Author

“It is commonly thought that you can either play the political game or be a decent person, but not both. But is that true? Drawing on the best research and her own diverse experience Niven Postma will help you to understand why office politics are inevitable and how you can navigate office politics in order to be both useful and successful. Read this if you stick your nose up at politics but feel frustrated as you watch others use politics to their benefit.”

“This is a very practical and well written guide on all things office politics! What we typically refer to as ‘politics’ is properly termed ‘bad politics’, given the connotations of negative, insidious, self-serving and destructive behaviors with the book providing useful suggestions on how one can navigate that terrain. Interestingly, the book also develops the notion of ‘good politics’ and how we should leverage that for good and to further any organisation’s objectives. It also has plenty (and, sometimes, funny!) anecdotes that are totally relatable . Learn how to distinguish the politics and respond accordingly – to defuse or amplify. This is a recommended and empowering read for anyone working with people!”

“Politics is prevalent in all organisations. I have yet to find an organisation, large or small, that is devoid of political wrangling. You can try to ignore it, yet it will slowly but surely frustrate and distract you and inevitably derail your career. Or you can strive to understand it to be proactive in dealing with it in productive ways. If you want to understand organisational politics, this is an excellent guide. It is full of practical insight, useful frameworks, and relevant tools. This short, sharp, and valuable book will give you the perspective you need to understand and navigate the myriad of complex relationships you will invariably confront in any organisation; it will change your perspective and empower you to be way more productive in an organisational setting.”

“Niven has masterfully captured the essence of organisational politics, and how to manage it successfully – with dignity and poise. This is a must-read for any leader – understanding and perfecting these unspoken “rules of the game” will help you navigate the cross-currents that occur when working within any organisational structure. Thank you, Niven, for distilling many years of experience, failures and successes and turning them into a practical guide.”

“If you are a leader who is of the opinion that you don’t do politics, then this book is a must read. It poses strong challenges and quiet invitations at the same time. Challenges to understand the playing field of modern business and ourselves and others in that arena. Exciting invitations of how to play the best game, to be a source of positive energy and influence others in order to achieve amazing business and personal results. Niven has combined the rigour of researching practical, easy to apply models with the vulnerability of personal anecdotes in an easy to read, very useful guide to achieving success as a leader in and out of the executive suite.”

“We hear of corporate politics every day, even though we hate the mention of the word. Yet our lives are surrounded by politics, very few of us know how to authentically navigate through office politics effectively and ethically, not knowing what to do about it. Niven Postma speaks simply, genuinely and yet cleverly on the topic. As a corporate professional who prides himself on the value of hard work and meritocracy I badly needed to hear Niven’s practical insights and wisdom to win through the corporate landscape. I read this book during lockdown at my home in Johannesburg, South Africa and felt as though I am in a front row seat in her lecture or workshop having an experience on how I can be greater at work by making small changes for big results. It’s a definitive guide to working politically smarter!”

“Niven’s book is at once an academic primer on human social psychology and a memoir from the school of hard knocks. She has, with a few words, models, and stories managed to distil down the real world challenges of navigating office politics and has offered an approachable guide to successfully achieving both personal and corporate ambitions ethically. I appreciate books that don’t just describe theory, but give you practical self-tests and exercises to implement their wisdom – this one does that.”