When I was a bright-eyed naïve graduate student at the school of social work, I believed that nonprofits were one way to get out of the politics that seemed to be everywhere in school, in school groups, with families, and just everywhere. At first, I held that belief for a long time. Well, not that long. My first internship was where I currently work. In fact, I never left (don’t know if that was good or bad, but hey, it’s work). I took everyone as being sweet and kind and here for the greater good. It may have not been until the end of that second or third month that I started to see the politics. I started to see how everyone made nice to the higher ups and then turned around and stabbed others in the back. I realized pretty darn quick that I was lucky to be an intern for my boss (yep, same boss too) and not for other people in the organization.
Since then, I learned which people I have to just suck up and deal with when they are being mean and rude. This would be the woman who is my boss’ Grace (as in Will and Grace because that is EXACTLY who they are, even all the touching and feelie stuff they do). I can’t cross this woman and if I do, she goes running to my boss in a heartbeat. I don’t like her much. I have to buy anything that she is selling because she will hold it against you. I have to let her take over MY meetings as she just runs her mouth on and on and on. Even my boss knows that she takes over the meetings and he doesn’t like it – but he lets it happen. She is Grace.
The other thing I realized is that although my boss always says to no to it, it matters to talk to the CEO and give him the update of what is going on with you. Maybe that is the one thing that I’m pretty good at. I’m here early in the morning when the CEO walks in and we usually talk. I give him the update of what’s going on with the computers and he seems to converse pretty darn well with me (when my boss thinks he is a completely stupid as dirt when it comes to computers). I think he is a visionary and he usually is out of touch with what’s going on with the company, but you can’t alienate this man – that’s like shooting yourself in your own foot. I’ve perfected this skill and it’s part of the politics that go on around here. Talking to the CEO about what is going on PRIOR to any upcoming meeting, it’s golden. Making the CEO know that you talk to two board members on a consist basis, that’s even more important.
I used to think that I hated the politics. I don’t particularly enjoy that they go on to the extent that they go on here, but I can see the patterns and I can see how to manipulate myself into a better standing. I guess if I was that naïve grade student from the school of social work, I probably would just sit back and observe the patterns. Now, I do whatever I can to manipulate the politics into a better air of feeling around my standing at the agency and how it impacts my job. I know exactly when to bend my boss’ ear and I know exactly what to tell the CEO and what not to tell the CEO. It’s a matter of sustaining myself in the organization. I think they also take notice that I can manage it and I’m thriving it in. Even my boss has said to me during numerous reviews that he finds my knowledge of what is going on with the agency very interesting and shows that I’m on the ball. I think that is his way of saying that he can identify that I know what the political climate is in the agency and I know how to manage it. Maybe that scares him a little. Maybe it should scare him a lot.
It still doesn’t mean I don’t hate the politics. I really really do. But just as awful as all those political ads on TV, it’s a way of life now and there is no way around it. Maybe in high school I couldn’t handle it. I hated when those in power would just throw their weight around. I just didn’t know to create incentives or how to manipulate the climate around thoughts. I definitely couldn’t handle it in college when all the dancers had all the power. But I think the school of social work did one for me – it taught me all of the skills I needed to become politically-savvy. Who knew that social work would do that?
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