Don't Sabotage Your Success! Make Office Politics Work [Paperback]

Karen Ginsburg Wood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2000

If I am accomplishing my objectives...why am I not succeeding in my career?

Most people believe that if they just do an outstanding job they will impress their superiors and through osmosis they will enjoy a strong secure relationship. This kind of thinking becomes the root of the most devastating career letdowns.

Good work does not always equal a successful career. The reason? Some people have more power, influence, and accountability in the organization. The resulting hierarchical relationships can be more difficult to master than any other single component in one's career. Yet they are the key to creating professional success and happiness.

Don't Sabotage Your Success! focuses on how you can build professional intimacy, reveals why we don't build trust in our business affiliations, and suggests ways to begin securing critical relationships.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Enlightened Concepts Publishing is dedicated to the betterment of mankind. This book supports that commitment by helping people to change their lives by improving their professional relationships. There are no tricks or games. The basis for creating strong positive relationships is good old fashioned trust and loyalty. Karen Wood has a solid track record in helping people understand what that means, and she is living proof that with excellent relationships a successful and satisfying career is possible.

From the Author

Many of us are confused, frustrated, and not where we want to be in our careers. The question is,

what do I need to do in order to achieve success and happiness?

The answer is: now more than ever you must master the dynamics of workplace relationships.

Relationships are the foundation for everything you want to create in your career. Relationships of

power and influence are what can turn an idea into reality. Without support an idea is impotent. By

mastering these relationships, you are in control of your career.

The difficulty in mastering workplace relationships comes in first "unlearning" what we learned in

school and in our personal relationships. There are dynamics that can actually destroy trust in

relationships, thereby sabotaging your ability to be successful. The way to become successful at

building strong trusting relationships is to first understand the dynamics in destroying those

relationships. This is what makes Don't Sabotage Your Success! truly unique. The following are

some other key concepts you will learn:

*Proof your current workplace relationships are suffering

*What common behaviors that you observe and display in your personal and family life that have devastating impacts on your professional relationships

*How loyalty is created, destroyed and leveraged to develop the most significant success stories in history

*Why building professional intimacy or schmoozing is so difficult and real solutions on how to make this easy

*The essential building blocks of hierarchical dynamics among superiors, peers, and subordinates

*Plus much much more!!!!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 187 pages
• Publisher: Enlightened Concepts Pub (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970214308
• ISBN-13: 978-0970214300
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #707,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the #1 book to read about the workplace!, August 13, 2002

By 

"bmacqueens" (Forest Hills, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Sabotage Your Success! Make Office Politics Work (Paperback)

Before reading Ms. Woods book I was drifting from job to job not understanding how come I did not get along with my bosses and wondered why? Then I read this book and I learned how I contributed to the relationship being the way it was -LOUSY! This book actually changed my life and I will proove it to you. Post 9/11, my boss began cutting staff and she was giving me a mixed message as to what I would be doing on a daily basis. She said she wanted me to do more in sales but then she would insist on doing her administrative work. Before reading this book I would have done the work I prefer to do. But Ms. Woods book got me in line to to learn how to connect with my boss and why it was important. So when everyone around me was getting fired-(with no health benefits,!) I lasted the longest, and since this book taught me how to deal with the work environment, my boss laid me off! which isnt so great, but I was the only employee to receive unemployment! which really made the difference while I looked for another job. Had I conducted myself the way I thought, I would have surely been fired. This book changed all that and as I interview for positions this book made me realize the power to deal with authority is all within! How many books teach you that? Today the book is here, tomorrow Ms. Wood will be on Oprah no doubt. This book is that important. It changed my life.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is but a piece of the puzzle., January 18, 2003

By 

evenfall007 "evenfall007" (Rancho Cordova, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Sabotage Your Success! Make Office Politics Work (Paperback)

Karen provides everyone who reads this book a great service by writing it. But, I can just imagine, now that she has taught a class based on this book for a couple years, she would write an even better book now. My fifth star for the rating is waiting for that.

Face it. Just about every facet of daily life is driven by Economics, Political Science, and Office Politics. If there is something I left out, I bet it can be related to one of those three things. Remember, All Politics are Local. Local to employers, local to co-workers, local to friends, acquaintances and family. One may already be the best Visionary, Task Organizing, Selling, Paper Pushing, Telephone Talking, Wrench Turning, Rivet Puncher there is. These days, it is not your Hard skill that gives you your job security, or assures your path to a successful future. Whoever called knowledge like this the "soft skills" was all wrong, and no, none of this is taught in school.

Imagine how competitive the workplace or corporate ladder would be if everyone was knowledgeably aware about the inner-workings of office politics? Luckily, most play blind. This information is telling of why those who rise are separated from those who don't, when all other things to consider are basically equal.

Read this and get a leg up, but don't stop here.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Things have turned around for me too!, January 9, 2001

By 

Tammy C. McCrae-Coley (Greensboro, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Sabotage Your Success! Make Office Politics Work (Paperback)

Like the author I could not figure out how all my good work could go unappreciated. I begrudged the folks with good relationships with the "BOSSES". I knew what to do but refused to do it. I was going to change the world! This book helped me to understand that it takes more than great work to achieve what I want. I have to take time for people. It does not ask you to be phoney. In fact phoniness will sabotage your efforts. By helping my leadership team and co workers I in turn helped myself. Not only was my work spotlighted, I was asked to be on more visible teams and am being asked to lead division wide projects. What changed? I changed! I am closer to all the things that I have wanted professionally and am not putting in any more effort and have less days that I dread going to work. The principles in this book has also helped me evaluate my relationships out side of the office as well. I have purchased a copy for a woman I manage and hope that she finds it as helpful.