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II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s Way
GCF Retreat Workshop1 May 2004
Slide 2
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
A Warm-up Question A sister in your company has been
designated to succeed a top dog, but she worries about your ability to survive the power play.
She’s seeking your counsel, what would you advise her ?
Slide 3
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Lessons from real cases IIThe clues for survivalThe key to successLessons from real cases IIIThe humility of serviceThe road to sanctityReferences
Outline
Slide 4
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Lessons from real cases II Source of wisdom
Slide 5
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Case 1Shortly after your new boss has come
into play, he receives an anonymous letter complaining your partiality towards some staff. He shows the letter to you,
what would you do ?
Slide 6
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Case 2 When your boss subtly put his boy into
your team,
what would you do ?
Slide 7
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Case 3 When an important project fails, everybody
is passing the buck and making you a scapegoat.
What would you do ?
Slide 8
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Case 4 When your boss tries to make you an
accomplice against company’s tendering procedure, you know if you reject it he will make your life hell & ruin your career.
What would you do ?
Slide 9
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
To fight or to flight, you need to calculate…
Standard
Self Situation
What are the biblical & ethical norms ?
Do you get the power you need ? Are your guts up ?
After all,be accountable
for your decision ! What’s on stage ? What’s behind the scene ?
Slide 10
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Lessons from real cases IIThe clues for survivalThe key to successLessons from real cases IIIThe humility of serviceThe road to sanctityReferences
Outline
Slide 11
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
The clues for survival :Master the art of
invisibility
Slide 12
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Strategies for survival
I. Be in the crowd, but not of the crowdII. Make your boss look goodIII. Detach from blame & creditIV. Keep your P/E low
Slide 13
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Strategy I :Be in the crowd but not of the
crowd
Slide 14
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
At these words the whole audience was filled with indignation.
They rose up and expelled him from the town, leading to the brow of the hill and intending to hurl him over the edge.
But he went away through their midst and walked away.
- Luke 4:28-30 -
The mob
Slide 15
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Pilate said to the Jews, “Behold, your King !“They therefore cried out, “Away with Him,
away with Him, crucify Him !”Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your
King ?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king
but Caesar.”So he then delivered Him to them to be
crucified.
- John 19:14-16 -
The idol, the victim and the mob
Slide 16
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Strategy I :Be in the crowd but not of the
crowd Be corporate chameleon – blend into the mob but closely observe its movementDwell in the shadow of others Beware of insult by omissionAvoid attaching to celebrity or becoming a group’s idol / a scapegoatRemember, all scapegoats start by being different
Slide 17
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Strategy II : Make your boss look good
Slide 18
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
I don’t want any yes-men around me. I want everyone to tell me the truth even if it costs them their jobs.
- Samuel Goldwyn -
The boss
Slide 19
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Rule # 1 : The boss is always right.
Rule # 2 : If the boss is wrong, please refer to rule # 1.
The golden rules
Slide 20
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Strategy II : Make your boss look good
Never go around your bossTell him what he wants to hear, even when he claims that he wants dissenting viewsIf he wants something dropped, drop itBe sensitive to his wishes so that you anticipate what he wantsDon’t report something that he doesn’t want reported, but cover it up. Do what your job requires, and keep your mouth shut
- Robert Jackall, Moral Mazes : The World of Corporate Managers -
Slide 21
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Strategy III : Detach from blame & credit
Slide 22
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
God asked, “Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat ?”
Adam replied, “It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
Then God asked the woman, “What is this you have done ?”
The woman replied, “The serpent tempted me and I ate.”
- Gen 3:11-13 -
The blame
Slide 23
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
"There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there."
- Indira Gandhi -
The credit
Slide 24
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
The blame and the credit The seven phases of a project
1. Enthusiasm2. Illusion of progress3. Panic 4. Disillusionment5. Search for the guilty 6. Punishment of the innocent7. Praise / honors for the non-participants
Slide 25
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Strategy III : Detach from blame & credit Accept blame (for others) in small ways; it tends to inspire loyaltyPractice creative incompetenceAvoid winning battles but losing the warDon’t get caught in the clash of TitansShare credit & win yourselves friendsRemember, blame follows credit
Slide 26
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Strategy IV :Keep your P/E low
Slide 27
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Political price-earnings ratio
Politician(~IPO w/ no earnings)
CEO (~expensive growth stocks)
Bureaucrat(~widow & orphan stocks)
Worker(~value stocks)
Visibility
High
Low
UtilityLow High
Slide 28
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Buy a stock with a boring nameBuy a stock that does something boringBuy a stock that is boring and disagreeable at the same time
Peter Lynch’s Rules
Slide 29
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence.
