Over the last several months, I ran for elected office in my town. I lost by a narrow margin (88 votes) to my opponent who was an 18-year incumbent in the position. Although winning would have been better than losing, I have no regrets about having tried. Like my friends in the cartoon here, I knew this was going to be a long uphill climb and that hard work wasn't going to guarantee success - and therein lies the connection between the workplace and the political arena.
According to Wikipedia, "Politics (from Greek politikos "of, for, or relating to citizens") is the art or science of influencing people on a civic, or individual level, when there are more than 2 people involved. We often talk about workplace politics as distasteful, but the reality is that influencing people is a component of just about any job you can think of. Whether it's influencing millions of people in a presidential race, or influencing your immediate supervisor to value your efforts, here are 5 observations about running for office that translate into ideas for increasing your odds of success in the workplace:
For those of you who've been involved in politics, what are other workplace comparisons that ring true for you?
What we're reading at the Workforce Institute this week:
Yahoo's Upgraded maternity policy still behind peers: http://www.tlnt.com/2013/05/01/yahoos-upgraded-maternity-leave-good-but-not-best-in-silicon-valley/
The secrets to fostering innovation: http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/view/story.jhtml?id=534355274
Human Capital Management Institute Releases Their Full-length Study Linking Human Capital to Business Performance: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/5/prweb10686468.htm
What's it like to take a year off from the Internet? http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/1/4279674/im-still-here-back-online-after-a-year-without-the-internet
Is Instagram the next frontier for brands? http://allthingsd.com/20130502/instagram-adds-an-identity-layer-which-could-be-a-big-deal-for-brands/?mod=atd_homepage_carousel
Should Employers Try to Make Their Employees Happy or Satisfied? http://ow.ly/kwyrx via @HuffPostSmBiz
A Wrinkle in the Workplace http://ow.ly/kwzFA via @nytimes
Be Careful What You Wish For: Congress May Allow “Comp Time” http://ow.ly/kwAOq via @TLNT_com
8 Ways to Attract 2013 Graduates to Your Organization http://ow.ly/kwBau via @blogging4jobs
FMLA and ADA Intersection Dangerous For Employers http://ow.ly/kz45w via @HRExecMag
INFOGRAPHIC: The truth about telecommuting http://ow.ly/kz7Bc via @HRMorning
Does the College Major Matter? Not Really http://ow.ly/kz8Z5 via @nytimes
Despite Glitches, President Says That Obamacare is “Pretty Much Already in Place” http://ow.ly/kBlOo via @TLNT_com
How Are You Getting Employee Feedback? http://ow.ly/kBm7X via @blogging4jobs
RT @williamtincup: RT Employers Say Retention is Top Priority in Staffing http://ow.ly/kFMZX @EntryLevelJob
#HREOnline: The Secrets to Fostering Innovation http://ow.ly/kDSTu via @HRExecMag
Collaboration: Lessons Learned from a Five Year Old http://ow.ly/kDUiK via @HumanCapital via @humancapleague
Know When To Automate - Friday Distraction: http://www.hrbartender.com/2013/business-and-strategy/know-when-to-automate-friday-distraction/
Why Cloud Computing is Accelerating in the Enterprise: http://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2013/04/22/why-cloud-computing-is-accelerating-in-the-enterprise/
Employers Plan to Hire Fewer Recent Graduates Than Expected http://www.workforce.com/article/20130422/NEWS01/130429996/employers-plan-to-hire-fewer-recent-graduates-than-expected
Why Naomi Bloom is Feeling Really Optimistic About the State of HR Technology: http://www.tlnt.com/2013/04/18/why-im-feeling-really-optimistic-about-the-state-of-hr-technology/
Should businesses change to better accommodate millenials? http://www.tlnt.com/2013/04/25/should-businesses-change-to-accommodate-millennials/
Kronites are talking about:
New Time Well Spent #Cartoon: http://ow.ly/kwuD6 #cloud #KronosCloud
RT @SmarterCafe: I will augment the reality of my trip to NYC just like I'm wearing #GoogleGlass. http://ow.ly/1VJr1k
RT @WF_Institute: Do you practice Zen leadership? What makes you lose your cool at work? http://ow.ly/kxkTe
Out of the Ashes http://ow.ly/kFMLw via @SmarterCafe
On Giant Godzilla Legs http://ow.ly/kFMOa via @SmarterCafe
Some Kronites arrived in Saudi Arabia for #HIMSS13 - Middle East! http://ow.ly/i/1ZQC4
RT @HCInformatics: #Webinar this Wednesday w/ @KronosInc: "Big Data Solves Big Problems In Healthcare". Register now: http://ow.ly/kxnOS
Register for KronosWorks by May 31 and save $300! http://ow.ly/kwIEH #KW2013
#Kronos Launches #KronosLIVE2013 World Tour http://ow.ly/kz15Q
Kicking off #KronosLive2013 in #NY! http://ow.ly/i/20lMx
Webinar: Streamlined Processes, Engaged Employees and More: Benefits of an Integrated #HR & #Payroll Solution http://ow.ly/kz88v
Ease Your Path to Affordable Care Compliance Using Workforce Management Solutions http://ow.ly/kBkD1 #ACA
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