"Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think” (Lencioni, 2002, p.88)
I love your quote on politics. This is an area of life where I struggle. I'm notoriously apolitical. I think it might have hurt my career growth and opportunities, but for some reason, I just can't stand the political facades that seem to spring up.
I love how the author expressed it that it's impossible to see the other person's position clearly if there is a veil of politics with it. I came from a contracting organization with very blunt and upfront politics, . . . meaning they were obvious, clumsy, and not very successful at political maneuvering (and by the way, everyone understood and was fine with that), to one where there are multiple layers, and deep political divisions, standards and norms.
I feel like I've stumbled into an area of life where I'm not at all comfortable nor willing to become a part. Instead of adjusting my style, I've actually continued to be as candid, blunt, and apolitical as I'm used to. One of my colleagues actually commented on how refreshing it was that I wasn't a part of any clique at work.
One of the factors I would love to help this organization slough off is the tendency to make everything political in nature, for politics and one-ups-manship, to color and tint every discussion. I don't like wondering what people really mean when they tell me something. So, like you, I found that portion of the story that dealt with Kathryn's work with breaking down the political nature of the organization. Hard to do, but worth it as Lencioni (2002) shows in the fable.
Reference
Lecioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable. Jossy-Bass
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