Let's get political...Protector

The Protector is a person who combines a negative attitude toward politics with a moderate level of activity. A constant conspiracy theorist, the Protector tries to predict the political moves of others and anticipates the worst-case scenario. Watch them in meetings, they will document everything. Who knows when they will need to dig through their copious records to find a single statement that was made in passing.

The perfect bureaucrat. The Protector can sit the fence with the best of them. We have seen them in the office; they are quick to support the boss' decision, but will make note of the specifics. These notes are where this person finds the protection. They comb through minutes for inaccuracy.

The best way to work with them is to get them to commit. Let their position be made known and entered into public record. They are typically sitting on the fence and should be pointedly asked to choose a side.

The Protector needs to discover their own political value. When they come to a deeper realization, their political attitude will become more positive. If left unchecked, the Protector will gain strength in become increasingly active. Increased activity with a negative attitude s very difficult to manage.

How would you deal with a Protector?

Let's get political...Cynic

The Cynic is a person who has a negative attitude toward office politics and manifests very little political activity. This person is the classic "avoider" type. They see people who play the game as slick performers and "yes men" who are shallow. The consistent doubter, the Cynic is known to have the best scoff in the office. They avoid risk and do nothing extra.

We all know the Cynic in our office. This is actually the most common political type. Think about it, the activity os generally low because all the Cynic has seen is the power of the negative. It is easier to scoff and sit back than to get involved.

There are ways to engage the Cynic and that is to listen for the scoff. That is the Cynic's mating call. They may not want to get involved behaviorally, but they do have an opinion. Listen for the scoff and then put them on the spot. As they Cynic is effectively engaged, they will move toward the right of the attitude side. They activity level may never pick up, but their attitude can be improved.

How do you deal with a political Cynic?

Let's get political...

According to our #55 ranking, Fresno is not as politically involved as some other cities in the United States. In an effort to continue get smarter, I've decided to write about office politics. A lot of information is based on the book Political Savvy, by Joel Delucca (you can find it on my Resources page).

I put an informal poll out to the twittosphere and on facebook asking people how they approach Office/Organizational Politics.

From Twitter:

KarmaKaze7 stay out of it as much as possible, people are sharks. they will try to get you into trouble too.
archop understanding subcultures and the group. And communication please.

mikeoz my advice: get some good headphones.

taptheflow Respect-primordial. Try to get along with everyone and not expose aspects of urself that could compromise u

SonicFoundation keep your pimp hand strong.

grrb absolutely no gossiping, and make it clear that you don't gossip. Treat people you like and detest exactly the same.

archop the worst part of #OfficePolitics is knowing your vote doesn't count.

archop believe it or not we actually have sanctioned popularity contests with prizes and all

From Facebook:

Jason Travis I flick boogars on peope who disagree with me.

Cindy Dunn Cautiously

Beth Bridges Well, to start with, I don't talk about my office politics on Facebook ;-)

Matthew Park Well Travis I am a fan of the up front cards on the table approach. I still believe what my Mom always said honesty is the best policy.

Annise Weaver Pay very close attention to how things flow. Don't ever react without thinking things through. Work closely to your supervisor if you have his/her trust. Note the hierarchy and seniority that is established. I can go on and on forever.

The overwhelming response seems to be either negative or an attitude to avoidance. Over the next few days I will indroduce y'all to nine different political styles. One of the reasons I left the military was because I was tired of "all the politics." I quickly realized that politics are everywhere. Avoiding them is not the healthiest approach, so I found it was best to learn how to identify and work with the various political types.

Activity & Attitude

The key factors in determining a person's political style is their attitude towards organizational politics and their level of political activity (or engagement). Many of the comments from the informal poll indicate a negative attitude and a high degree of avoidance.

Why do you think this is? Have people only seen political engagement in a negative light?

Good news, you are not helpless. As I rollout the various political styles, you will probably identify people in your area of influence. That should stimulate some good conversation here and around the water cooler.