Politics in the workplace can get vicious -- and we're not talking about the governmental kind. Rather, office politics, or how power and influence are managed in your company, will be a part of your career whether you choose to participate in them or not.

本文不是討論政府部門的那種政治，而是辦公室里的那種，或者說公司內部權力和影響力的控制。職場政治可能很殘酷，不論你參不參與它都將成為你事業的一部分。

Don't align yourself too strongly with just one group at the office because they may not hold power forever.

不要只和某一個群體緊密聯系；因為他們也許不會一直掌權。

Some workers say they don't want to get caught up in politics at work, but most experts argue that playing the game is crucial to your career success. By not getting involved, you may find your talents ignored, your success limited and you may feel left out of the loop, says Louellen Essex, co-author of "Manager's Desktop Consultant: Just-in-Time Solutions to the Top People Problems That Keep You Up at Night."

有些員工稱他們不愿卷入辦公室政治中，但是多數專家認為參與到這場游戲中對你的事業成功至關重要。《經理人辦公桌顧問：讓你夜不能寐的人際問題的及時解決方法》一書作者之一Louellen Essex認為，如果不參與辦公室政治，你的才華可能會被忽略、成功受限，你也會感到被排斥在外。

"Politics get nasty when an employee is out for his or her personal gain alone," Essex says. "Think of playing office politics as a game of strategy through which you are able to get the resources and influence you need to accomplish your goals. Most often those who are diplomatic, respectful and build coalitions with effective people win."

Essex說：“當員工只追求個人利益時政治就骯臟起來。可以把參與職場政治作為一個游戲策略；通過這個方式你能獲得達成目標所需要的資源和影響力。通常贏家都是那些老練的、尊重別人的、和有影響力人士聯系緊密的人。”

Here are Essex's nine tips to help you win at office politics and still gain other's respect.

下面就是Essex給出的九條建議，幫你在贏得辦公室政治的同時也獲得別人的尊重。

1. Observe how things get done in your organization.

觀察事情是怎樣進行的

Ask some key questions: What are the core values and how are they enacted? Are short- or long-term results most valued? How are decisions made? How much risk is tolerated? The answers to these questions should give you a good sense of the culture of your organization.

問些關鍵問題：公司的核心價值是什么，是如何體現的？最看重的是短期還是長期效果？決議是如何制定的？可接受風險的程度有多大？這些問題的答案可以讓你對企業文化有個好的認識。

2. Profile powerful individuals

觀察有權力的個體

Pay attention to their communication style, network of relationships and what types of proposals they say "yes" to most often. Emulate those traits by drawing on the strengths you have.

注意他們的溝通風格、關系網絡及他們常常同意什么類型的提議。發揮你的長處，模仿這些特質。

3. Determine strategic initiatives in the company

決定公司的戰略計劃

Update your skills to be relevant to company initiatives. For example, don't lag behind in technology, quality or customer service approaches that are crucial to you and your company's success.

提升和公司發展相關的技能。例如在對你和公司成功都至關重要的技術、質量或客服方式上都別落后。

4. Develop a personal track record as someone who gets results

將自己的形象建設為“富有成果的員工”

Style without substance will not gain others' respect, especially in today's organizations that focus on outcome.

有風格沒實際內容不會讓你獲得別人的尊重，在如今注重結果的公司里尤為如此。

5. Don't be afraid to toot your own horn

別忘了“自吹自擂”

If no one knows of your good work, you may lose at the game of office politics -- when you really deserve to win. Let others know what you've accomplished whenever you get the opportunity. If you don't know the fine art of diplomatic bragging, you might get lost in the shuffle of your co-workers.

如果沒人知道你的優秀工作，你也許就會在辦公室政治中失敗，而勝利本該是屬于你的。只要有機會，就一定要讓別人知道你都做了什么。如果你不會“自吹自擂”的話，也許會淹沒在同事中。

6. Treat everyone with respect

尊重每個人

Don't show preferential treatment or treat co-workers badly. You never know who someone might be connected to and rude behavior may come back to bite you.

不要優待或虐待同事。你不會知道誰和誰關系緊密；你的粗魯行為會反過來傷害到你。

7. Don't align too strongly with one group

不要和某一個集團聯系太緊密

While an alliance may be powerful for the moment, new leadership will often oust existing coalitions and surround themselves with a new team. Bridging across factions may be a more effective strategy for long-term success if you intend to stay in your current organization for some time.

結盟在某一刻也許是強有力的，但是新的領導階層往往會驅逐現有的“聯盟”并任用一個新團隊。如果你希望在目前的公司待上比較長的時間的話，那么對長遠成功來說更有效的策略是“跨派系團結”。

8. Learn to communicate persuasively

學習交流口才

Develop an assertive style, backed with solid facts and examples, to focus others' attention on your ideas and proposals. Good politicians can adjust their messages for their audience and are always well-prepared.

培養一種自信的風格，并以確鑿事例為支撐，從而讓別人的注意力集中在你的想法和提議上。好的政治家們能根據觀眾來調整傳達的信息，而且總是準備充分。

9. Be true to yourself.

對自己要坦誠

After analyzing the political landscape in your company, if you decide the game is one you can't play, prepare to move on. It's not typical, but some organizations actually condone -- even promote -- dishonest, ruthless or unethical behavior. The game of office politics in this situation is not one worth winning.

在分析完公司的政治形勢后，如果你決定這是一場不能進行的游戲，那么就做好辭職準備。 雖然不常見，但有些公司實際上是在寬恕--甚至鼓勵--不誠實、無情的或者非道德的行為。這樣的辦公室政治游戲不值得去贏。

（感謝網友hly_2009分享 英語點津 Annabel 編輯）