Office Politics?
The Good,The Bad, and The Positive
Working within an organisation as a contractor might give you hope that you no longer need to get involved in office politics.
The truth, however, is that even though you are technically not part of the organisation from an employment perspective, you are still part of the culture and need to navigate relationships and influence stakeholders effectively
Office politics aren’t something you can sit out.
Start by reframing what office politics means to you.
In our experience they rarely create positive thoughts. In reality, office politics is about influencing people and relationships, which I am sure you will agree are essential to being a successful contractor.
What do you think of when you hear the words “office politics”? In our experience they rarely create positive thoughts. In reality, office politics is about influencing people and relationships, which I am surely you will agree are essential to being a successful contractor.
Focus your time and energy on understanding what kind of political environment the organisation has, the degree to which it suits your personal political style, and how you are going to be most effective in it.
Realise that focusing just on your personal performance is very unlikely to get you the success you’re aiming for, however, investing time in your networks and building the connections that can speak for you and your work will.
As a contractor you may be brought in to do a specific task, run a project etc which could lead you to thinking that you don’t need to get involved in office politics.
It is however hugely important to have influence to ensure you can effectively get your work done and receive the required time and resources from others enabling you to be a success.
Carefully navigating office politics will allow you to be a success, and give you a strong chance of having your contract extended or be invited to join another project. At worst you will finish the contract having had a positive effect on those who you have worked with.
I think you will agree, all of these are essential to a long and successful career as a contractor.