Political Dilemmas at Work: How to Maintain Your Integrity and Further Your Career

The Political Bottom Line

Being the interim is not the fast track to success and status, just a great step along the way and an opportunity to develop and gain valuable experience. People will never treat us with the same respect as permanent jobholders, and we shouldn’t expect them to. We shouldn’t take their resistance and rejection too personally. Any rejection or push back is less about us and more about the nature of the temporary role we find ourselves in. Separating these ideas can help protect our esteem. It will be essential to network and consult with new peers to build trust and get the inside track if we are to avoid making a political mistake.

We must use the experience of power struggles and politicking to become savvier and stronger. Remember that being an interim is more of an opportunity to learn than to get the role permanently. It is a chance for us to be tested at the next level, without the pressure of immediate success. The permanent opportunity is probably close at hand—now that we are being offered interim positions—so get ready to apply what has been learned from your experience as the interim.