We’ve probably all worked in a setting where office politics were practiced. Wikipedia defines politics as “the practice and theory of influencing other people.”
When people make decisions or sway others based on their own personal interests or to support their own cause, morale suffers. And since it’s not what is best for the greater good, your business suffers too.
In EOS, we promote politic-free companies. Managing your company on one operating system isn’t about influencing others. It’s about working together as a team to work towards your company’s Core Values.
That means everyone’s voice is heard when there is a decision to be made or issue to be dealt with. But it doesn’t mean management by consensus.
EOS’s “10 Commandments of Solving Issues”
EOS developed “The 10 Commandments of Solving Issues” for managers to follow, which keeps the politics out of your organization. The first one is “Thou shalt not rule by consensus.”
When the company Vision is clear, and you have the right people in the right seats, most of your team members will agree with the solutions. A few may not, and that’s okay. As long as everyone on the Leadership Team has the opportunity to express their view about a topic and their voice is heard, then everyone must support every decision. Even if that decision is not the one you personally would have made.
This doesn’t just apply to the Leadership Team. It applies to every department, unit, and work group – in other words everyone in your organization. Someone needs to consider all of the input given, and make the decision. The rest of the team is expected to respect that decision and follow it whole-heartedly.
The eighth commandment of solving issues is “Thou shalt fight for the greater good.” Employees are expected to put their egos, emotions and past beliefs aside and focus on what is best for the company as a whole. This leads to better and faster decisions.
“Thou shalt live with it, end it or change it” is another commandments for solving issues. You make decisions as best as you can with all of the information you have at that moment. But sometimes things don’t work out as planned, or something changes that makes your plan ineffective. When that happens, you have three choices. You can live with it, end it, or change it. If you alter a previously made decision, your employees don’t get to point out that they knew the former idea would not work. That’s politicking, too.
EOS’s beliefs, systems and processes are refreshingly politic-free. It’s all about One Vision, One Voice, One Team. No politics!
If you’d like to learn more about EOS and how it can keep your company politic-free, contact us. We can help.
About EOS
EOS is a holistic management system with simple tools that help you do three things we call vision, traction, healthy. Vision from the standpoint of first getting your leaders 100% on the same page with where your organization is going. Traction from the standpoint of helping your leaders to become more disciplined and accountable, executing really well to achieve every part of your vision. Healthy meaning helping your leaders to become a healthy, functional, cohesive leadership team.
