ii. surviving office politics in a christian’s way gcf retreat workshop 1 may 2004

II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s Way

GCF Retreat Workshop1 May 2004

II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004

A Warm-up Question A sister in your company has been

designated to succeed a top dog, but she worries about your ability to survive the power play.

She’s seeking your counsel, what would you advise her ?


Lessons from real cases IIThe clues for survivalThe key to successLessons from real cases IIIThe humility of serviceThe road to sanctityReferences

Outline


Lessons from real cases II Source of wisdom


Case 1Shortly after your new boss has come

into play, he receives an anonymous letter complaining your partiality towards some staff. He shows the letter to you,

what would you do ?


Case 2 When your boss subtly put his boy into

your team,

what would you do ?


Case 3 When an important project fails, everybody

is passing the buck and making you a scapegoat.

What would you do ?


Case 4 When your boss tries to make you an

accomplice against company’s tendering procedure, you know if you reject it he will make your life hell & ruin your career.

What would you do ?


To fight or to flight, you need to calculate…

Standard

Self Situation

What are the biblical & ethical norms ?

Do you get the power you need ? Are your guts up ?

After all,be accountable

for your decision ! What’s on stage ? What’s behind the scene ?



Outline


The clues for survival :Master the art of

invisibility


Strategies for survival

I. Be in the crowd, but not of the crowdII. Make your boss look goodIII. Detach from blame & creditIV. Keep your P/E low


Strategy I :Be in the crowd but not of the

crowd


At these words the whole audience was filled with indignation.

They rose up and expelled him from the town, leading to the brow of the hill and intending to hurl him over the edge.

But he went away through their midst and walked away.

- Luke 4:28-30 -

The mob


Pilate said to the Jews, “Behold, your King !“They therefore cried out, “Away with Him,

away with Him, crucify Him !”Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your

King ?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king

but Caesar.”So he then delivered Him to them to be

crucified.

- John 19:14-16 -

The idol, the victim and the mob


Strategy I :Be in the crowd but not of the

crowd Be corporate chameleon – blend into the mob but closely observe its movementDwell in the shadow of others Beware of insult by omissionAvoid attaching to celebrity or becoming a group’s idol / a scapegoatRemember, all scapegoats start by being different


Strategy II : Make your boss look good


I don’t want any yes-men around me. I want everyone to tell me the truth even if it costs them their jobs.

- Samuel Goldwyn -

The boss


Rule # 1 : The boss is always right.

Rule # 2 : If the boss is wrong, please refer to rule # 1.

The golden rules


Strategy II : Make your boss look good

Never go around your bossTell him what he wants to hear, even when he claims that he wants dissenting viewsIf he wants something dropped, drop itBe sensitive to his wishes so that you anticipate what he wantsDon’t report something that he doesn’t want reported, but cover it up. Do what your job requires, and keep your mouth shut

- Robert Jackall, Moral Mazes : The World of Corporate Managers -


Strategy III : Detach from blame & credit


God asked, “Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat ?”

Adam replied, “It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

Then God asked the woman, “What is this you have done ?”

The woman replied, “The serpent tempted me and I ate.”

- Gen 3:11-13 -

The blame


"There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there."

- Indira Gandhi -

The credit


The blame and the credit The seven phases of a project

1. Enthusiasm2. Illusion of progress3. Panic 4. Disillusionment5. Search for the guilty 6. Punishment of the innocent7. Praise / honors for the non-participants


Strategy III : Detach from blame & credit Accept blame (for others) in small ways; it tends to inspire loyaltyPractice creative incompetenceAvoid winning battles but losing the warDon’t get caught in the clash of TitansShare credit & win yourselves friendsRemember, blame follows credit


Strategy IV :Keep your P/E low


Political price-earnings ratio

Politician(~IPO w/ no earnings)

CEO (~expensive growth stocks)

Bureaucrat(~widow & orphan stocks)

Worker(~value stocks)

Visibility

High

Low

UtilityLow High


Buy a stock with a boring nameBuy a stock that does something boringBuy a stock that is boring and disagreeable at the same time

Peter Lynch’s Rules


In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence.

