Success, power and politics in the workplace
Before we dive into a number of ideas on how to make yourself even more valuable to your boss, let's look at the question of who needs to choose you to be successful. More than a few people have suggested that this thinking devalues the importance of individual determination and hard work.
Polite pushback is that nothing replaces or minimizes the need for such behavior - it is necessary for success. However, for your efforts to pay off in an organizational environment, your hard work must be recognized and appreciated by some person or group of people who can choose you to do more.
Yes, power and politics play a role in your success, no matter how hard you work. Senior managers select people for promotion based on how much they trust the employee to make the right decisions to lead initiatives or manage teams.
Economic dependents: how to teach children the basics of financial literacy
Competition is high in the fashion capital of London, but young designers have persevered
How to buy an inexpensive car in Germany: traders in the northwest and Swabia are more reliable
This trust is cultivated through experience working collaboratively and through ample evidence that the individual being considered for promotion consistently demonstrates good judgment when it comes to working with others, solving problems, setting priorities, and achieving results that benefit the organization.
Since many promotion opportunities are challenging for us—bigger than our previous experience—this trust factor is critical. The person who gives us a new opportunity believes that we will grow into it quickly and safely.
Considering the importance of trust and the power your boss has to choose for you, it is very important for you to help make his/her decision easy when it comes to considering new opportunities.
Dacha for ordinary people: 6 million rubles for one average house in Yamal
In India, old buses are being converted into food trucks
Warm-up your fingers: exercises necessary for sedentary work
How to understand that your employee or you yourself are burnt out: symptoms
Symptoms may vary depending on the place of work, the person’s psychotype and other factors. But if you or your employees are experiencing at least three of the symptoms listed below, this is a reason to think about whether you have professional burnout.
Signs of burnout:
- lack of self-confidence and a feeling of fear in front of new tasks - routine or from another field of activity;
- negative thoughts about work, reluctance to go to work in the morning and the desire to leave early;
- reluctance to deal with work tasks during the day, attempts to have lunch longer, play on the PC, or do something else;
- a permanent attitude towards the future that no matter what you do, it won’t get better;
- a feeling of monotony, routine actions, lack of novelty in work processes;
- deterioration of the general emotional state: irritability, apathy, isolation;
- dislike of the work environment, colleagues, workplace, distance from the team;
- physical disorders - headaches, drowsiness or insomnia, lethargy, disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract.
Some of these symptoms may indicate other diseases - for example, headaches may appear due to head injuries, disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract due to gastritis or ulcers. It is necessary to assess the condition of employees comprehensively and notice any little things - what the employee does at work, whether he needs rest, how he behaves in the team.
“We are developing and implementing the Kickidler working time tracking system on the Russian and foreign markets. The main task that users come to us with is to identify the level of staff productivity and their involvement in the work process. According to many of our clients, the most problematic employees are those susceptible to professional burnout. We recently conducted a survey of our users working in HR departments and found that 70% of all employees whose productivity is below average are those who have been working in the company for more than 3 years. For example, our clients from a tool manufacturing company said that they had an employee who spent about 80% of his working time reading news on the Internet and communicating on social networks. We found out about this only after installing the monitoring program. Before that, he constantly complained about the high workload and refused new projects. Another client of ours from an IT company had a system administrator who, on the contrary, demonstrated high efficiency for a long time, constantly staying late at work, sometimes until late at night. But one day he simply disappeared and did not answer calls for a week. Without a doubt, old-timers are the conveyors of values and the main driving force of any company. Therefore, the strategic task of the manager is to prevent burnout of his employees, and if it begins, to notice it in time and take the necessary measures” - Alexey Utkin , marketer of the Kickidler time tracking system
But diligence in work will not be superfluous
Even if the work is low-paid, it must be done conscientiously.
If you do the minimum required of your duties, your superiors will most likely not consider you the best employee who can qualify for a bonus or promotion. Don't be afraid of work for fear that it won't pay extra. Among employers, of course, there are many unscrupulous people. Still, you shouldn’t think badly of the leader. Do more than what is asked of you, and success will surely come.
