your Strengths Introverts are typically calm and collected. While they may not possess great leadership skills, their strengths lie in areas like genuine productivity and detail-oriented focus. Introverts can begin and end a project correctly, demonstrating incredible consistency throughout the process. They also are extremely good at actively listening to others, thinking things through, and being aware of those around them. Don’t accept the notion that this state of affairs leave you at a disadvantage. Instead, boldly wield your strengths to your advantage, especially whenever you find yourself faced with a situation that involves difficult office politics. Continue to refine your interpersonal skills, as they will be an invaluable asset at your job. Doing so can also affect your future prospects, if you know how to highlight your interpersonal strengths when applying for work. Take the time to think things through in a calm and collected manner. Make sure to pick your battles. Look for win-win scenarios that lead to genuinely productive results for everyone involved. Remember that consistency is one of the great undervalued traits of incredible leadership. In other words, don’t try to copy the boisterous, off-the-cuff style of others; instead, lean on your own natural strengths. Rely on Relationships While extroverts may single-handedly take advantage of opportunities when they arise, introverts often must take a more measured, strategic approach to advancement in the workplace. Yes, at some point, you may have to go up against that annoyingly ambitious, blustery colleague for an assignment or promotion. However, it’s always smart for a self-aware introvert to set the stage beforehand through building meaningful, strategic office relationships. In other words, make sure to lean on the strength of select individual relationships within the office in order to create a base of allies that can support you and even stand up for you from time to time. Convey Your Communication Needs If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you already know that you’re an introvert. If that’s the case, don’t be afraid to let others in on the information, especially bosses. Introverts usually need a fairly quiet space in which to operate. If you’re meeting with a boss or co-worker in a situation that involves office politics, ask if the meeting can be held in a quieter space so you can focus. Grab a spare office or unused conference room. Don’t be afraid to speak up in little ways like these in order to set the stage for your own success. Networking While building a select group of strong relationships is important, general networking is also a critical part of office politics. While this may often be done in group settings, an introvert can accomplish quality networking by simply by taking the time to engage with superiors, co-workers, and employees one on one. Take them out for coffee, invite them to lunch, and look for opportunities that can open up a chance for you to network. This allows you to build relationships and let those you work with learn about you, your background, and your accomplishments. This is naturally much easier to do on your terms in a controlled scenario. However, it’s also important to make sure that you know where to draw the line with one-on-one relationships. While you want to succeed in genuine bridge building, you also want to ensure that your professional interactions remain firmly within reasonable, ethical bounds. Particularly when it comes to more withdrawn individuals, if a co-worker begins to show signs of crossing the line into sexual harassment or assault, make sure to take steps to report it immediately. “Bragging” There are few things more intimidating to an introvert than the idea of needing to talk themselves up. The call to self-promotion is hardly one that comes naturally. Regardless, it is absolutely required when you’re trying to prove that you’re worthy of being heard. Once again, while it’s important to practice talking about yourself in a positive light, there are multiple ways to lean on your own strengths in order to set yourself up in the best way possible on your terms. For instance, begin internally by taking the time to get comfortable with talking about your accomplishments. Set up mental reminders that these are simple facts and figures. Your performance speaks for itself, whether you talk about it or not. Therefore, you can treat discussing your accomplishments as a matter of fact. It’s little more than a natural conversation piece, so to speak. Rather than seeing it as an attempt to deceive others into liking you more, look at it as a simple communication of who you are to those who don’t fully know you. In addition, take the time to keep detailed records of your accomplishments and report to your superiors regularly, not just during performance reviews. This gives you a chance to genuinely explain what you’ve accomplished without being under the gun to “promote yourself” in a high-pressure scenario. In fact, this can often even be done with the written word via email or social media. Quietly Dominating the Office Hopefully, at this point, you’re aware of the different tools and abilities that introverts have at their disposal as they navigate through the turbulent waters of their office’s political arena. Rather than giving in to the temptation to simply mirror the extrovert-friendly tactics that typically win the day, look for opportunities to use your own quiet strengths in order to be heard. Whether it’s through individual networking, gently highlighting your accomplishments on a regular basis, or finding ways to accentuate your natural abilities, there are plenty of ways to quietly dominate your own office politics and work your way up the corporate ladder in the process. By Sam Bowman Sam  Bowman  is a freelance writer and introvert who enjoys getting to utilize the internet for the community without actually having to leave his house. In his spare time, he likes running, reading, and combining the two in a run to his local bookstore. Go to top Power-Influence-Office Politics: it comes down to your Strategic Relationships and understanding of how you build each one of these elements. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my video that outlines all of this and meaningful actions you can take today!   Start watching now by clicking here! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer