Comments on: Politics, Power Struggles and Personality Clashes

By: lusia

lusia — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:24:00 +0000

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By: Angie Ledbetter

Angie Ledbetter — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:22:00 +0000

I worked for lawyers for a lot of years and learned two very important things: CYA (always), and the one with the most documentation wins.

By: Rebecca Smith

Rebecca Smith — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:32:00 +0000

Internal organizational politics are ug-ly. It’s funny: I didn’t notice them as much when I was embroiled in them as a worker bee in an office.

But now, as a freelancer, it’s one of the first things I notice about a potential client. Politics and power struggles often raise a lot of red flags and make me think twice about taking a project.

Good for you for seeing it coming, Lori. I’m sure that intuition only makes you a better freelancer.

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:15:00 +0000

I am not anywhere near as diplomatic as you are. I do a very blunt “cut the bulls—t and don’t take out your petty power plays on me” speech ONCE and then follow it up in writing with whomever is higher up on the food chain. And I am that blunt — I call them on the crap. I don’t care what their interoffice politics are — if they try to involve me, I’m gonna whomp ’em upside the head. metaphorically. I am not a cubicle slave and won’t be treated as such. The reason I’m hired in the first place is because I’m “different” and “quirky”, so don’t try to make me conform, because I won’t.

If it doesn’t stop, I’m out of there — usually I’ll complete the full assignment, and then I’m gone.

If I’m enticed back, I’m like Eileen — it’s at a higher rate.

By: Lori

Lori — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 23:02:00 +0000

Way to go, Eileen! An excellent way to handle the situation. I’d have done the same – quiet grace and higher rates. ;))

It’s usually that way when a new person comes on board, isn’t it? The steamroller effect – he/she takes over and changes it to leave his/her mark. Never mind that you were doing fine. That’s just maddening.

By: Eileen Coale

Eileen Coale — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:08:00 +0000

When a long-time client of mine took on a partner earlier this year, I was a casualty. The so-called silent partner was not silent, wanted to bring on his own PR guy, and I learned about it when I found the client had removed my copy from the website and put up the new guy’s. Without so much as a word to me, after years of working with him. Ouch. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hurt and angry. Now, 6 months later, the partnership is not working so well, and my client needs new copy. No problem – but my client is now under my new rates, not the old ones I was grandfathering for him. And meanwhile, I was so steamed I went out and marketed like a maniac and acquired several new A+ level clients to replace him.