Office Politics

6 ways to ruin your political network

November 10, 2021
Avoid these 6 obstacles to sustaining alliances.

Disagree without starting a fight

January 27, 2021
Meetings shouldn’t be battlegrounds, but that doesn’t mean you should never disagree with anyone for the sake of harmony. The trick is to make your point with tact. Here’s how to disagree without getting disagreeable.

6 tips to get out of a challenging meeting moment

November 19, 2018
What do you do when you are suddenly ambushed in a meeting and things begin to go south? Don’t get frustrated. Instead, try this.

Do me a solid?

November 10, 2017
Your request for a favor should never assume that the request itself is a hassle. The way you ask is often the hassle.

Badmouth colleagues at your own peril

December 15, 2016
Q: A top executive here told me, “Don’t trust Jim. Everyone knows he’s a liar.” Jim is one of our senior executives. I would never trust Jim; I figured that out years ago! I’m more concerned that the executive felt a need to badmouth Jim, his peer. Am I wrong to think less of the guy who said this?

Smart ways to excel at small talk

March 16, 2016
To mingle with strangers, start by seeing yourself as a marvelous host. Your job: to bring others into an engaging conversation.

Avoid using the dreaded ‘TLDR’

September 21, 2014
When an employee sends a long email with many points, don’t respond with OK—or, God forefend, TLDR.

Do staffers welcome your questions?

September 20, 2014

When a technology manager at Goldman Sachs moved to HR, questioning her staff was suddenly labeled as “interrogating.” Why?

Should I ‘friend’ my employees?

April 9, 2013
Research has begun about social media in the workplace with mixed findings. For you, the question is: Should I “friend” my employees on Facebook?

Could they be lying to you?

November 8, 2010

That colleague looking into your eyes intently as he answers your questions may be telling you a fib. Pamela Meyer, author of Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception, says to look for these common tip-offs that someone is lying: