A good politician
What makes for a good politician? You hear about it every day, see it in every paper, and know about it without placing your finger on it. You may or may not know this, but there are levels of politics in every system of life you live in and deal with. Yup, it's true. There are politics in your birth, your death, your job, your living space, your shopping, your forms of exercise, everything. It may not be as prevalent, obvious, or even that direct, but it exists. That promotion you wanted? That pro wrestler you want to succeed? That video game and how it was developed? That comic you think could be better? All politics, my friend. But, a question is begged of each of these. What makes for a good politician? What goes into it? Why does it matter to you? Why am I speaking about this for an initial blog of sorts?
By definition, a politician is a person who takes part in politics. Yea, thanks, Webster. Obvious, are we? So, let's look at politics then. By definition, it's the science of government, or political affairs, scheming, methods or opinions. It's due to the latter that politics is not just limited to government. In fact, I'm sure we associate politics only in government, yet we miss the fact that politics are alive and well in any system or body of work (well, maybe not the human body of work, but I hope you get where I'm coming from. Yes, I'm corny. I'm cool with that. Got a problem? You should fix that).
Now, why would I go out of my way to talk politics, here, now, on this screen? The sad truth is, I can't stand it. I'm not a fan of seeing it play out, and I'm not a player of such. I believe in being direct and concise. I don't dance around issues or problems, nor do I use double talk to make everyone happy. Well, sometimes, I do the latter, because I don't want people to be hurt. But, I have realized that it's impossible for that to happen. Someone is going to be offended somehow, someway. So, I do what I have to do for me, and if there are hurt feelings, then I defend myself. Thankfully, it hasn't resulted in various injuries, although sometimes, a man can fantasize having to stomp someone's throat in....
This is one of the few things I can't stand with where I work, and how I live. Yea, I know certain things are the way they are, but to use your cunning to be above those ways, and then twist them to satisfy your own needs, is just downright sick to me. No matter where I go, I see it. No matter who I speak to, I hear it. No matter what I do, it's there. Is it avoidable? Sure. Get on a boat, plane or form of transportation, and find a nice deserted island or abandoned territory and live out your life. I sure wish that could be the case, but, man, the politics allowing you to do so may even be worse than what you regularly go through. But, what about what makes a good politician? With what I've seen and heard, I can think of a few things, if not key things.....or a few key things...
First and foremost, all good politicians know how to talk. This can't be any more prevalent. It's the art of sweet talk, you see. And yes, politics are involved in dating and relationships, too. Players are good politicians, until they are caught. Womanizers, too. Man eaters and pace cars are the best politicians, only because they don't need words all the time, but they do need action, and they have plenty of that. To be a solid politician, you have to tell people what they want to hear or seemingly need to hear. Cover your lies and your butt with your words and you'll be good as gold. Case in point, Triple H and Kevin Nash are some of the best politicians in wrestling if not for how they rose to the tops of their organizations and professions, but for who they have vocally manipulated with their words. Ask Stephanie McMahon (although, they are sure they'll say it was love). Ask the boys in WCW who allowed Nash to book during the Monday Night Wars. He had his picks, his friends, his ideas. No one wanted to question his thoughts or maneuvers otherwise for that size of his (he's close to 7 feet tall), but it was mostly due to his ability to get along with the wrestlers. He was a man of the people. Triple H just knew who to get cozy with in order to never be in a spot to take the punishment for his peers. When you befriend some of the most powerful wrestlers in an organization (i.e. the Kliq), it's always good to make sure you're high on the totem pole when all the crap hits the fan. Sadly, HHH was the bottom part, for about 3 years. From the hog pens to Wrestlemania squashes, he learned long and fast who to use and step on to get out from under the crushing weight of the top parts. Now, he's a high level executive, who can wrestle at his own pace and whomever. Then, as an exec, he made it a point to make some key changes to make the fans happy, the wrestlers happy, and later, the investors happy. It hasn't been perfect, but it's making it's way. However, the bad side of his political ways have reared its ugly head on a number of occasions, even after becoming an executive. I'd go into detail about it, but I'm sure if you know as much about wrestling as I do, you've probably heard the stories already.
Another key to being a good politician is who to make friends with. Hobnobbing with snobs, massaging the egos of the powerful, learning from the best while stepping on the rest, and the like are some of the key ways to politic. It's sickening, but successful. You can't get out from under the totem pole if you aren't willing to ask for a helping hand from those up top. If not ask for a helping hand, then keep doing what you can to entice those above you to grab a hold and put you in a less strenuous and taxing spot, like under the powerful. Then, when the time is right, use your know-how to supplant the one above you . Politics: it's the system that runs itself.
