We all must have been a part of office politics, or I must put it like this way that victims of office issues. I am sure everybody must have gone through this in different phases of their working career. My personal experience is very bad. I work in a US-based MNC, and my boss is one of the most difficult personalities I have come across in my 4 years of working experience. I understand coping with this is not that easy, but trust me, not that difficult either.
In our corporate culture, it is always said that "Bosses are always right," and if you confront them, you can be in a trap. I personally suggest that in this scenario, one should remain calm, take criticism in a more positive manner. I think if you plan a strategy to eliminate office politics against us, we can easily push it off.
The best ways to do this would be:
1) Be genuine and honest towards your work/task.
2) Pay attention to the tasks assigned and try to finish them within the time period with at least 90% accuracy.
3) Try to avoid favoritism in the office and be amicable with everyone within and outside the department.
4) Try to win others' trust (most important in HR terms).
5) Ask for more responsibility and be dedicated towards that. Take initiative and emerge as a team lead.
6) Try not to control colleagues but to lead them.
7) Avoid taking too many tea/coffee breaks or gossiping.
8) Try to avoid miscommunication by being more clear and to the point.
9) Discuss if required.
10) Update your boss whenever you complete a task via email.
11) If sharing data/details with a teammate, always cc your boss.
12) Try to be kind to everyone, even at odd hours.
13) In case of a difficult situation, communicate directly without hesitation and face to face.
14) Create a tracker for yourself to manage time and tasks.
15) Despite any disputes, give yourself a month's time and perform your duties/routine jobs with more dedication.
I am sure that if these little things are taken into consideration, they can make a big impact. People around will definitely notice the changes, and one will be out from the dirty politics. I have personally done this, and 80% of the time, I have succeeded. My boss is fine with me, and I can communicate better with him. Initially, I used to avoid him, but now I deal with him and try to work accordingly.
This breakdown is mostly dealt with by employees at the executive levels. I hope my experience will be a learning opportunity for many of us sailing in the same boat.
Thanks,
Shweta Jaitly