Office Politics

“If HR stays on the transaction side, we’ll be out of business in 10 years,” said Conrad Venter, global head of HR at Deutsche Bank. “Business leaders will say.… ‘Where’s the value?’” and choose to outsource those transactional duties."

No one likes a braggart, right? But when it comes to getting the recognition you deserve, you can’t afford not to take credit for your work, even if it means seeking out credit. Getting recognition—and using it wisely—is key to managing your career and receiving raises.

You’re as dependable as a Swiss train: You never miss deadlines, never show up late and always complete even your worst projects ahead of schedule. In return, you’d hope management would offer its appreciation once in a while. Here’s how to get the recognition you deserve without looking as if you’re seeking attention.

You don't need the word "chief" in your title to act as a leader to the troops. Show that you possess the qualities for promotion by exhibiting these leadership traits:

When it’s time for company leadership to tap employees to work on a new, interdepartmental project, whom do you think they’ll pick? And if the company is forced to restructure and lay off, who would least likely be sacrificed? The cross-functional whiz, or the employee who works in a silo?

Every inadequate executive fails to live up to his or her leadership role in some way. Here’s the tale of one executive who failed because he lacked—or simply didn’t practice—five essential components of good leadership:

Frenemies aren't just found on reality TV shows. They're everywhere. Even Apple has one: Google. If you have "frenemies" — colleagues with whom you have unproductive relationships — they can suck the energy right out of you. But don't give up! Identify and deactivate these most challenging, difficult people at work:

One important way to judge your success as a manager is by the success of your employees. The best managers aren’t just the ones who can extract the most productivity from their people, but the ones who produce great future managers. How can you be sure that your best people will someday be top-notch leaders themselves? Start with the following basic yet effective tips for developing managerial skills among your employees.

You have heard all the general advice and theories about getting “a seat at the table.” But what does it take to jump the fence from your administrative role and be seen as a true leader in the company? The HR Specialist newsletter posed the following question to three of the leading HR thought leaders in America today: “What makes an HR professional an indispensable leader in an organization?” Their answers pointed to the following 5 actions:

Before you can manipulate office politics to work in your favor, you’ll need an organized, clear picture of the lines of power that exist within your workplace. Here’s how: Start with a blank sheet of paper. Place the names of the highest-ranking people in your unit or company in a row across the top of the page...