Secrets to Winning at Office Politics

The title of Chapter One in Secrets to Winning at Office Politics says it all, "Politics is not a dirty word." Office politics has always had a negative connotation but in reality it has just taken a bad rap. Secrets reminds us that office politics is simply the reality of relationships and Dr. Marie McIntyre shows us all how to play the game - honestly, ethically and successfully. McIntyre uses real life examples from her experience working for a Fortune 500 company and her consulting business to give the reader an excellent view of the real world at the office. Her straightforward yet entertaining style is refreshing and her practical advice and self-assessment questions and surveys make the book a gem. Secrets lays out in very practical and anecdotal style how one can succeed simply by understanding the unwritten rules of working with and for someone. What is unique about the book is the openness with which the subject is discussed - the real life examples are those we can all relate to as an employee, a boss, a parent, a teacher or a friend. It provokes a kind of self-evaluation that some people never seriously consider. Give this book to every high school or college graduate you know! If you are the boss, read it, and then encourage your employees to do the same. It's a keeper.

One of the best things about the book is that it's not boring! Refreshingly blunt and full of practical information, the book is clearly and concisely written, and easily understood. It's interesting because it uses many great anecdotes and real life examples we can all relate to. I saw myself and some co-workers in many of the examples. The book is useful because it helps you recognize and relate to certain situations and behaviors, and then explains how to fix them by offering the reader alternative viewpoints and constructive behaviors. It's like the wise mentor we all wish we had. Maybe Office Dynamics would be a better term than Office Politics, but either way, it's really about "Personal workplace psychology." I especially appreciated the book because it made me realize that I'm not the only one who's either done stupid things, worked with difficult people, or worked in a unprofessional environment. I can't imagine a good MBA program that doesn't include this as part of the required reading list. I read it cover-to-cover, and I plan on reading it again in about a year.

This little book surprised me. I didn't expect much from it. The title was kinda a turn-off for me. I decided to read it anyway to see whether I was wrong. Didn't like the beginning or the HR background of the author, but continued reading. Then I discovered that the book is quite good and useful. Much better than I had expected. The book consists of three parts: (1) Mastering the fundamentals, (2) Avoiding political pitfalls, and (3) How to become a winner. The first part provides the basics which the rest of the book builds on. It starts by defining politics as influencing people to achieve something and explains that this will happen in any organization. Also, influencing other people is not necessarily bad hence politics is not necessarily bad. If you want to improve your impact to an organizations, then it is useful to see politics and know how to play them. Politics is about power, friends, allies, and adversaries. Seeing where the power is and who is what related to you and each other is the key to increasing your influence towards an organization. The second part explores common political patterns in organization. The first chapter defines different political games... which were typical scenarios that happen within organizations. I enjoyed these games as they were very recognizable (for me, at least). The next chapter explores what happens in organizations when you don't have a political sense, what behavior will make you less influential in the organization. Last chapter explores who is in power and why. The third part is the action part of the book. Considering the fundamentals and ability to recognize patterns, what can you do to increase your influence to the organization. The part ends with the typical 'action' chapter of building an action plan for improving your political influence. The book was well written. It contained a lot of stories and many of the scenario's were recognizable. The book tries to help you improve your political skill but not in a negative way. Often politics is interpreted negatively but as the author repeatedly points out, people of gain power by producing results. The book helped me understand certain situations better and gave me new tools to use within organizations. I'd recommend this book for anyone who is trying to influence large organizations. Useful, concrete but not creating huge new insights, so I'll rate it 4 stars.

I thought work is just get work done. As for office politics, as long as I'm nice and have good intention, there shouldn't be any problem, but that's not the reality. We need to accept the complexity. This book is a guide.

This book was very enlightening as to the both obvious and not so obvious dynamics of office place politics. The text was filled with profundity as I realized I had been thinking these exact same concepts but could not put into words until I read this book. It not only dissects the science of it but also gives character examples to help support it. It explains both how to set yourself up for success and get noticed, as well as how to ruin your name in the workplace. This was well worth the money; lots of underlining.

The ideas in this book are helpful when you're wanting to learn about how the nastiness of office politics functions. However, I don't think it should be used by itself. There are good people out there who don't work by these codes, and it's not fair of us to treat them thus.

Very helpful book. I wish I read this years ago. Full of practical and useful advice. Some of these things I learned on my own but it would have been helpful To have this book in my hands before I made my mistakes.

Relative and practical information for maneuvering through office politics. Helpful onsite

I underlined so many parts of the book that I started reading it again the moment I finished the first round. Clear, practical and quite philosophical on top of the core of useful occupational psychological principles.

This book has many great insights and helpful tip on surviving workplace. Many of the examples are very relatable. It’s definitely not a case of one time read and you will learn everything, recommend to read it several times to really absorb the information

C'est un excellent livre. Ceci devrait être une lecture obligatoire à l'université. Elle explique vraiment comment avoir une vie intéressante au travail.

Great book to learn about office politics with shelf assessments and real life cases, highly recommended for those that have opportunities in office politics

Loved it. Full,of outstanding practical info. I recommend this to anybody who has an interest in the real dynamics of office life and not just the idealistic "management speak" world which does not really exist.