The Rules of Management, 4th Edition

RULE 90

Don’t play politics

Politicians are people paid to play politics. You are not. You are a manager. You manage situations and projects. The people don’t need managing. They manage themselves. Some of them go off the rails sometimes and play politics. You don’t have to play with them. That’s like playing on the rails. You’re bound to get hurt, bound to get run over by a train. Playing politics is using people to further your own ends, which, if you are playing politics properly, will be unpleasant, selfish, narrow-minded and petty. Playing politics invariably involves intimidating people, being sly, getting things done by lying or other dishonest means, not being yourself or true to others and generally behaving appallingly. There, I’ve ...