How To Survive Cubeville
Posted on August 26, 2011 by Early Jackson, One of Thousands of Performance Coaches on Noomii.
Are you stuck in the office politics? This article will show you how to navigate through the land mines of the average office.How
Most of us have been there. That dreaded office space where nothing is private or sacred. A place where every voice, smell and sound permeates throughout and no one can check it; The cubicle. Movies have been made about it, we’ve laughed at the TV shows about it, and most of all we have actually lived it. For those who have only worked in retail or some other sector you don’t know what you have been missing. But for those who have experienced the fortress of cubes; you are a special breed and I want to make sure you have the tools necessary to survive the forbidden city.
The balance of power and understanding that exists in the standard cube setting is interesting to say the least. Learning how to navigate so you do not offend the person that orders the supplies or the guy that always has the snacks is nothing short of diplomacy. Many think the President is the only person that needs great foreign policy, but to work in the cubes is like maneuvering at a U.N. conference. Know this; it can be done if you are prepared to learn the subtle nuances of office politics.
I have put together three things into this ‘survival kit’ that you can use to ensure safety in cubeville. Remember it is a jungle out there so you have to protect yourself as you cut your way through. Hopefully at the end is the corner office you desire with a nice personal assistant to make life easier.
(1) Learn to mind your own business quickly!: Rule number 1 is the key to it all. There is always a lot going on in cubeville, most of which does not and should not concern you. I have learned to keep my head down and my ear phones on. You will have people who talk loudly just to suck you into a meaningless conversation so don’t be fooled. At the end of the day you want a decent paycheck and your name clean.
(2) Avoid commenting on office gossip: Do you know what happens when gossip gets loose and you comment? The next person to spill it usually uses your name as the source. This means you get caught in the middle of the mess. It doesn’t pay to entertain the gossip. Once you become associated with it, you can miss out on promotions and valued networking. An old Irish saying is: “He who gossips with you will gossip about you”
(3) Create a quiet utopia to foster your creativity: At the end of the day no one is in the room with you when you have a review. It’s you and your manager. So what you need to be concentrating on is being the most marketable you can be. This means looking at both your strengths and weaknesses alike so you can adequately address them. Use your cubicle as an incubator for good ideas to become great! Put up your ‘pretend’ walls and get back to work, far from the myriad of distractions that are everywhere.
I can’t promise you will not suffer some setbacks along your journey through “cubeville”. But If you take these principles and start applying them right away your survival will be more likely and maybe even a little more pleasurable. Good luck to you!
See you at the top,
Early