The Peter Principle


Strategy IV :Keep your P/E low

Be “the worker” – low visibility, high utilityTrade higher security for lower pay Peter Lynch’s Rules – “boring” can be a hidden assetAvoid the Peter PrincipleRemember, low risk low return


The ethics of survival Work is a curse, filled with conflict of interests; therefore, our obsession is with security

Should security be our ultimate value ?Should low P/E compromise ROI (Return on Investment) (God’s given talents, resources, opportunities…) ?

Possible conflict between obedience to our boss and obedience to our values

How far are we willing to stretch our integrity in order to survive ? Without our integrity, who is it that survives ?


The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of the light.

Use Money, tainted as it is, to win yourselves friends, and thus make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you into the tents of eternity.

- Luke 16:8, 9 -

The parable of dishonest steward



Outline


The key to success :Focus on your goal


Strategies for success

I. Bank on your competencyII. Play positiveIII. Confront the darknessIV. Detach from your enemies


His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.”

- Matthew 25:21, 23 -

The parable of talents


What is success ?

What do I want ?The true measure of success is achieving your own goal, not someone else’s


Strategy I :Bank on your competency

Know what you’re good atDo what you’re passionate & you’ll do it wellSet your goal and focus on itDon’t borrow other peoples’ desires and goalsMake things happenDeliver what you advertiseBe “the CEO” and yield high ROIRemember, high risk high return


Strategy II :Play positive

1. Know the big picture2. Volunteer for special tasks3. Dare to be different 4. Ally with right people5. Collaborate with peers6. Tell the truth7. Be professional8. Choose your battles 9. Have fun


Strategy III :Confront the darkness

Aware & beware of the 48 laws of power (Appendix 2)

Political problems are primary and technical problems are secondaryWhen it isn’t broke, don’t fix itWhen in Rome do as the RomansBe in the office, but not of the officeKnow when to hold and when to foldRemember, be as formless as possible


The 48 laws of power 1. Never outshine the master 9. Win through your actions, never

through arguments

2. Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies

10. Infection. Avoid the unhappy & the unlucky

3. Conceal your intentions 11. Learn to keep people dependent on you

4. Always say less than necessary 12. Use selective honesty & generosity to disarm your victim

5. So much depends on reputation, guard it with your life

13. When asking for help, appeal to people’s self-interest, never their mercy

6. Court attention at all cost 14. Pose as a friend, work as a spy

7. Get others to do the work, but always take the credit

15. Crush your enemy totally

8. Make other people come to you – use bait if necessary

16. Use absence to increase respect and honor


The 48 laws of power 17. Keep others in suspended terror. Cultivate an air of unpredictability

25. Re-create yourself

18. Do not build fortresses to protect yourself – isolation is dangerous

26. Keep your hands clean

19. Know who you’re dealing with – do not offend the wrong person

27. Play on people’s need to believe to create a cultlike following

20. Do not commit to anyone 28. Enter actions with boldness

21. Play a sucker to catch a sucker – seem dumber than your mark

29. Plan all the way to the end

22. Use surrender tactic : Transform weakness into power

30. Make your accomplishments seem effortless

23. Concentrate your forces 31. Control the options : Get others to play the cards you deal

24. Play the perfect courtier 32. Play to people’s fantasies


The 48 laws of power 33. Discover each man’s thumbscrew 41. Avoid stepping into a great man’s

shoes

34. Be royal in your own fashion : Act like a king to be treated like one

42. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter

35. Master the art of timing 43. Work on the hearts and minds of the others

36. Disdain things you cannot have : Ignoring them is the best revenge

44. Disarm and infuriate with the mirror effect

37. Create compelling spectacles 45. Preach the need for change, but never reform too much at once

38. Think as you like but behave like others

46. Never appear too perfect

39. Stir up waters to catch fish 47. Do not go past the mark you aimed for; in victory, learn when to stop

40. Despise the free lunch 48. Assume formlessness


Don’t chase what your competitors have; focus on your ownLove yourself as your neighbors – you become what you hate so as to succeedBefriend your enemies & convert themThere are no real enemies, only paranoid projectionsRemember, the only real competitor is your own ego

Strategy IV : Detach from your enemies


The ethics of success Work is creative, playful self-expression and self-actualisation

Is self-actualisation our ultimate value ?

Our obsession is with winningFor whom & for what are we fighting ?

Possible conflict between defeating our rivals and protecting our values

Have your competitors disappeared ? If not, you have not achieved success

Your feedback / questions, please

ii. surviving office politics in a christian’s way gcf retreat workshop 1 may 2004

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