If you have two or more human beings in a community, you are going to have politics. In your organization's culture, politics may play a greater or lesser role. But it is almost inevitable that, because of politics, some people will be favored with power, influence, and rewards they did not earn. As many astute thinkers have pointed out, organization politics are a fact of life. So don't bemoan reality. Accept it and deal with it.

Based on that reality, you can make one of two choices. You can make the decision to gain power by devoting your time to politics. If that is your choice, we refer you to The Prince by Niccol?? Machiavelli. Alternatively, you can also make the decision to rise above the politics and devote your time to creating value. If you choose the latter, doing the following seven things will ensure that you rise above the politics.

1. Deliver Exemplary Performance First and foremost deliver results that exceed expectations. If nepotism, sycophantism, or other forms of favoritism mean more than outstanding performance in your organization, the organization is doomed to mediocrity or worse. The culture will be dysfunctional. Top performers will disengage.
2. Be Positive Undesirable, unpleasant things happen in every organization and in everyone's life. You can make decisions about how you are going to encounter what life brings. Focus on what is good in your situation. Be optimistic about the future. Make a meaningful difference for the people you touch every single day. Engage in your work with enthusiasm. Be someone who improves the morale of your team.
3. Conduct Yourself with Class Do things the right way. Be clear about your values. Conduct yourself with impeccable integrity to those values. Lift others up. Do not tear them down. Do not complain. Do not speak about others off the record. Be honest, authentic, and transparent. Ignore gossip. Do not put your self-interest above what is best for the organization.
4. Make Friends Many people say, “This is not a popularity contest.” Don't be fooled. You will get a lot more done in any community if people genuinely like you. Be nice. Be interested in others. Be a good listener. Be helpful. Be kind. Make as many friends as you can in your organization. And do it with sincerity and pure intent, not with some ulterior motive.
5. Practice Diplomacy When disputes occur, listen to understand the other person's perspective, and engage constructively to resolve problems. Seek win-win solutions. Choose your words thoughtfully to make your points without offending the other person or causing him or her to feel criticized. You do not have to say, “That's ridiculous!” You can simply say, “I disagree.” Learn how to disagree without being disagreeable.
6. Confront Bad Behavior Bad behavior should be confronted, but you can do it diplomatically, as discussed before. You can say, “This is how the situation looks to me. Do you understand how it can be viewed that way?” Usually, you can avoid the word, “wrong.” You can say instead, “I think that was an error.” Do not demonize people with whom you disagree.
7. Pick Your Battles Pick your battles. Some things you just need to let go. Decide thoughtfully when you want to take a stand. You will not win them all. Win or lose, accept the decision and move on. There are times when you will feel good about advocating for your position, even though the decision did not go your way.

Here is a story from Larry about rising above.