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Within Corporate America, it's nearly impossible to find a company without office politics. With so many employees working for these larger organizations, there's bound to be disagreements, confusion, and general frustrations.

With this said, it's important to realize that office politics aren't only limited to large companies. You can run into the same thing within small and medium-sized businesses too. 

Because you'll likely be exposed to some form of office politics during your internship, you should want to understand how to avoid getting caught up in them. 

This can be a complicated topic, but we're going to keep it simple in this post.

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Don't Gossip

First. Never gossip. If you ever find yourself talking negatively about someone else (when they aren't present) you're gossiping. Don't do this. 

Second. If you find yourself in a conversation where others are gossiping about someone else, leave the conversation. Or, if you're feeling courageous, then put a stop to the gossiping by letting the others know it's not right. 

As an intern, I would recommend you ignore the conversations altogether. Just walk away if a conversation you're in starts to turn into gossip. 


Don't Bad Mouth The Organization

Throughout your tech internship, there are going to be company decisions that employees (maybe even you) won't agree with. 

And, this is perfectly fine to initially not agree with something. 

The most common scenario you'll run into as an intern will be the negative input coming from full time team members. 

If someone comes to you complaining about the company, then you need to ask them what they would do to change it. After that, you should encourage them to go talk to their manager.

Even as an intern, you have the power to take this positive approach. And if they brush your comment aside and go on another rant about how nobody will listen to them, then get out of the conversation. 

Don't go down the path of being negative toward your company. It's easy to get sucked into a toxic conversation, especially when you're in a larger group full of people complaining. 

The power of mob mentality is a legit thing.

Although not likely during your internship, there could be something you don't agree with. In this case, you need to bring this to the attention of your manager. Your approach should be to better understand the decision and not to hotly contest the decision. 

You're new to the company after all. 

Once you know more about the background, then it's perfectly fine to offer up your own thoughts. However, be self-aware. Understand your lack of experience compared to the experience of the individuals making the decision. 

Experience doesn't always make someone right, yet you need to take this into account.


The Bottom Line

It's really a simple concept. Never participate in gossip or any other form of office politics.  

And, even though you're an intern, you can still set a good example.

Ultimately, be the positive change you want to see in others.


RYAN GLICK

Ryan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Groov, Inc, a property technology software company based out of Des Moines, Iowa. Ryan has been heavily involved in the world of Information Technology and entrepreneurship since the early 2000s. From small business consulting to Fortune 500 IT leadership, Ryan has a wide array of tech industry knowledge. Ryan has his BBA and MBA from the University of Iowa. Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn or Instagram.


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