It would be so much easier if I could just be a student instead of always a pawn in a bigger game.

–Sarah K. L. Wilson

I was blindsided.

Okay, maybe I should have seen this coming, but I was just a babe in the woods at the time. Barely a year out of college, working my first job at a magazine publisher in Boston.

My boss, Dennis, got a new boss. It didn’t really impact him at first. Dennis continued to do what he’d always done—sell magazine advertising. When he had the chance to sell one more ad for the issue that had just closed, he did what had always worked in the past.

He threw his weight around with the head of production to get the ad into that issue. The only problem was that Dennis’s new boss, Pete, wasn’t budging on the new policy he’d put in place. Pete’s view was that once the book closed, it stayed closed.

What happened next is a matter of disagreement.

Dennis says he was fired.

Pete says he quit.

All I knew was that my happy little work family was suddenly missing one gregarious leader. As Dennis was escorted from the building, little did I know at the time, along with him went my promised promotion.

My earnest desire was to move up in the world of 1980s publishing . . . but a few weeks later, the dust of Dennis’s departure had settled and Mike, the new sales manager, had been hired and it was a whole new ball game.

Though I’d paid my dues as a bright and valued supporter of the sales team and been seen by Dennis as a rising associate ready to move to the next level, Mike saw me only as an administrative assistant with no tangible experience in marketing.

He interviewed me for the marketing coordinator role, but it soon became clear that he’d only been going through the motions. He hired an external candidate with an associate degree and one year working as a marketing coordinator for a local hotel.

In Mike’s estimation, my eighteen months of service at the firm and BA in Economics didn’t equate to the value his new marketing hire brought. I was incensed. To him I was nothing special—just someone who was already there when he started. Kind of like the office furniture. Even today I am still stunned, but no longer surprised, at how unfair his decision was. With many years of hindsight, I see a lot of things now that were invisible to me at the time.

Now I know I just hadn’t yet been initiated into how the game of work is played. It was the first of many lessons that would follow.

Why I Wrote This Book

Over the course of my career, it dawned on me that the rules I learned in school weren’t the same rules that governed the business world. Every time I expected things to be “fair” based on my read of the situations, I was disappointed.

It eventually occurred to me that something deeper was going on, and I was determined to figure out what it was. I hope you’ll find some insights to help make your path to your own career success and satisfaction a little smoother.

There’s More to Work Than You Realize

This book is for anyone who has experienced confusion about the mysterious things that happen at work—those days when you think you’re following the rules, but you don’t get the outcome you expect.

I bet you would prefer a career where you enjoy success and happiness rather than a grinding job that causes you nothing but stress and misery. You were drawn to the professional world because you like to solve complex problems and be rewarded for it. My guess is that you are smart and talented—after all, you picked up this book!

You probably figured, “Hey, this is America—the land of opportunity. I’m smart, hardworking, and ambitious. What else do I need to succeed?” Indeed, that’s the attitude I had more than thirty years ago when I first started my career. I’d been successful in school. What could be different in the workplace? It didn’t take long to realize I had a lot to learn.

 This Is Not Turning Out How I Expected

I’ve learned many lessons the hard way. When I look back to the start of my career, it’s now easy to see how clueless I was. I was an earnest “good girl” who believed that if I studied the “rules” and followed them, was polite and cooperative, kept my head down and my nose clean, and didn’t complain, I’d get what was coming to me: advancement, raises, titles, growth opportunities—the works. I mean, that approach had worked for me throughout seventeen years of school and even for the first year or so after college.

But it was as if the business world said to me, “What a naive little thing you are. Keep bringing your best, and we’ll keep using you. And don’t think you’ll get any particular recognition for just doing your job.” 

Where You’re Coming From

Maybe you’re a recent college graduate, and you’re learning the ropes in your first job. Or perhaps you’re a corporate veteran who has worked for many companies and has given up trying to make sense of the weird things that go on in your workplace. You may be committed to your company and want to be effective in your current role, or maybe you’re actively looking for a new job.

Regardless of where you are in your career, I’m certain of one thing: You’d like to be happy with the bargain of trading your time and talents for money, benefits, and if you’re lucky, fulfillment. You want to know that your work matters. You want to be seen and validated. You want to learn and grow.

It’s sometimes hard to understand what you can do to make that happen. Even when you follow the written rules, you may notice that things don’t always turn out as expected. You run into unforeseen obstacles. People who seem less talented than you move ahead, and you’re not sure why. It can be downright puzzling, even infuriating. 

How Can Work Be a Game?

If you’re working hard, following the rules and not experiencing the outcomes you desire , it’s because of one thing: You are playing the game of work by the wrong rules! You may think, “Game of work? What is she smoking? Work is not a game. It’s serious business! My livelihood depends on this.”

Fair enough. Work is serious. But understanding how to navigate at work will help you achieve your professional goals. That’s precisely why I look at work as a game. Games, like work, have objectives, rules, and strategies you use when playing them. 

