Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.
– Plato

You should never let office politics discourage you. Everywhere you go, there’s going to be politics.

Everywhere you go, there’s going to be a different balance of power, different people with varying levels of influence, seniority, and control over resources. And if you want to get anything done, you’re going to have to play by the rules that are already in place.

But just like countries, different companies are going to have different regimes. Some are going to be more democratic than others, and depending on the industry and your position, different models are going to work better for you.

What you have to ask yourself as an employee is “What kind of regime suits me best? What kind of system do I need to do the best job that I can do?”

And what you have to ask yourself as an entrepreneur is “What kind of regime do I want to reign over? What kind of system will help me offer the best product or service that I can?“

There’s a difference between management and leadership. Management is dealing with timeframes and resources. Leadership is dealing with people — individuals with personalities and emotions. A leader takes the time to get to know the people under them, and the care to consider their egos and feelings when making decisions.

Whether you like it or not, people have egos that are very much beyond your control. They are not, however, beyond influence. You can never control how people are going to react to a situation. But if you get to know them, you can anticipate how they’re likely to react, and then take that likelihood into consideration when making decisions and how you inform them of those decisions.

It’s the same difference between making someone show you respect, and getting them to actually respects you. More often than not, showing someone that you respect them as the individual that they actual are is enough to earn their respect. And when people respect you, they’ll willingly follow directions.

When I was in the military, there was a lot of emphasis put on leadership. Now that I’m in the world of business, there’s a lot of emphasis put on management. Well, I’ve been thinking a lot, lately, about the difference between the two, and this is what I have to say.

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