The Rant. It was overdue, surely?

So.  This would be the rant, it's been festering like a nasty bite from a horrible little bug.

The one thing that I hate most within offices is "office politics" - in my view, it simply has no place in a cohesive and modern working environment.  For the most part, I do manage to avoid it - partly by working remotely and partly because I just don't rise to it.  That's the lesson today, if anything, avoid office politics like the plague.

The worst kind seems to be when you are getting stuck in the middle of something, something that you are not entirely privy to and yet you have on your plate to deal with.  The mature thing would be to just forget about it and move on, but I'm a stubborn type and like to dig and dig until I have uncovered everything I can.  It's probably one of my greatest and weakest attributes in one.

It would be great if we could all work in an environment that excludes this type of politics, where everyone is almost equal (clearly, not everyone will be always be equal, but I have seen companies that try really hard to emulate this, to some degree of success).  Imagine not having to second guess things? You would be free to focus and not wonder what people are really playing at, what are the end goals of your colleagues or superiors?  My wife informs me quite often, that's normal for an office.  Offices are essentially full of bitchy people that like to whine and moan, then go home and repeat the next day.  In some ways, I have been lucky to avoid that so far in my career.

As a sales person, it's important to focus on the positives, and to a degree just ignore and phase out the negatives - they don't help you sell.  However, there is a point where those negatives prevent you selling, and that's just bad for business.  You won't perform to your full potential.

Thats the point where the drawing board needs to come down, and everyone needs to hash it out.  I like to think of it as an imaginary boxing ring.

Next time you find yourself in the position where you are angry at work, or feel frustrated by management, don't be afraid to set the ring and go a few rounds.  Honesty goes a long way - if your employer is worth anything, they will find this refreshing and will engage with you.  You should be able to walk away knowing your employers care for your opinion (they may disagree with you of course) and you both walk away wiser and more prepared to do well the next day.

Clearing the air is the best way to resolve these office politics - otherwise they fester and ruin a perfectly good "thing".