There is no need to be lazy at work. Laziness is a bad habit that is difficult to overcome. But nothing is impossible. The best way is to motivate yourself to achieve small goals; increasing the amount or complexity of work should be done gradually.
Interesting examples: as in Russian burnout workers
L'Oreal Russia conducts a survey showing the level of employee satisfaction, and then adjusts business processes depending on the survey results. For example, workers expressed a desire to come to work later and sometimes work from home. The request was heard and employees were allowed to come not at 9 am, but between 8 and 10, and sometimes not to come at all, while working from home.
Yandex conducts a survey showing the degree of involvement in work . If a manager sees that an employee is close to burnout, he suggests that he change the team, project, or field of activity in general. For example, a developer can become a tester or try himself in a managerial position.
Megafon found that workers who communicate with people most often suffer from burnout . A special “No Stress” program was developed for such employees. Within its framework, psychologists help employees cope with stress.
At the Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development, call center employees are asked to give up monotony. Employees are assigned to either incoming or outgoing calls, and are also offered to work with different bank products. In addition, some vacancies in other departments are filled by call center employees. Thanks to this, staff turnover in the call center has halved.
There are other ways to prevent professional burnout. Data from the recruiting agency Hays shows how Russian companies are doing:
How do you combat professional burnout in yourself or your employees? Tell us in the comments, we are interested!
We must strive to understand and support the goals of the leader
Nothing says "I care about my commitment" than seeking to understand and support your boss's priorities and goals. Not every boss has their own professional goals and personal aspirations, so you may have to do a little digging. Use the rationale that you want your goals to match his goals. Ask clarifying questions.
The largest transformation: the Sberbank empire has grown into the “Sber universe”
Why working hours? Rules I recommend breaking when working remotely
Funny incidents from the history of world brands: why Ikea is called that
Communicate with your boss as much as necessary
Every manager has slightly different communication preferences. Some people appreciate detailed, regular updates. Others are more interested in noteworthy exceptions. Pay attention to cues, including interest or boredom, and adjust your behavior accordingly. And it never hurts to ask: “How often and what details do you prefer to discuss so that I can communicate with you?”
Be careful with gossip
The magnetic pull of gossip is potentially dangerous to your career. Stay away from most of these group gatherings and their negative banter. However, it's worth keeping your ears and eyes open for the nuggets of truth often present in workplace gossip.
If you find out that people don't understand the firm's direction or its latest strategy, that's important information for your boss. Filter fact from fiction, but don't discount conversations that highlight organizational weaknesses and opportunities.
Difference between scientists and collaborators
The definitions “employee” and “employee” are close in meaning, but not the same.
Differences:
- Legal position. The term “employee” refers to labor law, denoting the entity with whom the employment contract is concluded. The concept of “employee” refers to a colloquial style and is not enshrined in legal acts;
- Volume. The concept of “employee” includes the category “employee”, i.e. it is broader in content;
- Payment. An employee's work is always paid. If his rights are violated, his employer may be subject to disciplinary action by regulatory authorities. The results of an employee’s work can be either paid or provided free of charge.
Pros:
- self-realization, increasing intellectual level, personal contribution to the development of science, publication of scientific articles;
- the possibility of gaining recognition and high income if it is possible to develop something of value to the scientific community.
Minuses:
- on average, as a rule, the level of wages is quite low, which contributes to a decrease in work motivation;
- big competition.
Always have a plan when you go into your manager's office.
The most destructive words for a boss are: “What do you think I should do?” Cross this phrase out of your vocabulary and remember to always enter the manager’s office with a plan - it is advisable to have it in two versions with one preferred. Be prepared to support your recommendation.
Business, career, money: horoscope for all zodiac signs for the week 09/28–04/10
Make shopping lists: how smart spending saves your wallet and nerves
Swimming pool, wine cellar: a businessman turned an old monastery into a luxurious mansion
Remember, re-educating your boss is unacceptable. Better change your attitude towards his methods of work and adjust your own behavior.
