Democracy in the Modern Era

I spent years in deep denial about office politics. I flatly refused to believe it was necessary to “play” politics in order to succeed. And – with a symbolic if not actual stamp of my foot – if it was necessary, then I’d sacrifice my career on the altar of my disdain!Many people confound themselves [...]

The four keys to Spanish politics.Hi! I’ve been living in Spain for almost twenty years. My wife is Spanish, my colleagues are Spanish, my customers are Spanish and by businesses are Spanish. Over these years I think I’ve learned quite a bit about “being Spanish”.If you want to get into the under-exploited fast-growing Spanish market, [...]

Office politics is a subject much maligned by people who ironically need to understand it the most. They denounce it, boast that they never engage in it and then proclaim themselves victims when they run awry of it.? Like in Aesop’s fables, where the beast invariably hurts those who naively fail to take into account [...]

At one time or another, we have been warned to stay out of office politics-it can be the ruin of a promising career! It is an old warning with a lot of tradition to support it.Company politics has seen its evil days, but the day when close-knit groups resented each other in general and all [...]

When we join a new company, we’re all hoping for a fresh start and clean slate. The last thing we want is to get embroiled in political intrigue, regardless of how petty it might seem. Most of us just want to do our work and move along with our lives. Even if this were so, [...]

When it comes to dealing with literal office politics between employees, two perfect cliches spring to mind. The first is ‘silence is golden’; essentially, it is mostly easier for all concerned if politics is never discussed between you and your colleagues – the potential for argument and resentment is simply too great. If, however, the [...]

As we enter yet another Presidential election season, the politics of “change” have taken center stage (which they always do after eight years of any President). Both candidates are scurrying about trying to present a strong image of change. There is a lesson that we as salespeople can learn from this Presidential election.As salespeople, we [...]

Lets face it, there are always going to be politics at the office and the best thing you can do is to learn how to play the game. Here are our ten tips to help you win at office politics and still gain other colleagues respect.1. Emotional intelligence – Work with emotional intelligence. Do not [...]

In almost every working environment we are faced with office politics. It seems to find a way of involving us and usually not by choice. The key to coping with these circumstances without crossing any ethical boundaries is to first and foremost decide what is of importance to you- the short term chance of promotion [...]

A reader suggested recently that some of my articles should be submitted to Digg, an online website where readers submit and vote for newsworthy and interesting pieces. The advice was flattering, and indeed it seems that some of what is said here is by all accounts of interest to a broad spectrum of readers, but [...]