I would like to believe that most workplaces are free from politics and drama. However, even the best organizations suffer from some tension because of politics, drama, inertia, fear, and even intimidation. These issues are especially dangerous when new people join an organization, but they also affect the morale, performance, and staff retention of everyone in the organization.
If politics and drama exist in the best organizations, imagine how prevalent and harmful they are in organizations struggling underperformance and other issues.
I believe new people joining an organization are excited to start a new job. New hires are nervous, most are excited by the opportunity, they want to do a good job, they want a fresh start or to build on their past experiences, and they are outside of their comfort zone. All of these conditions make them vulnerable. Whether they stay or leave is largely dependent on how the organization through its people and leaders treat them and deal with the internal tidal forces that exist within that organization.
There is no single action an organization or individual can take; however, there are some basic principles that will help avoid stepping into politics, drama, and bullshit.
Learn about the politics and how things work in your workplace by watching, listening, and asking questions. Onboarding processes cover how things are supposed to work. Listen, consider, ask questions, listen some more, and watch how your co-workers and leaders interact to learn if there is a gap between what the organizational leaders say and believe, and what the staff believe. Like poker, listening and watching are better than making hasty judgments. Learning who to trust, who will repeat confidences, who is a “YES” person, who is toxic, and who the people are trying to make things better; all will become apparent with a little time and patience. Appreciate there is always a gap. If a new person is entering an evolving workplace, their trainers must ensure they understand what to expect. As a leadership team, avoid having toxic people who undermine the organization’s vision involved in training and/or influencing a new person.
For changing and evolving organizations, especially if change is happening rapidly, or new leadership is in place; unresolved drama and politics can result in fear, inertia, intimidation, toxicity, and frustration for new and existing staff. Leaders need to listen, anticipate, and respond by diffusing these feelings as soon as possible, failure to do so will result in people leaving for more stable environments. Hiring, training, and keeping people is a key organizational and leadership function and it is shared by everyone in an organization. The willingness and ability of existing staff to assist, mentor, and be consistent with the direction of the organization may just be the most important building block for new hires.
New associates mustn’t be made to feel they are “caught in the middle” without adequate monitoring and support. Even the strongest of personalities will struggle in these types of situations. Remember they want to contribute, to make a difference, but they do not want to feel abandoned or like a pariah to the others on staff.
While change is occurring, some existing people will feel entitled, they will fight change, and they are motivated by wanting to maintain the status quo and the existing pecking order amongst their co-workers. Managers who are unwilling to acknowledge and positively deal with this problem can be as large an issue as the people resisting the change. To successfully implement change, gaining “willing cooperation” is the best approach, although in rare situations, due to external pressure this may not always be possible. Effective leaders watch for passive and/or active resistance and deal with each problem individually with dignity and respect promptly. Effective leaders understand not everyone can or will accept change and some attrition will occur, sometimes for the good of the individual and/or the organization. Jobs and careers are not life sentences, effective leaders know people constantly come and go; that is simply what happens to businesses and organizations. However, failure to address negative people and situations can be perceived as a weakness by the staff looking for action and support, exacerbating an already negative situation.
Leaders, staff, and especially new people need to be aware of those self-appointed people who say they represent everyone’s opinions and/or resentment toward the direction of change. I have encountered these types of people in almost every organization I have worked in and very rarely do they actually represent anyone other than themselves. These people often use fear and intimidation to initiate and fuel resentment, turning against the need and ability of an organization to change. The phrase, “We have always done this …” is especially commonplace and is not a justification for anything. Just because something has always been done a certain way does not mean that is the best or only way to accomplish a goal. Critical thinking, open-mindedness, and awareness of personal biases are all important to help gain willing cooperation.
Leaders need to hold a mirror up to their own actions. Often ineffective managers complain about inertia, fearmongering, and rigidity amongst their “troublemakers,” and these same managers fail to recognize their own similar behaviors. It is easy for us to fall into an “us versus them” mindset; to be effective organizational leaders need to engage in collective thinking, build on strengths, minimize weaknesses, and try to make everyone in the organization better. Making consistent decisions based on fairness, allowing compromise where possible, recognizing their own rigidity, and allowing input where possible; all are ways to overcome drama, politics, and bullshit.
Everyone needs to appreciate the effects of peer pressure and the desire for new people to “fit into” a new organization. In a healthy organization, new associates are welcomed into a “team” environment, existing people help and nurture new hires, and leadership encourages and supports building and strengthening teamwork. In unhealthy organizations, new people sometimes have to choose between agreeing with management or fitting in with the people they work with, or having to leave. Too often they choose the latter because they feel caught between two extremes and they don’t need that kind of pressure or “bullshit;” and everyone loses.
Effective organizations help to allay fear and intimidation by doing many of the small tasks that encompass bringing a new person onto their team. They are clear in expectations beginning in the interview process, through the hiring process, and during initial onboarding, and this extends through their continuous ongoing training. Effective organizations spent the time and money to ensure a new person begins with all of the tools they need to become functional using a building block training method where the skills learned on “day 1” build in a logical process that expands as the new person learns and masters the initial skills. Effective organizations use mentorship and believe there are no such things as dumb questions, they anticipate new people will make mistakes and will need support and encouragement as they build their comfort zone. Effective organizations ensure new people are not isolated, and that they are surrounded by supportive and interested people, through training, breaks, and if possible, in social activities.
In effective organizations, everyone involved in training a new person understands the importance of their role in building the person and their organization. Everyone is conscious of the danger of gossip and undermining.
Perhaps the worst action that managers can be guilty of is underestimating the costs to their organization of drama, politics, and bullshit. Effective leaders do more than just manage, effective leaders are genuinely interested in all of their people, they listen, ask questions, and strive to be aware of the collective and individual tensions within their organization. They are not rigid micromanagers, they allow their people to grow and make decisions, they know that some drama and politics will appear; but they resolve those issues quickly, fairly, and consistently. These organizations are always training, evolving, growing, and new people are anxious to be part of what they are doing.
Dealing with organizational politics, drama, and bullshit is not complicated nor is there one simple solution. Helping new people avoid stepping into those situations is the sum of many small but purposeful action steps. Those action steps include anticipating drama, listening, prompt action, open-mindedness, and freedom from rigidity. New people will be happier and stay longer, existing people will be more willing to trust and engage in change, and your organization will be more successful.
Good luck,
Paul.