“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies. ”

— Groucho Marx

It’s an election year. The jokes are in. But anyone in leadership knows that politics isn’t limited to a class of people, and it is rarely humorous. There will be blood.

Often, the CIO has risen from technology ranks. Political savvy wasn’t part of the curriculum or the apprenticeship. Office politics enlists you quickly, and teaches you slowly.

I have discovered insights that have helped me, and I have needed it. I tend to confront challenges head-on. It usually results in a collision.

How do you master office politics, especially in times of change and crisis?

1. Engage in it, don’t avoid it.
   You are enlisted in a war you did not sign up for and cannot get out of. Office politics will find you. The rest of the insights that follow are rules of engagement.
2. Guard what has been entrusted to you.
   Be clear on the assignment and responsibilities given to you. They are your boundaries and guardrails. Though politics wants to draw you into ancillary matters, office politics isn’t a personality issue or popularity contest. This isn’t High School (but it feels like it at times). You have a job to do. Don’t get distracted. You still want the best grade possible, so make sure you are being graded on what matters.
3. Do it first.
   As a leader, you turn the tide. Know what issues your CEO and fellow C-Suites are encountering, and “do it to them first.” For example, the increase in remote work raises morale issues among the ranks. Who is encouraging the encouragers? You are. In times of crisis, C-Suites make adjustments. They are going to take technology into consideration. Get there before they ask.
4. Be generous.
   Playing off of the last point, keeping peace is a tightrope not a tug-of-war. Serve all, and serve well. You don’t select sides, you serve sides. Your value is your victory.
5. Watch your language.
   Gossip about you doesn’t kill you; gossip from you will. You can’t talk your way out of trouble, but you can talk your way into it.
6. Every victory is a shared victory; every mistake is a learning lesson.
   You want to keep your successes and progress in front of people. When describing a win, always refer to the contribution someone on your team made to it. When describing a setback, “we all learned some things (you don’t take the blame), but in particular, I learned…(you do take responsibility).”
7. Know the fear, and lead the way in alleviating it.
   Fear interferes. People revert to the poorer version of their self when fear has them in their grip. A person’s brain only has space for love or fear. Love is optimistic and selfless; fear is pessimistic and self-centered. Love in work takes on many forms: energy, challenge, hard-work, altruism, advocacy. Fear is the fuel that drives the political: maneuvering, masking, blaming, and isolating. Find what is driving fear, whether to your report, your peers or your team, and be part of the solution. This is how you divide and conquer. You may not be able to alleviate the fear of a crowd, but you can alleviate the fear of a person, one at a time. That way, you are not grouped in as part of their fear.

We tend to think of leadership in terms of bigger pictures and greater masses. But in the “office”, you win at the personal level to come out on top at a political level.