Monopoly by the Rules of Twister

When people are confused by the results they are achieving at work, it’s usually because they don’t understand the objectives, are playing by the wrong rules, or have no strategy or one that takes the wrong factors into consideration.

So it’s no wonder they are frustrated. It’s like trying to win Monopoly when you’re playing with the rules from Twister.

Learning to Play the Game of Work

This book is about shifting your perspective and learning some of the unwritten rules that no one tells you. I’ll share new ways of looking at the things that go on at work so you can clearly see the whole “game board” and develop strategies for how to maneuver to win. This new set of rules will enable you to more effectively navigate your career in business.

The unwritten rules often seem counterintuitive. It took me years to make sense of this—to see that a whole other reality was beneath what I could see. I’d observed others who didn’t follow what seemed to be the most basic rules—they’d be late for meetings, turn in reports late, and be uncommunicative—yet they moved ahead. I was perplexed. It seemed unfair. What was going on? Well, the bottom line was that they knew the real rules and what to focus on, and I didn’t.

What’s in Store for You

In this book, I’ll tell my own stories and some from fascinating people who shared their hard-won career lessons with me. The thing to remember is that no one’s success is ever preordained. Though we see people who are currently successful, it’s important to acknowledge that along the way, they made mistakes and had moments of uncertainty and even failure.

They didn’t know which choices would result in the outcomes they got. It’s only in looking back on their careers that we see those pivotal moments that led them to their present success. In examining those moments, you can learn lessons to apply to your own journey.

Tenaciously Seeking the Why

I’ve always been drawn to complex challenges. When I was a kid, my mother compared me to a tenacious little terrier. Once I got ahold of something, I wouldn’t let it go until I figured it out. Indeed, even today my mind always runs through scenarios, observing and trying to understand the flow of information, the motivations of people, and how systems work. I always want to know why things happen. Frankly, it drives me crazy when I can’t puzzle something out.

To better understand how to be successful in the corporate world, I read scores of business and leadership books, countless articles, and white papers published by top business schools and consulting firms. I’ve gone to many training courses, absorbed the wisdom of experienced mentors, and worked with executive coaches to help me navigate and influence.

My interest in understanding systems and the factors that contribute to how they work is what drew me to economics as my major in college. The economy is driven by many factors—interest rates, consumer confidence, weather, the stock market, international trade, and even presidential tweets. It’s a mix of many components, influences, and forces.

 Using the Influence That You Have

We all take part in this system, and no one really controls it. Though it may not feel like it, what each of us do impacts the economy in a small way. The same is true in the workplace. Whether you’re in the lowest entry-level position or you’re the CEO, what you do impacts the organization’s success. The trick is to recognize that and see the ripple effect you create, then learn how to control it.

If you’re not the CEO, I understand if you’re a little skeptical about how a book can help you make a bigger impact. However, keep an open mind. Recognize that maybe work is more than the rules you’ve believed until now and be willing to try some new things.

As you absorb the lessons in this book, I feel confident you’ll understand work in a new way. You’ll see the unwritten rules beneath the rules you’ve been taught. When you understand the extent of your own power, what motivates people around you, what you really want, and how you add value, you’ll see work in a whole new way.

The Purpose of This Book

I learned lessons during my career that helped me see the underlying dynamics of what happens at work and why. Once I could see the dynamics, I could understand how to influence the corporate ecosystems in which I worked. The purpose of this book is to shed light on these unwritten rules so you can maneuver and get the opportunities, rewards, and recognition you deserve.

Just a note about some of the language in the book: I worked for corporations for the majority of my career, but the lessons of this book can also be applied in other work environments such as education, government, and nonprofits.

Seeing the Whole Game Board

My goal is to shift your perspective on what happens at work so you can see the whole game board and understand what moves you have available. We usually have more options than we believe. Seeing hose additional options will give you courage to try different approaches to achieve the results you want out of your career. It can be natural to feel fear when trying unfamiliar approaches when deviating from what has worked in the past.

When faced with a leap of faith to try something different, I ask you, do you want to continue to ignore the unwritten rules and get the same outcome you’ve gotten in the past? Once again bypassed for a raise or promotion? Once again not getting the sorely needed extra resources? Or would you rather live by the unwritten rules and see your efforts pay off as you achieve the levels of success and rewards you’re capable of? 

Get Off the Sidelines and into the Game

Many clients tell me that office politics is an area they find distasteful, inscrutable, and uncomfortable, and they want to avoid it. I can understand that; politics can feel unseemly. People who are good at it sometimes seem more influential without providing much value.

It is true that some players can use smoke and mirrors (and take credit for other people’s work) to move up the corporate ladder. But take a moment and focus on the key word here: influence. When you focus on the value you bring to your organization and learn how to play the game of work, you’ll have more influence and probably be more satisfied with your efforts.

The purpose of this book is to shed light on these unwritten rules so you can maneuver and get the opportunities, rewards, and recognition you deserve.

To keep reading, buy the book on Amazon or Barnes & Noble in paperbook or e-book format.

Audiobook coming this fall!