Lastly, I think the most important key to being a good politician is this: remove your conscience. Only play favorites with those who do favors for you. Keep them around to keep you happy or in power. Get rid of those who get in the way of your happiness. If there's someone you could consider a friend and they were removed from power, because someone needed a job and it was theirs, do whatever you can to hate them. Act as if their job is always on the line. If you can get them fired, do so. Heck, even if they aren't technically dealing with you, give them dirty looks, be mean and cold to them. Give them a reason to not be comfortable. When recommendations are made, talk behind the person's back. Politically, your power means more than how you are as a person. So, making sure the pieces are in place to get rid of the people you don't like is very important.
If there's one more thing that is helpful, it's to be a busybody. Get your nose, hands, feet, and any other figurative or literal extremity you have in everyone's business. If it has nothing to do with you, it has everything to do with you. Be a go-getter by getting everything from the word, "Go!" It's the best way to make yourself your own boss, as a good politician makes himself or herself available to those higher on the totem pole than you. If you have peers, go around them and do what you have to in order to make it big. Share secrets with people that you can trust as friends (or use as friends) by finding common ground with them and making regular conversation with them. Once you have a contact, you've got a leg up on the competition. It only helps, though, if it is a person whom you can't directly affect with your actions, or if it is a person that doesn't share the work and levels of responsibility as you do. If you're looking to become a top accountant in a field of accountants, befriend someone outside of your field that may or may not help you on your quest. Is it fair? No. Is it shrewd, clever, and empowering? Of course. It's also good for business, because there are many a higher-up looking for people with that gusto, that moxie, that ambition. This is most likely due to the fact that they had those same qualities when they got to that level. Politics: it's a vicious cycle.
So, what makes a good politician? I think I hit some key points, but I'm sure I'm missing something or at least need to make sense of one or two points. But, for a starting blog of sorts, it's the most I could come up with, as it is still fresh in my mind. You don't go about telling people not to do some things if you didn't hear it from somewhere or for someone, and then turn around and say you can still do some of those things. That's double talk. If you didn't mean to cause unrest, don't say anything. If you want to look out for someone, perhaps you should go out of your way to involve them in your projects that could use their skills. Never make it seem like you're being helpful one way and turn around and do something else. It doesn't help when you openly know who is and who isn't out to get you. But, I want to leave you all with this: keep a close eye on the state of things you deal with. Try to pick out the politics that goes on in every and all instances. You'd be surprised as to what happens and who it happens to, especially if it's you. There is a political system in everything. Play your cards right, and you'll survive long enough to comment about it.
By definition, a politician is a person who takes part in politics. Yea, thanks, Webster. Obvious, are we? So, let's look at politics then. By definition, it's the science of government, or political affairs, scheming, methods or opinions. It's due to the latter that politics is not just limited to government. In fact, I'm sure we associate politics only in government, yet we miss the fact that politics are alive and well in any system or body of work (well, maybe not the human body of work, but I hope you get where I'm coming from. Yes, I'm corny. I'm cool with that. Got a problem? You should fix that).
Now, why would I go out of my way to talk politics, here, now, on this screen? The sad truth is, I can't stand it. I'm not a fan of seeing it play out, and I'm not a player of such. I believe in being direct and concise. I don't dance around issues or problems, nor do I use double talk to make everyone happy. Well, sometimes, I do the latter, because I don't want people to be hurt. But, I have realized that it's impossible for that to happen. Someone is going to be offended somehow, someway. So, I do what I have to do for me, and if there are hurt feelings, then I defend myself. Thankfully, it hasn't resulted in various injuries, although sometimes, a man can fantasize having to stomp someone's throat in....
This is one of the few things I can't stand with where I work, and how I live. Yea, I know certain things are the way they are, but to use your cunning to be above those ways, and then twist them to satisfy your own needs, is just downright sick to me. No matter where I go, I see it. No matter who I speak to, I hear it. No matter what I do, it's there. Is it avoidable? Sure. Get on a boat, plane or form of transportation, and find a nice deserted island or abandoned territory and live out your life. I sure wish that could be the case, but, man, the politics allowing you to do so may even be worse than what you regularly go through. But, what about what makes a good politician? With what I've seen and heard, I can think of a few things, if not key things.....or a few key things...
