Negative political behavior can include:

a) Backstabbing a colleague
b) Blackmailing a colleague
c) Forming malicious alliances against other colleagues
d) Gossiping or spreading rumors about others
e) Intentionally withholding important information

Positive political behavior

Although engaging in office politics is often a negative behavior, it is possible to engage in positive
political behavior. An example of positive political behavior is identifying and aligning yourself with key
influencers with the goal of leveraging their influence for career development without compromising
your values or that of the organization

Positive political behavior can include the following:

a) Volunteering
b) Presenting a professional image
c) Complimenting and recognizing others

As the employee count climbs, office politics become a necessary evil. Though it can be frustrating at the
time, office politics are necessary to keep order at large organizations. A clear hierarchy is necessary to
streamline tasks and ensure the right people stay informed when important decisions are being made.
It’s when office politics devolve into petty competition and one-upmanship that a problem develops.

1) steer clear of gossip

Gossip is often at the root of office drama. And as much as we may try not to, we’ve all done it.
We’re social creatures. It’s human nature to want to talk about what’s happening in our lives.
Total avoidance isn’t realistic. You’re going to hear things whether you want to or not. If you
recognize that the conversation veering toward a subject that should be off-limits, gently steer
the conversation to another subject. If that doesn’t work, calmly retract yourself from the
situation, and say you don’t feel comfortable discussing the issue.

2) seek out facts, not speculation

Facts are the antidote to office speculation. We only need to look as far as the recent fake news
epidemic to see how detrimental speculation and lies can be. Always ask yourself, ‘how do I
know this?’ If your only source of information is something a coworker told you or an
assumption, think twice about whether or not it’s true. If you’re not sure, ask for clarification. It
never hurt to have a better understanding of the situation.
3) choose your office friends wisely
You spend 8 hours a day with your coworkers. That’s probably more time than you spend with
most of your other friends combined. Developing friendships at work is imperative to enjoying
your work and being a healthy and productive member of the team. Just like friends outside of
your job, work friends should share your values, celebrate successes with you, and commiserate
when things go wrong. If the focus of your friendship is complaining or gossiping about others in
the office, be wary.

4) don’t let winning be your only priority

Office drama often revolves around one-upmanship. This kind of office culture can quickly
become toxic and lead to rivalries and office drama. While there’s nothing wrong with a little
friendly competition to boost your team’s overall output, if winning becomes the sole focus of
your workday, there’s the risk of creating a dangerous environment where everyone feels pitted
against one another rather than encouraged to work together.

5) stop holding grudges

Mistakes happen. If coworkers make critical errors they absolutely need to be dealt with.
However, that’s up to your manager to handle. Once the issue has been resolved, put it to bed
for good. Constantly reminding coworkers about that time they screwed up is unproductive. It
was discussed extensively at the time and he understands it wasn’t his finest hour. Bringing it up
repeatedly and holding it over his head adds nothing of value to the conversation. Instead of
dwelling on what went wrong or whose fault it was, focus on what can be improved going
forward.

6) when in doubt, give yourself (and others) breathing room

When you’re angry, upset or surprised, it’s all too easy to fire off a heated response that serves
no one, least of all you. Yes, it's unfair that your boss asked you to complete an unexpected
report by end of day when, ordinarily, it would take a week. Unfortunately for you, reacting
badly to the poorly handled request won’t make the report go away. Take a moment to step
back, breathe deeply, and respond like a mature professional. With a little distance, you’ll be
able to think rationally and respond in kind. If the deadline is truly impossible, explain why,
providing a calm, reasonable rationale rather than a pointed finger.

7) treat others the way you want to be treated

We all know the golden rule: treat others as you wish to be treat. Treat others with respect, and
they’re more likely to treat you with respect in return. Forming strong professional relationships
is all about creating an atmosphere where everyone is respectful and respected. Follow this rule,
and well, you’re golden.