Navigating Office Politics
in the workplace
when the Inaguration Falls on MLK Day
This article dives into the delicate art of navigating politics at work without losing your peace or your voice. You’ll walk away with practical tips for knowing when to speak up, when to step back, and how to handle conversations that can feel tense or overwhelming—all while staying true to yourself and protecting your energy.
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This blog will help you:
Ready to strengthen your network and head into the new year with intention? Let’s dive in.
Before you can nurture your network, you need to identify the people who’ve been instrumental in your career this year. Take a moment to think about:
Action Tip: Create a short list of the five most impactful relationships you’ve had this year. Write down one specific way each person contributed to your growth.
Gratitude is a simple yet powerful way to maintain and strengthen connections. The key is to make it personal and specific. Instead of generic “thanks for everything” messages, highlight what the person did and why it mattered to you.
How You Can Show Your Gratitude:
Action Tip: Send personalized notes via email or handwritten cards. If possible, invite them for coffee or a virtual chat to express your gratitude directly.
If you’ve fallen out of touch with key connections, year-end networking events are a great way to reconnect. These events offer a casual yet professional setting to check in with peers, mentors, and even new potential connections.
Where to Find Events:
Attending these events not only strengthens your existing network but also helps expand it, introducing you to people who can play a critical role in your professional development in 2025.
Action Tip: Before attending, prepare a short “year-in-review” story about your career progress and goals. This makes it easier to spark meaningful conversations.
While group events are great, nothing beats a personalized conversation. Use this time of year to schedule one-on-ones with your key connections to reflect on the year and discuss future opportunities.
Conversation Starters:
These conversations show genuine interest in their perspective and can strengthen your relationship.
Action Tip: Offer to treat them to coffee, lunch, or even a virtual meeting if in-person isn’t feasible.
The relationships you nurture now can continue to grow in the new year—but only if you’re intentional. A connection plan ensures you’re staying top of mind with your network, even when life gets busy.
Ideas for Your Plan:
Action Tip: Make a list of three new connections you want to establish next year and find relevant networking events or groups to build those relationships.
Your career isn’t just built on skills or accomplishments—it thrives on the relationships you cultivate. As you close out the year, take the time to reflect, express gratitude, and intentionally nurture your connections. Whether it’s reaching out to a mentor, attending a networking event on Meetup.com, or sending a thoughtful note to an advocate, these small actions can have a big impact on your professional journey.
The main benefit of this “press tour” concept is keeping my momentum going. When it comes to networking, your work is never finished. At some point, you become the person people are trying to meet—and that’s what you’re working toward. But something with such abstract benefits can be hard to get out of bed for. But when I’m tempted to bed rot after a day of work instead of putting on my networking outfit and leaving the house, I pump myself up by reopening my vision board and remembering that if I want my life to feel like a movie, I have to go on the press tour.
he key to 2025 isn’t just setting ambitious career goals—it’s building the network to help you achieve them. Let’s make it a year of connection and growth.
For more career chats, check them out here.
Crazy Curls
& Career Confessions
Share your wildest work or hair story anonymously. I’ll share advice via the career chats page on how to navigate them.
It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and you might already feel the irony creeping in. A day meant to honor a man who fought for equality and justice, falling on the same day as a presidential inauguration—a stark reminder of the polarizing world we’re navigating today.
For as long as I’ve worked in corporate America, politics has always been the elephant in the room—big, heavy, and nearly impossible to ignore. Conversations about elections or current events creep in, often starting casually but carrying the weight of a thousand unspoken truths. And MLK Day? It’s the ultimate litmus test for where your organization stands—or doesn’t—on matters of equity and inclusion.
This year, though, feels different. The juxtaposition of an inauguration and MLK Day forces us to reckon with what this moment symbolizes: progress for some and tension for others. Offices, virtual or otherwise, are fertile ground for debates, microaggressions, and the occasional awkward silence when someone “forgets” why we even have the day off.
But what happens when your team crosses that invisible line and dives headfirst into their political affiliations, as I’m sure many can relate to.
Someone asked it innocently enough, but the tension in the room shifted immediately. One by one, people started chiming in. Some shared opinions passionately, others hesitated, and a few chose silence as their response. I sat there, carefully listening, weighing whether to speak up or stay neutral.
The thing about politics in the office is that it rarely stays on the surface. It’s not just about who voted for whom—it’s about values, worldviews, and sometimes, how people perceive you after the conversation is over.
I chose to stay neutral that day, offering a response that reflected my values. I shared that I align with leadership that provides equal opportunities, emphasizing the importance of fairness and equity. It wasn’t groundbreaking, but it allowed me to navigate the moment authentically while protecting my peace.
Over time, I’ve realized that navigating politics in the workplace isn’t about agreeing or disagreeing—it’s about calculated decision-making. It’s about knowing when to speak up, when to listen, and when to step away entirely. Protecting your peace often means choosing your battles wisely, understanding the risk versus the benefit of engaging in certain conversations, and recognizing when silence can speak volumes.
I’ve learned that navigating politics in the workplace isn’t about agreeing or disagreeing—it’s about calculated decision-making. It’s about knowing when to speak up, when to listen, and when to step away entirely.
How to Protect Your Peace and Navigate Politics at Work:
Here’s the lesson: navigating politics in the workplace is an art. Here’s how to protect your peace:
Example: “I appreciate everyone’s input, but I’ll need to take some time to process this before sharing my thoughts.”
Example: “This topic feels a bit heavy for me right now. I’m going to step away, but I value the discussion you’re having.”
Example: “I think we may have different perspectives on this, and that’s okay.”
The juxtaposition of MLK Day and an inauguration is a potent reminder of the duality of progress and division. As you move through this week—or any week where politics takes center stage—prioritize your peace. Protect your energy, make calculated decisions about engagement, and remember that sometimes the most powerful statement you can make is knowing when to speak and when not to.
And if someone “forgets” why MLK Day is significant? Well, that’s your chance to share—not out of anger, but with clarity and conviction—why the legacy of Dr. King remains as vital today as ever.
Check out The Corporate Curly for tips on building confidence, achieving career goals, and thriving in your workplace experience.
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