No, I'm not talking about the politics you hear on the news or the type talked about on the Hill. I'm talking about the politics that are found in every workplace across America (please let me know if you have discovered one without them and I will gladly apply!). The kind that forces you to decide to either play the game (which might get you ahead if you're lucky) or not play (which could easily be a career derailer). Politics like this have been taking over my world at work lately and I am overwhelmed with uncertainty of how to deal with them. Do I play the game or choose to sit on the sidelines?
For those of you who know me well, you know that I am not one who easily hides her true feelings. Friends and family know instantly when things aren't right with me because I have a hard time concealing the real Jill. Pretending to be someone or something that I'm not only causes me discomfort and at some point, the truth (usually accompanied by tears) will surface because I can't take it any longer. At work, I prefer to be myself, do my job to the best of my ability, and to get rewarded when I do the job well (which is all the the time of course!). Apparently, I was handed the wrong instructions to the game when I joined the team, because this is not how it works in the real world. Ironically, I remember taking a test my junior year of college, titled "How Political are You?" This was a test for fun that we took in my Organizational Behavior class at Pepperdine and I will never forget that I scored the lowest in the class on "politicalness." I didn't realize how that would impact my life at the time, but now reality is sinking in. Has this happened to any of you? How do you deal with this? I find it especially hard to be true to myself by following Christian principles and succeed at work at the same time. I welcome any of your thoughts or advice on the subject.
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3 comments:
i agree with your mom! i may love politics in the actual political realm... but i hate it at work and church. i know for you it would be hard not to be true to yourself, so i would resist trying to do so. God will always provide where you think you will be lacking. and we are here for you too!! love you jill!
I usually just ignore things until the issue becomes one of integrity or safety for my students. I don't know if that's playing the game. I like to think I can be a fierce bear mom when it comes to my students. Everything else that I wanted to say was taken already. :-)
I must admit...although I love my job and I am richly blessed by it, I will never forget what my first boss at ACU told me, "Darren, watch what you say and who you say it to. There are people in this area who will stab you in the back." I wonder sometimes about who she meant. The fact that she left the university fairly soon after that and then her assistant "left" soon after that makes me think that something was shady in that office. Sometimes this political game wears me out too. Since I am the new kid on the block I feel like everything I do or say will have an affect on my future here with the university. Yesterday, I sat at a table with three vice presidents at a luncheon. Talk about cotton mouth and sweaty palms. I had nothing to say to these men. Nor did I really want to. My perception of these higher administration types is that they are so far removed from the students that they forget that everything we do is about and for the students. I really dislike that. Anyway, I ramble too much... all this to say, Jill, I know how you feel.
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