How To Handle Power Play At Work

Drama does not stop the moment you leave school or college. At times, it tends to balloon to a bigger scale transforming into a power struggle in a corporate workspace. The tug of war of having more power over co workers or team members is easily one of the biggest problems employees tend to face in new work environments and small offices such as startups. In such instances, it is important for employees, managers and senior leadership to know how to handle and steer the power play at work. If you are facing any such issues at your workplace then this article is for you.

In this dog eats dog world, competition tends to become even more fierce when people’s livelihood is on the line. Right from day to day work to appraisals and promotions, power plays affects not just your position at work and your paycheck, but also the potential relationships and connections along with your overall reputation. For this purpose, acquiring the skills needed to respond to a power tripper is vital for anyone who wants to move their career forward as a leader.

The first step in handling power play situations at work is awareness. Recognizing who the power trippers are and what their end goal is would help you soften your knee jerk response during a delicate situation. Once you have recognized who in the office tends to play the power card, you can learn how to respond to them properly. In a do or die situation, being aware of and learning from these encounters against power players could potentially improve your personal effectiveness and give you the right tools to survive.

A lot of the time power acts as a more challenging motivator than incentives and rewards. Unfortunately, these power mongering workers tend to get the boss’ attention and are also encouraged by senior managers who see a personal advantage to promoting the employee’s status. In order to make yourself heard over the power tippers voice, understand how decisions are made in your company. Listen, watch and observe how the decisions are made and the role played by those in power. Get those in higher positions to listen to you by listening to what they have to say first.

While listening, watching, waiting and getting others involved are good strategies to face the power mongers at work, sometimes they might not be enough. Dealing with power hungry people is a delicate task that should be done with utmost precision. At times, like the old saying goes, it is better to keep your enemies closer with steely hooks. This way you would be prepared for every challenge thrown your way. Questioning their professional competence is another way to trip the power players at their own game.  Give them the opportunity to demonstrate their level of expertise in a polite manner. Without being confrontational, ask them to show how a difficult aspect of a certain project should be handled and how they would work on a difficult project. Power is not equivalent to talent so demonstrate with numbers and proof how someone in a senior position with power is hurting the bottom line of the company.

Politics and power play have, regrettably, become a norm in today’s corporate world. If you cross paths with one of many of such power hungry people remember to stay calm, alert and composed. Sometimes taking the high road would also let you cut out the noise and reach your goal faster! Power play may not be eradicated from the work life. However, it can be tamed.