20 Oct 2021 11:00 am

Office politics is such an interesting subject that people want to talk about it. But very few want to participate in it.

How often have you experienced that good ideas and projects that make perfect sense don't go through, only because of office politics?

So in this episode, Niven and I discuss why office politics is important and how to approach it with a positive mindset.

In this episode we are talking about:

• Office politics, what is it and how does it come in the way of innovation?
• How does it impact the end results?
• The reason behind office politics.
• If you believe in a particular idea, how do you approach office politics?
• Even if you do everything right, you might be missing something.
• What's wrong with thinking about promotion?
• What went wrong with Blockbuster? (It's not about Netflix story) 
• A spectrum of office politics and why it is important?
• How do you identify the type of political environment around you?
• What are the skills one needs to develop to sustain and thrive? 
• Minefields to watch out for.

Niven Postma has had a wide and varied career across multiple organizations and sectors, in South Africa and internationally, including being CEO of the Businesswomen’s Association (BWA), CEO of NOAH (Nurturing Orphans of AIDS for Humanity), Head of External Strategy, and then Head of the SARB Academy at the South African Reserve Bank and Head of Leadership and Culture for the Standard Bank Group (the largest bank by assets in Africa). 
 
She is a Harvard Business Review contributor, the author of the acclaimed book “If you don’t do politics, politics will do you – A guide to navigating office politics ethically and successfully”, a global strategy and culture consultant, and an expert lecturer and facilitator on women’s leadership development programs. She is also the Chairman of the Board of Cotlands, an NGO that does cutting-edge work in the Early Childhood Development space in South Africa and beyond.