On the other end of the continuum is the person that lives to work. We’ll call her Sylvia. Sylvia checks her e-mail before breakfast, works on projects on the weekends and worries about various aspects of the job at all hours.  Sylvia wants to run the department because she believes that she has a great vision for how to make the operation more effective.  So clearly Tony and Sylvia have very different goals in the work place.  Tony’s goal is to be allowed to do his job and be recognized for his work with time off and bonuses.  Sylvia’s goal is to be promoted. 

So how does this change their outlook toward office politics?  Tony may productively engage in a bit of politics to protect his turf or lobby for some change that he thinks will improve his work environment.  Sylvia, on the other hand, probably is going to need a black belt in politics if she’s going to reach her goals without getting derailed.  She’s going to need to figure out how to spotlight her accomplishments and how to build a network of supporters up and down the organizational ladder.  On the other hand, either Tony or Sylvia could make serious mistakes by engaging in destructive politics that harm their image or create life long enemies who will work hard to see them fail.