EngineerHer

If you had told me even 5 years ago that I would write this post, I would have laughed in your face. At the time, I was pretty certain no self-respecting engineer would ever get involved with office politics.

But then I started realising that, by default, I had to engage with politics at some level just to get stuff done. (And no, “stuff” is not the normal word I use in that sentence!) So, what do I mean by office politics and why and how to perfectly respectable, innocent engineers get themselves involved?

What do I mean by “politics”?

So technically speaking, politics refers to any kind of manoeuvre that is carried out due to competing social wants and needs. So, it covers everything from who gets the good desk to where the team goes on the annual outing. Or indeed, which pens are stocked in the stationary cupboard.

It doesn’t always have to be selfish, or self centred, although it’s often perceived as such. It’s the wheeling and dealing, the give and take – you know, the favours you do people…

It has a dirty name when I think about it like that. And it doesn’t always have the best interest of the team or the organisation at heart. It can be the casual conversation over a cuppa to the strategy worked out before a major meeting.

Yeah – basically, it’s all politics.

So, what’s an innocent engineer to do?

Develop some skills. Fast.

Seriously – office politics or organisational politics aren’t going to go away. They’re evident in every organisation, from the playground to the boardroom. It’s just a means of how power is enacted in practical, daily interactions. (I know, the word “just” is carrying a lot of weight in that sentence!)

Politics is kinda on the same level as networking. Both get a bad rep – when they’re done wrong. But, both are an essential part of the human existence, and can be done right.

Being aware of who you need to influence to get a decision on something important is vital. Knowing who responds best to a casual conversation, a structured email or formal meeting is essential in navigating the decision makers in any organisation. Being aware of who senior leaders listen to and how they make decisions? Vital.

Now, look – most of us don’t have to worry about what the CEO thinks or who they listen to. When most of us are talking about senior leaders, we’re talking about the senior leaders in our office or on our site. Sometimes we’ll have a few off-site folk we interact with on a regular basis as well.

But we do need to worry about our co workers and team mates. We talk a lot about building relationships, because politics is such a dirty word. But building relationships is just another way of outlining the same thing.

How can an engineer engage in office politics without feeling dirty?

Fundamentally – by being a decent person and engaging with people.

That’s the short version. And for some people the “decent person” bit can prove a bit difficult, so let’s explore.

First thing first: do your work. No one is going to value you when your baseline level of work isn’t done. Now, ok, we all know the people in the office that appear to do nothing, ever, and are still highly valued members of the team. Take a closer look. There are signs these people are not as valued as they might appear to me.

• Lots of meetings – very few outcomes. Or at least, very few outcomes this person is accountable for. They’re massively busy. They’re like a buzzy bee bopping about the place. But hardly any actions with their name against them.
• Buzzwords and jargon. This is the person who can have an entire conversation full of words you might understand individually, but once they’re all strung together, you’re fairly certain it all means nothing. It’s kinda like candy floss – takes up a whole load of space, but ultimately unsatisfying and leaves you feeling a bit sick.
• Deflection and delegation. I worked with a man years ago that was known as “Teflon Shoulders”. No action ever stuck to him. It didn’t matter what meeting he was in, who asked for him to do something, somehow, by the end of the action being outlined, it was never, ever his problem. He was truly a master of his craft. Pain in the proverbial to work with though…
• Visibility over value. You know the person who, when you get an email from them, you need to take a deep breath? They likely write novels as emails. And if you avoid the email, but get pulled into a meeting instead – that meeting is going over time and no escape. This person believes that by taking up space – either on email or verbally in meetings – they are doing their job. Again – it’s wasting time and making sure other people can’t get on with things.
• Problems with no solutions. Now, don’t get me wrong. Everyone has to ask for advice on how to approach something at some point. Anyone saying “never come to me with a problem” is not getting the point. But equally, someone who continually and consistently brings up problems (and let’s face it, it’s usually the same problems, never anything new) but never thinks about a solution? Nope, this person won’t really be valued.

So, while this person might be visually impressive, when you look deeper, you’ll see the important people will see through them.

OK, but politics?

Yeah, ok back to the decent human being part. Doing your work is a basic. But how do you recognise who the real power brokers are? Well, here’s some hints.

1. Formal and informal power dynamics. It’s not always the person with the rank or title that makes the decisions. In most offices, there is a recognised expert on a given system or procedure and if there is a change to be made, that person is the one making the decision on it. It can take some time to figure that out, but usually a quick “who’s the best person to speak to about X” is the way to start. You’ll notice in meetings or discussions that this person’s name will always crop up when the particular system/ procedure etc is mentioned.
2. Alliances, cliques and groups. You’d be amazed at how groups affect decisions in work. Remember I said earlier that politics affects playground to boardroom? This is what I meant. If you look at a bunch of kids on the playground, it’s usually pretty easy to tell who’s in charge, who’s cool, who’s not in the group. While it can get more difficult in the office, you can figure it out. Who shares the in-jokes? Who lunches together? Who backs up who in meetings? Who always stops by to say hello?
3. Communication. How are people sharing information and what information gets shared with who? Who are the people who are surprised by new announcements and who are the ones who appear to be already aware? Communication is one of the key elements of politics. it might not be the people you think who find out about news first. For example, pay roll nearly always know who’s been promoted… they process the new pay rate. Admin or business assistants are the ones that find out about big events in advance cos they’re the poor sods trying to organise it. And sometimes – it’s the guy who plays golf with the manager. Or the woman who’s kids go to the same school as the site lead. Or – given this is Ireland – someone’s cousin is best friends with a senior leader from school and gets all the gossip firsthand…
4. Reputation. I mentioned in the last section how someone can be really visible but actually not respected at all. But in all offices, there will be traits that earn you respect. Doing a good job is basic. Doing an excellent job – and making sure people know it – is even better. But blowing your own trumpet doesn’t look good either. This is where my previous discussions on champions comes in. And making sure your manager is aware of the good work you do, preferably their manager as well. Be dependable to the point where someone needs something in your area of expertise, it’s you they come to. And be known for the positive virtues: teamwork, helpful, gets people out of a fix, knows how to get things done.

How to get good at this?

Well, practice. Sorry, I can’t see any other way to do this.

You can read up on things. You can investigate how power is managed in organisations. It’s possible to work through an entire career without ever considering politics at all.

But once you start up a management route, it starts getting more difficult. This is when you need to understand how budgets are decided. Where strategic decisions are made and how far in advance are they made. How can you influence those decisions, if at all? Who are the key decision makers in your place of work?

Even understanding the annual budget cycle can help you. (Side note: it’s almost certain that the 2026 budget is already outlined and there’s a decent grasp of 2027 as well… particularly when it comes to capital…)

For many of us, politics is a means to get either money or resources. That’s it. So understanding the rhythm of these cycles is vital. And knowing who’s involved and who needs to be persuaded, where numbers can be shaken and stirred and where they are carved in stone – all this is key to getting the outcome you want.

And look at the skills you already have: have you ever convinced a bunch of friends to come on an adventure with you? How do you decide on big capital purchases in your relationship? What are the values that drive your charitable giving?

By understanding these key aspects of yourself, you can start to figure them out for your organisation, and understand better how to drive the conversations you need to have.

And don’t worry – it’s not really dirty!!