What do you do for a living?
Many say “hard work,” and some say “smart work.” Is that all you do for a living?
Since the inception of life, there was a ‘struggle.’ Fight to strive is going on for thousands of years. ‘Threat’ and ‘Fear’ are always there for all who breathe. Animals killed other animals either due to hunger or fear of survival. ‘Survival of the fittest’ is a known rule.
Gradually animals started caring for the ‘weaker.’ They started forming groups and families, and the stronger ones protected the weaker ones in the family or group. Weaker followed the stronger. Maybe it was the part of evolution, where the behavior was not to kill the weaker but to protect. Probably the evolution directed us to form ‘groups’ or ‘teams’ and not to stay alone; as a mechanism of ‘survival.’
When we found different ways to survive, we polished our skills and started working in different fields like art, literature, science, medicine, etc…Now, most of us do some work for a living. Have you ever realized that it is not only the specialized work we do but also the ‘struggle’ and the ‘act of tact’ we do to survive every day at the Workplace? ‘Ego’ is also an essential element that was always part of our evolution and continues to be. Nowadays, we are out of the caves and do something for a living, but the blend of ‘survival’ and ‘ego’ is responsible for something we know as ‘playing the game’ at the workplace. ‘Playing the game’ is also known as ‘office politics.’
Let’s take our work as an example and answer the following questions:
Do you complain about your colleagues?
Do you make fun of your colleagues and humiliate them lightly?
Do you take a little bit of credit for someone else’s work?
Do you blame others for your own mistakes?
Do you have a ‘lunch’ or ‘coffee’ break group at work? And, what is your topic of discussion during the breaks?
Nowadays, we don’t necessarily ‘punch in the face’ if we don’t like someone or are better than us at work or are skilled and more capable than us. If we find someone as a ‘threat’ at work; a thousand years old struggle comes to play but in socially acceptable flavors. Following are a few examples if it makes sense:
Looking for a mistake of colleagues and making an issue out of it. Back-feeding your boss or supervisor to prove that You are the best and no one can replace you.
Making fun of other colleagues and humiliating him, if asked, then frame it as ‘just-joking.’
Taking credit for your colleague’s work, because you are the best!
Blaming your colleague tactfully for your own mistakes etc…
We ‘play the game’ when we think someone is a threat, and when we find someone not so ‘competent.’ Most of us don’t have time to help others as they are busy ‘playing the game.’
Sometimes we take home to office and office to home. We react to every threat at work; we fear losing the job, making mistakes, getting replaced, and losing control.
Some of us could not ‘play the game,’ and they stay frustrated and stressed. One day their fear comes true; they get replaced or asked to let go. It’s not always someone better replaces you, but someone who ‘plays the game’ better.
In this article, the intention is to encourage you to ‘play the game’ better but not with others, but with Yourself!!
Can you play the game nicely with yourself by taking responsibility for your mistakes by sharpening your skills, learning at-least one topic every day, sharing the credit when you win, encouraging and helping your colleagues, and innovating, by influencing and challenging yourself every day?
Evolution is being better every day or at-least to fall, trying only to be stronger.
So, do you blame, complain, and represent a ‘problem,’ or do you take ownership, encourage, and propose a ‘solution’? What do you do for a living?
