As you work in an organization, you will gain seniority, develop internal contacts and networks within your field, become more adept at your work, and gain recognition for you efforts. You will also learn who is valued in the hierarchy, and who is not, who are popular and drive the social network, and who are excluded.
It is important to maintain good ties with everyone you work with, and to develop relationships with people based on your own interactions with them, rather than being influenced by others. If you do this, you can avoid getting caught up in office politics, with warring factions, subterfuge, jostling for position, and betrayals. If you are to have any position, it is of value to be seen as a neutral party, and to be able to mix with any work team or social group. If it threatens to become lonely at times not to be in a tightly knit group, find others of like mind, who see the advantages of being quietly non-partisan. You may become someone who is confided in by various parties, but again, be wary of being asked to take sides, or to be swayed to taking a stance you do not feel comfortable with. It is possible that people will manipulate you for their interests while claiming to work for yours. By acting as an occasional listening ear for different points of view, you will have a more objective view of the organization, and of the complexities of the different ways in which people conduct themselves at work. You will learn the ability to distance yourself from causes that distract from the workplace, and could de-motivate you.
While others may relate to others based on where they sit in the hierarchy, be aware that the structure could change, or that those with influence may not necessarily be the best positioned by outward appearances. Be aware that it may be counterintuitive to others to do this, but you can respect positions of authority that people hold without being unduly deferential or ascribing superior personal attributes to those in positions of power. This is not to say that those who have attained leadership positions do not merit these positions, but you will not be able to relate to those in these positions if you are overawed by them. Similarly, those in lower-level positions may have made choices not to progress for various reasons, or may yet seek to make and achieve a career move upwards. Pre-judging your colleagues based on the current circumstances will prevent you from making honest assessments of professional merit and character.
Be willing to learn from everyone, despite the work that people do or the roles that people have. Trust your instincts on who is trustworthy. Value and reinforce kindness in your colleagues more than professional competence or credentials, since kindness is what you will appreciate in times of crisis. Competence is what gets the work done, but a spirit of collegiality will ease the means by which people work.
Further, treating everyone the same will keep you humble, and without a sense of professional entitlement. It will guard you against developing the kind of professional ego that will hinder you in accepting constructive feedback or in dealing with setbacks. If you relate to colleagues without preferential treatment, you will encourage others to treat you the same, despite the position you hold. You will also be able to influence others to do the same, which allows people to be genuine, and to enjoy work at all levels of the organization, to have dignity without feelings of superiority or inferiority, both of which can be detrimental to workplace well-being and workplace morale.
It is an interesting effect, but presenting yourself with humility and graciousness while doing our work to the best of our ability will also have an effect that others will seek to recognize you, while those who seek recognition may discount themselves to others.
Finally, if you are to move up in the organization, this approach will give you credibility as a leader who takes others into consideration, which will not only ease your transition and progress upwards, but motivate others to follow your direction, without begrudging your success. You will also be aware not to abuse a position of power if you see others as individuals and as colleagues rather than as subordinates.
The more natural comfort you have in relating to others despite the hierarchy, the more that people, particularly more senior people, will see you as a peer, and as someone who they will be able to work with. Those in higher positions of authority will become peers, and you will be able to cultivate relationships with the next level. Those more senior to you will also appreciate those who they can relate to at another level in the organization, who will have a more operational perspective than their more strategic level. Being able to ‘speak truth to power’ requires confidence and conviction, but also the recognition that those in power appreciate a well-reasoned, substantiated truth communicated with organizational interests in mind.
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