Loud Thinking

“If you will stay close to nature, to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable, those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable.”

— Rainer Maria Rilke

Reserve all judgment today. Go through your day focusing on finding the good in everybody you encounter.

“The wise do not buy into other people’s perceptions of who they are and what they are capable of. Instead, they bypass a person’s public persona and see who they are in their highest expression. When you see actions taken with integrity, instead of words only, you will then know a soul’s worth.”

—Shannon L. Alder
Author

THE MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY: Harvard Business Review

April 10, 2015

Make Office Politics Less Personal

One of the reasons office politics makes so many of us uneasy is that complex situations are difficult to read and impossible to control. When personalities and motivations intertwine, anything can happen. One tactic for handling office politics is to make its challenges less personal. If you begin to look at politics like a game – you win some, you lose some – you’ll become more resilient and have smarter responses when something takes you by surprise. If a situation starts to feel too personal, try to avoid looking your opponent in the eye. In many business situations eye contact is crucial, but in this case, averting your gaze can help you remain calm and avoid the fight-or-flight impulse that rises when you feel under attack. Keeping an even keel enables you to react more thoughtfully, offer productive suggestions, and regain control of the situation.

Adapted from “4 Strategies for Women Navigating Office Politics” by Kathryn Heath.