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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Many managers hate office politics. But avoiding them altogether may hold you back. 

If you’ve ever worked for a boss who lacked clout or credibility, you understand the risks. As a manager, you’re responsible for building productive relationships throughout the office so you can influence people beyond your immediate sphere. But you can avoid “playing politics” while building the influence you need.

•  Keep your efforts clearly focused on the ultimate good of the organization. Work with others for mutual advantage, not just your own.

•  And always conduct yourself according to your personal values, no matter what others do.

Today’s Management Tip was adapted from “Stop Avoiding Office Politics” by Linda Hill & Kent Lineback.

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To read that article and join the discussion, please click here. Also, you may wish to check out the new book, Management Tips from Harvard Business Review, based on HBR’s Management Tip of the Day series by clicking here.

Linda A. Hill is the Wallace Brett Donham Professor Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Kent Lineback spent many years as a manager and an executive in business and government. They are the coauthors of Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader (HBR Press, 2011).