Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

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One of the reasons office politics makes so many of us uneasy is that complex situations are difficult to read and impossible to control. When personalities and motivations intertwine, anything can happen.

One tactic for handling office politics is to make its challenges less personal. If you begin to look at politics like a game – you win some, you lose some – you’ll become more resilient and have smarter responses when something takes you by surprise.

If a situation starts to feel too personal, try to avoid looking your opponent in the eye. In many business situations eye contact is crucial, but in this case, averting your gaze can help you remain calm and avoid the fight-or-flight impulse that rises when you feel under attack.

Keeping an even keel enables you to react more thoughtfully, offer productive suggestions, and regain control of the situation.

Adapted from “4 Strategies for Women Navigating Office Politics” by Kathryn Heath.

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Also, you may wish to check out an anthology, Management Tips from Harvard Business Review, by clicking here.