Secrets to Winning at Office Politics: How to Achieve Your Goals and Increase Your Influence at Work [Paperback]

Marie G. McIntyre (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 2005

Get Ahead, Gain Influence, Get What You Want

Office politics are an unavoidable fact of life in every workplace. To accomplish your personal and business goals, you must learn to successfully play the political game in your organization. Whether you are a new player or a seasoned veteran, Secrets to Winning at Office Politics can help you increase your personal power without compromising your integrity or taking advantage of others. This smart, practical guide shows you how to stop wasting energy on things you can't change and start taking steps to get what you want.

Written by an organizational psychologist and corporate consultant, Secrets to Winning at Office Politics uses real-life examples of political winners and losers to illustrate the behaviors that contribute to success or failure at work. You will be shown techniques for managing your boss more effectively, improving your influence skills, changing the way you are perceived, and dealing with difficult people. Using these proven strategies for political success, you will then be able to create a Political Game Plan that outlines the steps necessary to accomplish your own individual goals.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A terrific new book about office politics . . . it's a must-read!" -- Fortune Magazine,online careers column, August 2005

"Fresh, thoughtful, and provocative . . .McIntyre has written one of the best guidebooks to date on this subject for career-oriented professionals." -- The Albuquerque Tribune, October 2005

"Practical advice and self-assessment questions and surveys make the book a gem. . . . It's a keeper!" -- Gwinnett Business Journal (Atlanta, GA), September, 2005

"Thorough and thoughtful, [the author] is no Pollyanna and has a realistic understanding of how things really work and why." -- The Miami Herald, August 6, 2005

"[Helps people] focus on actions that will move them towards their goals and gain leverage within the organization." -- Atlanta Business Chronicle, January, 2006

Teaches readers how to size up the political climate . . . and deal with quirky bosses and co-workers who are downright difficult. -- New York Post (online), November 2005

About the Author

Marie G. McIntyre, Ph.D. operates a career coaching business in Atlanta, GA, and the website YourOfficeCoach.com .  She is the author of two books - Secrets to Winning at Office Politics and The Management Team Handbook - and writes a newspaper column, Your Office Coach, for the McClatchy-Tribune News Service.  Her column appears in papers throughout the United States and Canada. 

Marie's advice is frequently quoted in print and online publications, including Fortune, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, CNN International, Money, Canadian Business, The Street, Men's Health, LifetimeTV.com, and many others.  She conducts national webinars for Business Management Daily, Business 21, and other business resource companies.

In her business, Marie focuses on career coaching, leadership development, conflict resolution, and teambuilding.  Through phone coaching sessions and email, she works with clients from throughout the United States and many parts of the world.  She has taught classes and leadership workshops at Georgia State University, Emory University, and the University of Georgia. 

Marie previously held management positions in both business and government, including Director of Human Resources in a Fortune 500 company. She has more than twenty years' experience in management, leadership development, and career coaching.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (June 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312332181
• ISBN-13: 978-0312332181
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,909 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give this book to graduates and employees!, August 1, 2005

By 

Katherine Sherrington (Lawrenceville, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Secrets to Winning at Office Politics: How to Achieve Your Goals and Increase Your Influence at Work (Paperback)

The title of Chapter One in Secrets to Winning at Office Politics says it all, "Politics is not a dirty word." Office politics has always had a negative connotation but in reality it has just taken a bad rap. Secrets reminds us that office politics is simply the reality of relationships and Dr. Marie McIntyre shows us all how to play the game - honestly, ethically and successfully.

McIntyre uses real life examples from her experience working for a Fortune 500 company and her consulting business to give the reader an excellent view of the real world at the office. Her straightforward yet entertaining style is refreshing and her practical advice and self-assessment questions and surveys make the book a gem.

Secrets lays out in very practical and anecdotal style how one can succeed simply by understanding the unwritten rules of working with and for someone. What is unique about the book is the openness with which the subject is discussed - the real life examples are those we can all relate to as an employee, a boss, a parent, a teacher or a friend. It provokes a kind of self-evaluation that some people never seriously consider.

Give this book to every high school or college graduate you know! If you are the boss, read it, and then encourage your employees to do the same. It's a keeper.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Politial Intelligence. We all deserve a little!, April 16, 2008

By 

Michelle E. Landreth "Meesh" (LA, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Secrets to Winning at Office Politics: How to Achieve Your Goals and Increase Your Influence at Work (Paperback)

This book has changed my work life for the better. I feel more comfortable at work now because I have more realistic expectations and I feel prepared for difficult 'office politics' situations. The book is interesting and offers real-life situations that I can relate to.

Pretty much everyone has to contend with Office Politics in their job at some point or other. It often doesnt matter who is wrong and who is right in offices, but how a situation is handled. Can you think of a time when you know you should have handled a situation differently, but are unsure what you should have done? Can you think of a time when you lost leverage because of your own actions? Be honest. We all have shot ourselves in the foot. Why stay ignorant? Come into the light!

I love this book. My sister cant wait to read it after I'm done.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Political Survival Guide, February 28, 2010

By 

Marc A. (Oxnard, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Secrets to Winning at Office Politics: How to Achieve Your Goals and Increase Your Influence at Work (Paperback)

I've read a lot of books on leadership and self-improvement however I've never come across a book that was so insightful on the strategic survival and advancement in the workplace. In a word, this book was phenomenal. I wish I had this book when I first started my career in law enforcement 14 years ago. The book is jam-packed with real scenarios, people and behaviors that kept me engaged from start to finish. This book was recommended to me in an Assertive Supervision course and I highlighted and flagged the heck out of my copy!