Try with all your might to step into your boss’s shoes, so to speak, to “get into his shoes.” Most often, we do not like some of the actions of the leader, thereby we protect ourselves, perceive insults and negativity, even if there are no reasons for this.
You need to look at your boss positively and respect him. You will see, this will help improve relationships. After all, each of us has both negative and positive sides. And if you look at everyone and everything from a positive point of view, then people will be drawn to us, including management.
What to do if burnout has already happened: how to help an employee
The following ways will help improve the employee’s condition:
New hobby. Advise him to do what he loves or try something he has long dreamed of. For example, origami. Recommend spending 10–15 minutes a day on a hobby: this will be enough to relieve stress, redirect attention and take a break from work.
Change of responsibilities. Transfer him to another position, update his responsibilities, or give him a new project.
Rest. Send on vacation on time, do not load your weekends with additional tasks, recommend giving up the frantic pace of life. Tell us how to find a balance between work and personal life - our tips will help you free up more time for relaxation.
Workplace update. The advice is banal, but effective: just change the environment. Buy an employee a new desk, renovate the office, transfer the employee to another office.
Sports activities. Physical labor helps cope with emotional fatigue. Enroll your employee in a fitness club, advise the employee to walk 20-30 minutes a day in the fresh air, take warm-up breaks for the entire office:
These same methods can be used to cope with your burnout. Rest more, take on new projects, redecorate your office, do what you love, or start going to a fitness club.
“Employee burnout is fatigue when “external” motivation does not work, and “internal” motivation goes somewhere. The employee loses energy, he is overcome by apathy and this, of course, affects productivity. The first signal that you need to pay attention to is the discrepancy between the results of work and the planned ones. A manager should always look an employee in the eye and see what is happening to him. From my experience: every day in the company I made two rounds, in the morning and in the evening, and sometimes three, and each time I talked to the employees, looked them in the eyes. When you see that an employee is starting to burn out, the first thing you need to do is talk. One-on-one conversations work very well. We sat down, poured two cups of tea and spent an hour and a half, and sometimes more, talking with the employee. This made it possible to understand what was happening and what could be done about it, as well as to find solutions that would “charge” the employee. Another option is to move the employee to a more interesting job/position if he has this desire. Here it is important to see this need, and then negotiate and transfer the employee to a job that is more interesting to him. The third point is mastering a related profession: here we free you up a little, and you begin to study a related profession with a further complete transition and immersion in it. A business trip is also a good tool. I sent an employee on a business trip, usually abroad, and this gave him strength for new achievements. One option for solving the same problem is vacation. And another solution to the problem is to create a “positive” image around this employee. I made sure to praise him at meetings, emphasize some achievements, create a positive emotional background around him” - Vladimir Mozhenkov , business practitioner and business coach
If all else fails, there is a radical way to get rid of burnout - radically change your field of activity. Talk to the burnt out employee and, if there is no other option, encourage him to write a statement of his own free will. And then recruit new employees. We talked about how to build a dream team in a separate article.
Create allies and strengthen the organization's position
Whether you admit it or not, you are your boss's ambassador when it comes to his or her reputation and ability to select and develop good people. Act accordingly. Armed with the context of your boss's priorities, try to create allies and represent those interests in the spirit of strengthening the organization. Also, work hard to understand the priorities of other leaders and groups and make sure your boss has that intelligence to apply to his efforts.
Develop other people's talents
Nothing will influence your selection for promotion more than your proven ability to develop talent.
Ignoring the realities of power and politics in your organization is naive. Recognize your boss's power in choosing you to be successful and act accordingly.
It is important to understand that everything that is said in this article is true only if the boss is an absolutely adequate, professional person. But if you find yourself subordinate to a major who was given this position, for example, because of his family connections, then the above rules simply will not work. In such a situation it is difficult to advise anything; sometimes it is easier to change place.
Found a violation? Report content
