A few days ago, I was talking to someone about wisdom, and two things really struck me from that conversation. First, a wise person is teachable. He or she doesn’t feel the need to have all the answers and doesn’t feel the need to “fake it” instead of saying “I don’t know.” Second, a wise person stays above the politics of the office. That may seem impossible, but it’s usually not. Something important came up in that conversation. When you “play politics” in the office, people eventually figure out what you’re doing, and you lose all trust that people have in you. On the other hand, if you refuse to politic, you may be inconvenienced at times, but long-term, you’ll maintain that trust because you are above that maneuvering. Try it, but remember, you have to think in terms of long-term rewards, not short-term gains.
Filed under: Office Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged: authenticity at work, Business Wisdom, Office Politics, organizational learning, Trust in the Workplace
