Checkmate Office Politics

Office politics--the phrase usually invokes negative images, such as blaming, backstabbing, favouritism, resentment and jealousy. Like it or loathe it, professional success is not merely dependent on merit; being able to read people and their motives is what keeps one ahead. A large part of success in the corporate journey is defined by progress and getting the credit for it; some people excel at it, while others do not. How can you then navigate the corporate corridors without playing dirty?Checkmate Office Politics confronts workplace dynamics head-on and explains the factors that influence it. Drawing on her unparalleled experience as an international facilitator and executive coach, Bhavna Dalal invites you to understand the political machinery by offering extensive, simple, practical advice to help navigate workplace politics effectively and grow in your career without compromising your ideals.

Designed to be used by workers at all levels, this innovative new book addresses both the positive and negative aspects of office politics.

Checkmate is a story that reveals the frailties in every relationship whether personal or professional. We may live civility in society but our world is more dangerous than the jungle of prey and predators. As pillagers ourselves we constantly engage in a purge by intimidation, stealthily stalking, stealing and marauding. We become both the hunter and hunted in an intractable game of chess in life. In this ode, Aarvan, the main protagonist gets entrapped by the very people that is his own blood and close friends. The travesty of life is truly an antithesis of what in reality it actually is. Even forgiving is a victim on its own. Life is only one in its true avatar. We just get caught up in the cosmic karma of vicious cycle where redemption is only a notion.

The Office Politics Handbook is for business executives, managers, consultants, lawyers, agents, editors, and anyone who wants to become more politically astute, more powerful, and more successful. This is not a book on political game playing; it is for people who hate power games but who know that politics takes place in every organization and want to make sure they wind up on top of the heap...not at the bottom of the barrel. This book will explain why people are political animals, and why they engage in power-seeking behavior. It will also discuss different instruments of power to help you understand the cultural and collective forces at work in human nature, and the occasionally aggressive characteristics of the political animal. The Office Politics Handbook will show you how to: Cultivate your political skill Exercise power beyond your place in the organizational chart Defend yourself against political attacks Know when to fight, when to retreat, and when to lead

The dot.coms have all gone bust. Corporations are laying off workers by the thousands. The economy is in its worst state in nearly thirty years. Congratulations, you've just graduated from college, what are you going to do next? Finding a job after college has never been easy, but the 21st century has brought with it many new challenges. Thankfully, author Elycia Arendt has penned the first shockingly realistic guide to finding and surviving your first job. Written by a recent college graduate, The College Grad's Guide to Purgatory is filled with every dirty little secret college career centers never wanted students to hear. Arendt dispels the myths fed to college students, such as the importance of their major. The book details where to find a job, how to apply, interviewing tactics, accepting or declining an offer, and finally, how to survive your first job. Candid, irreverent, and timely, The College Grad's Guide to Purgatory is the ultimate guide to post-collegiate life.

Get Ahead, Gain Influence, Get What You Want Office politics are an unavoidable fact of life in every workplace. To accomplish your personal and business goals, you must learn to successfully play the political game in your organization. Whether you are a new player or a seasoned veteran, Secrets to Winning at Office Politics can help you increase your personal power without compromising your integrity or taking advantage of others. This smart, practical guide shows you how to stop wasting energy on things you can't change and start taking steps to get what you want. Written by an organizational psychologist and corporate consultant, Marie G. McIntyre's Secrets to Winning at Office Politics uses real-life examples of political winners and losers to illustrate the behaviors that contribute to success or failure at work. You will be shown techniques for managing your boss more effectively, improving your influence skills, changing the way you are perceived, and dealing with difficult people. Using these proven strategies for political success, you will then be able to create a Political Game Plan that outlines the steps necessary to accomplish your own individual goals.

"If you sincerely want to enhance your 'comfort' when involved with others, especially in your work setting, The Office Politics Handbook is a must read." --Bernice Bass de Martinez, PhD, California State University, Sacramento "Regardless of the size of your organization or your position in it, The Office Politics Handbook provides useful insights about the inevitable reality of organizational politics and how to not only survive but succeed. This is a resource for individuals, as well as mentors and executive coaches who are seeking a framework to dialogue and problem-solve with their clients on how to overcome career hurdles." --Shirley J. Daniel, Ph.D., Director, Pacific Asian Management Institute, University of Hawai'i at Manoa The Office Politics Handbook is for business executives, managers, consultants, lawyers, agents, editors, and anyone who wants to become more politically astute, more powerful, and more successful. This is not a book on political game playing; it is for people who hate power games but who know that politics takes place in every organization and want to make sure they wind up on top of the heap…not at the bottom of the barrel. This book will explain why people are political animals, and why they engage in power-seeking behavior. It will also discuss different instruments of power to help you understand the cultural and collective forces at work in human nature, and the occasionally aggressive characteristics of the political animal. The Office Politics Handbook will show you how to: Cultivate your political skill Exercise power beyond your place in the organizational chart Defend yourself against political attacks Know when to fight, when to retreat, and when to lead

Tired of swimming with the sharks? Fed up with that big ape down the hall? Real animals can teach us better ways to thrive in the workplace jungle. You’re ambitious and want to get ahead, but what’s the best way to do it? Become the biggest, baddest predator? The proverbial 800-pound gorilla? Or does nature teach you to be more subtle and sophisticated? Richard Conniff, the acclaimed author of The Natural History of the Rich, has survived savage beasts in the workplace jungle, where he hooted and preened in the corner office as a publishing executive. He’s also spent time studying how animals operate in the real jungles of the Amazon and the African bush. What he shows in The Ape in the Corner Office is that nature built you to be nice. Doing favors, grooming coworkers with kind words, building coalitions—these tools for getting ahead come straight from the jungle. The stereotypical Darwinian hard-charger supposedly thinks only about accumulating resources. But highly effective apes know it’s often smarter to give them away. That doesn’t mean it’s a peaceable kingdom out there, however. Conniff shows that you can become more effective by understanding how other species negotiate the tricky balance between conflict and cooperation. Conniff quotes one biologist on a chimpanzee’s obsession with rank: “His attempts to maintain and achieve alpha status are cunning, persistent, energetic, and time-consuming. They affect whom he travels with, whom he grooms, where he glances, how often he scratches, where he goes, what times he gets up in the morning.” Sound familiar? It’s the same behavior you can find written up in any issue of BusinessWeek or The Wall Street Journal. The Ape in the Corner Office connects with the day-to-day of the workplace because it helps explain what people are really concerned about: How come he got the wing chair with the gold trim? How can I survive as that big ape’s subordinate without becoming a spineless yes-man? Why does being a lone wolf mean being a loser? And, yes, why is it that jerks seem to prosper—at least in the short run? Also available as a Random House AudioBook and an eBook