The Office Politics Playbook

You may not think you play office politics, but to some degree you have no choice. The real question is: are you doing it well? Whatever you want at work — a promotion, a better cubicle, a truce with the cranky IT guy — it's crucial to know who has influence and how you can leverage their position to achieve your goals. Luckily, there are ways to play it clean. We've assembled a comprehensive crash course to help you master the tactics of office politics. In addition, we've equipped you with a field guide to 10 of the workplace's most common political personalities and how to manage them, as well as a list of the top seven workplace plays and maneuvers you can use to dodge bullets and score points. We also talked to business coach Starla Sireno, who offers helpful tips on how to keep office politics positive.