The Peter Principle
Slide 30
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Strategy IV :Keep your P/E low
Be “the worker” – low visibility, high utilityTrade higher security for lower pay Peter Lynch’s Rules – “boring” can be a hidden assetAvoid the Peter PrincipleRemember, low risk low return
Slide 31
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
The ethics of survival Work is a curse, filled with conflict of interests; therefore, our obsession is with security
Should security be our ultimate value ?Should low P/E compromise ROI (Return on Investment) (God’s given talents, resources, opportunities…) ?
Possible conflict between obedience to our boss and obedience to our values
How far are we willing to stretch our integrity in order to survive ? Without our integrity, who is it that survives ?
Slide 32
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of the light.
Use Money, tainted as it is, to win yourselves friends, and thus make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you into the tents of eternity.
- Luke 16:8, 9 -
The parable of dishonest steward
Slide 33
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Lessons from real cases IIThe clues for survivalThe key to successLessons from real cases IIIThe humility of serviceThe road to sanctityReferences
Outline
Slide 34
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
The key to success :Focus on your goal
Slide 35
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Strategies for success
I. Bank on your competencyII. Play positiveIII. Confront the darknessIV. Detach from your enemies
Slide 36
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.”
- Matthew 25:21, 23 -
The parable of talents
Slide 37
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
What is success ?
What do I want ?The true measure of success is achieving your own goal, not someone else’s
Slide 38
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Strategy I :Bank on your competency
Know what you’re good atDo what you’re passionate & you’ll do it wellSet your goal and focus on itDon’t borrow other peoples’ desires and goalsMake things happenDeliver what you advertiseBe “the CEO” and yield high ROIRemember, high risk high return
Slide 39
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Strategy II :Play positive
1. Know the big picture2. Volunteer for special tasks3. Dare to be different 4. Ally with right people5. Collaborate with peers6. Tell the truth7. Be professional8. Choose your battles 9. Have fun
Slide 40
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Strategy III :Confront the darkness
Aware & beware of the 48 laws of power (Appendix 2)
Political problems are primary and technical problems are secondaryWhen it isn’t broke, don’t fix itWhen in Rome do as the RomansBe in the office, but not of the officeKnow when to hold and when to foldRemember, be as formless as possible
Slide 41
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
The 48 laws of power 1. Never outshine the master 9. Win through your actions, never
through arguments
2. Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies
10. Infection. Avoid the unhappy & the unlucky
3. Conceal your intentions 11. Learn to keep people dependent on you
4. Always say less than necessary 12. Use selective honesty & generosity to disarm your victim
5. So much depends on reputation, guard it with your life
13. When asking for help, appeal to people’s self-interest, never their mercy
6. Court attention at all cost 14. Pose as a friend, work as a spy
7. Get others to do the work, but always take the credit
15. Crush your enemy totally
8. Make other people come to you – use bait if necessary
16. Use absence to increase respect and honor
Slide 42
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
The 48 laws of power 17. Keep others in suspended terror. Cultivate an air of unpredictability
25. Re-create yourself
18. Do not build fortresses to protect yourself – isolation is dangerous
26. Keep your hands clean
19. Know who you’re dealing with – do not offend the wrong person
27. Play on people’s need to believe to create a cultlike following
20. Do not commit to anyone 28. Enter actions with boldness
21. Play a sucker to catch a sucker – seem dumber than your mark
29. Plan all the way to the end
22. Use surrender tactic : Transform weakness into power
30. Make your accomplishments seem effortless
23. Concentrate your forces 31. Control the options : Get others to play the cards you deal
24. Play the perfect courtier 32. Play to people’s fantasies
Slide 43
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
The 48 laws of power 33. Discover each man’s thumbscrew 41. Avoid stepping into a great man’s
shoes
34. Be royal in your own fashion : Act like a king to be treated like one
42. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter
35. Master the art of timing 43. Work on the hearts and minds of the others
36. Disdain things you cannot have : Ignoring them is the best revenge
44. Disarm and infuriate with the mirror effect
37. Create compelling spectacles 45. Preach the need for change, but never reform too much at once
38. Think as you like but behave like others
46. Never appear too perfect
39. Stir up waters to catch fish 47. Do not go past the mark you aimed for; in victory, learn when to stop
40. Despise the free lunch 48. Assume formlessness
Slide 44
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
Don’t chase what your competitors have; focus on your ownLove yourself as your neighbors – you become what you hate so as to succeedBefriend your enemies & convert themThere are no real enemies, only paranoid projectionsRemember, the only real competitor is your own ego
Strategy IV : Detach from your enemies
Slide 45
II. Surviving Office Politics In A Christian’s WayMay 2004
The ethics of success Work is creative, playful self-expression and self-actualisation
Is self-actualisation our ultimate value ?
Our obsession is with winningFor whom & for what are we fighting ?
Possible conflict between defeating our rivals and protecting our values
Have your competitors disappeared ? If not, you have not achieved success
Your feedback / questions, please