First and foremost, all good politicians know how to talk. This can't be any more prevalent. It's the art of sweet talk, you see. And yes, politics are involved in dating and relationships, too. Players are good politicians, until they are caught. Womanizers, too. Man eaters and pace cars are the best politicians, only because they don't need words all the time, but they do need action, and they have plenty of that. To be a solid politician, you have to tell people what they want to hear or seemingly need to hear. Cover your lies and your butt with your words and you'll be good as gold. Case in point, Triple H and Kevin Nash are some of the best politicians in wrestling if not for how they rose to the tops of their organizations and professions, but for who they have vocally manipulated with their words. Ask Stephanie McMahon (although, they are sure they'll say it was love). Ask the boys in WCW who allowed Nash to book during the Monday Night Wars. He had his picks, his friends, his ideas. No one wanted to question his thoughts or maneuvers otherwise for that size of his (he's close to 7 feet tall), but it was mostly due to his ability to get along with the wrestlers. He was a man of the people. Triple H just knew who to get cozy with in order to never be in a spot to take the punishment for his peers. When you befriend some of the most powerful wrestlers in an organization (i.e. the Kliq), it's always good to make sure you're high on the totem pole when all the crap hits the fan. Sadly, HHH was the bottom part, for about 3 years. From the hog pens to Wrestlemania squashes, he learned long and fast who to use and step on to get out from under the crushing weight of the top parts. Now, he's a high level executive, who can wrestle at his own pace and whomever. Then, as an exec, he made it a point to make some key changes to make the fans happy, the wrestlers happy, and later, the investors happy. It hasn't been perfect, but it's making it's way. However, the bad side of his political ways have reared its ugly head on a number of occasions, even after becoming an executive. I'd go into detail about it, but I'm sure if you know as much about wrestling as I do, you've probably heard the stories already.
Another key to being a good politician is who to make friends with. Hobnobbing with snobs, massaging the egos of the powerful, learning from the best while stepping on the rest, and the like are some of the key ways to politic. It's sickening, but successful. You can't get out from under the totem pole if you aren't willing to ask for a helping hand from those up top. If not ask for a helping hand, then keep doing what you can to entice those above you to grab a hold and put you in a less strenuous and taxing spot, like under the powerful. Then, when the time is right, use your know-how to supplant the one above you . Politics: it's the system that runs itself.
Lastly, I think the most important key to being a good politician is this: remove your conscience. Only play favorites with those who do favors for you. Keep them around to keep you happy or in power. Get rid of those who get in the way of your happiness. If there's someone you could consider a friend and they were removed from power, because someone needed a job and it was theirs, do whatever you can to hate them. Act as if their job is always on the line. If you can get them fired, do so. Heck, even if they aren't technically dealing with you, give them dirty looks, be mean and cold to them. Give them a reason to not be comfortable. When recommendations are made, talk behind the person's back. Politically, your power means more than how you are as a person. So, making sure the pieces are in place to get rid of the people you don't like is very important.
If there's one more thing that is helpful, it's to be a busybody. Get your nose, hands, feet, and any other figurative or literal extremity you have in everyone's business. If it has nothing to do with you, it has everything to do with you. Be a go-getter by getting everything from the word, "Go!" It's the best way to make yourself your own boss, as a good politician makes himself or herself available to those higher on the totem pole than you. If you have peers, go around them and do what you have to in order to make it big. Share secrets with people that you can trust as friends (or use as friends) by finding common ground with them and making regular conversation with them. Once you have a contact, you've got a leg up on the competition. It only helps, though, if it is a person whom you can't directly affect with your actions, or if it is a person that doesn't share the work and levels of responsibility as you do. If you're looking to become a top accountant in a field of accountants, befriend someone outside of your field that may or may not help you on your quest. Is it fair? No. Is it shrewd, clever, and empowering? Of course. It's also good for business, because there are many a higher-up looking for people with that gusto, that moxie, that ambition. This is most likely due to the fact that they had those same qualities when they got to that level. Politics: it's a vicious cycle.
So, what makes a good politician? I think I hit some key points, but I'm sure I'm missing something or at least need to make sense of one or two points. But, for a starting blog of sorts, it's the most I could come up with, as it is still fresh in my mind. You don't go about telling people not to do some things if you didn't hear it from somewhere or for someone, and then turn around and say you can still do some of those things. That's double talk. If you didn't mean to cause unrest, don't say anything. If you want to look out for someone, perhaps you should go out of your way to involve them in your projects that could use their skills. Never make it seem like you're being helpful one way and turn around and do something else. It doesn't help when you openly know who is and who isn't out to get you. But, I want to leave you all with this: keep a close eye on the state of things you deal with. Try to pick out the politics that goes on in every and all instances. You'd be surprised as to what happens and who it happens to, especially if it's you. There is a political system in everything. Play your cards right, and you'll survive long enough to comment about it.
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