T.I.P.S. - To Improve Pay and Success
Office Politics
"Women must build a power base from which a woman’s career strategy can take her to the top. All too often, women avoid the politics and power struggles necessary to take them to the top." Yes, we are more likely to avoid the politics of a corporation. That’s because so many of us don’t think politics should be a part of the atmosphere. Of course, many men find politics of the office creepy, too. But they are far more likely to accept it, work within it, or get out. We want to believe that if we just hang around long enough, things will be done in a fair, sane way. Positions and promotions will be based on qualifications alone. Not only that, we define qualified as "already done that successfully" while our male counterparts define qualified as "having the potential." The sad thing is that many women could have just as much political power as someone else, but we refuse to cash in our chips. If we have done something noteworthy, we expect our accomplishment to speak for itself. We are far less likely to call attention to ourselves, let alone ask for more pay, a new position, or the political favor of someone in power. Again, because we don’t think decisions should be made that way, we refuse to play the game. Shouldn’t business just be a bunch of honest people doing their best? What’s with the power issues and politics? We must recognize that office politics are at play, and accept it. Only then can we recognize ways to make it work in our favor. Awareness is the first step. Small adjustments make a big difference.
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This site is for working women everywhere, to help improve their
success, pay, and self-confidence.
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Many of my tips are inspired by the writings
of others. This week’s
tip is a comment on the advice given by Catalyst, a research organization
that focuses on women’s issues.