78. Don't play politics

"If you're in a meeting and someone is playing politics, just say to them: "You're playing politics, come back when you feel better." Sir John Harvey-Jones, former managing director of ICI

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 said it now and 1 guess you know what I think of playing politics - it stinks.

You should love thy neighbour, but pick thy neighbourhood'. Try to hang out. with OK-people who don't feel the need to play politics.

Try to be involved with less popular projects because they attract less attention, less competition. Same goes for the less popular team or department. Here you can shine without having to compete all the time. Every company has people who get stuff done without back-stabbing. Hang out with these people.

Share information, always. This takes the wind out of the sails of those who do play politics. Be everyone's friend so no one can accuse you of being cliquey or stand-offish.

Although you aren't going to play, you still have to be on your guard - aware that playing politics goes on and be ready to deal with it in an appropriate way Watch out for the hidden agendas that go on, the concealing true motives, the smear campaigns, the lying, the gossip (often malicious), the hints and subtle nuances that you aren't up to scratch or speed, the jockeying for power and control, the whispering, that sort of thing. If you are fortunate you will encounter very little of it and any you do can be cut off sharpish. Some industries seem to breed that sort of bad behaviour and you will be hard pushed to stop it. Refuse to play, and get a reputation for being a straight-talking, unpolitical being - honest, above board, open, candid, guileless and straight­forward. Nothing complicated about you.

79. Don't slag off other managers

"It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes. But the half-wit remains a half-wit, and the emperor remains an emperor." Neil Gaiman and Marc Hempel, The Sandman: The Kindly Ones

Earlier we looked at how competition should spur you on, encourage you, and how you should never be frightened of it. We were talking about the competition of other industries, other organizations. But what of colleagues and other departments? Same goes. Don't be frightened of anyone or anything. If you are good at what you do, bold, creative, fast on your feet - as I am sure you are - then there is no need. If you refuse to engage in politics then you will be seen as honest and trustworthy You should never criticize, make inferences about, slag off, condemn, pass judgement on or whinge about your colleagues or people from other departments/divisions.

If you do, you will be seen as weak or a poor performer. Sure, others will, and will be seen to, profit from it at times. But do they sleep at night? Can they, hand on heart, swear they enjoy their job. or do they fear others stitching them up as they have stitched up others? I think not. I've worked with quite a few. They carp on about how good they are, how bad everyone else is, but they quake in their boots privately because deep down they know they aren't as good at their jobs as those whom they criticize. Just because someone points out your faults doesn't make you any less of an emperor, does it? And if you see another emperor with their new clothes there is no point in pointing it out to them that they have been fooled - no one will thank you.

I worked with one manager who would bang on incessantly about all the other managers and how bad they were. Interesting thing was every fault he pointed out, he was equally guilty of. We laughed because it was so obvious to everyone but him. He couldn't see he was highlighting his own faults.