The importance of Playing the game?

Off the bat, I'm very bad at playing the game & kissing ass. I used to have a manager that hated that, now I have a manager that needs that to justify their existence.


Any tips on swallowing my pride? I just want to turn up, close deals, get paid. Not interested in politics or popularity. Ego, of course, gets in the way.


I've tried finding common ground and going the Human route, but my boss is middle aged with kids and likes to cycle. I'm 30 without kids and pre pandemic I liked to go to BJJ and eat steak. There is no middle ground.


#WarRoomAdvice

6
CadenceCombat
Tycoon
3
Account Executive
I feel like the harder I try to actively / consciously play the game, the most desperate it comes off. So I just try to be me and keep things organic.
wHaTyAgOtCoOkInG
Catalyst
0
Solution Consultant
love this

CuriousFox
WR Officer
0
๐ŸฆŠ
Samesies
ChangeTheChannel
Good Citizen
1
Channel Sales Manager
"just want to turn up, close deals, get paid. Not interested in politics or popularity. Ego, of course, gets in the way."

What does this mean?ย 

Are you achieving or exceeding your metrics?

If yes, what's the problem?

If you're wondering if office politics contributes to being promoted or not, the answer is: yes it does. And if you discover a way to solve that problem you'll make way more money than you ever would in sales.
wHaTyAgOtCoOkInG
Catalyst
0
Solution Consultant
Thanks! Yep, I've consistently over achieved, on target to overachieve this quarter too.ย 

I dislike how even an over achiever, who gets along with everyone, still has to brown nose one person to get ahead. It makes it worse when that one person is condescending and patronising.ย 

I'm trying to find communal ground with my boss so that we can get along on non work topics too, my thought here is that this might at least stop the condescending and patronising and make the brown nosing easier.ย 
Blackwargreymon
Politicker
1
MDR
Are you achieving or exceeding your metrics?
Trinity
WR Officer
0
BusDev
Who says you need to play the game? Be yourself
JustGonnaSendIt
Politicker
0
Burn Towns, Get Money
I also hate playing the game. But I have come around to it in recent years and my new team members actually view me as an expert in it (although I'm certainly not and have no interest in this title).

The key here is to rationalize doing something you hate with your Ego first. You want the lattitude to run things your way. There is some midpoint between going full-brownnose and being a lone wolf. Find that spot for you and invest the discipline to consistently do the things that you need to stay off of the shit-list. In this way you're choosing the strategic path of least resistance to operate the way you want to.

Also, as I've said in many other posts. Documentation. Be the guy that's known for having their poop in a group in the 'system'

Between doing as much brownnose activity as you can stand and delivering great documentation, your manager is sure to back off over time and let you run the shop the way you want to.

At the end of the day, they're just focused on not getting their ass chewed by THEIR manager. Help them in that goal.
MR.StretchISR
Politicker
0
ISR
I feel like the harder I try to actively / consciously play the game, the most desperate it comes off. So I just try to be me and keep things organic.
Clashingsoulsspell
Politicker
0
ISR
I feel like the harder I try to actively / consciously play the game, the most desperate it comes off. So I just try to be me and keep things organic.
3

Role Playing

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14
Do you role play with your team?
56% Yes
33% No
12% I'd love to, but HR just made us do a training about things like this.
43 people voted
13

Play the game to lose... WDYD

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18
19
Members only

Squid Game

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34