There's two types of politics I'm talking about in this post, both of which decrease productivity:
#1: Governmental Politics. The Right, Left, Liberal, Conservative, Democrat, Republican kind. And…
#2: The Politics of Drama, Ego, Gossip and Trash-Talking.
I get it. We all have our opinions…and we LOVE to share them! Get someone started in a political conversation, and that could go on for hours and hours. People are quite passionate about what they believe in.
Better to stand for something than fall for anything. But…
…if you're a network marketer and you are climbing that ladder of success, not quite having gotten to the top in business, can you afford to alienate 50% of your audience?
If you talk politics and take a strong stance on one side or the other, you run the risk of cutting your business off at the knees. Politics and network marketing don't mix. Kinda like oil and water.
Most businesses want to attract as much as they can…right, left, independent, extreme right, far left. They want people catering to them who want their products and services…and alienating people by getting too aggressive by talking about how you feel runs the risk of lost business.
Do what you want…you're FREE. You can ignore this message…OR, think about it for a minute, and make a decision that creates an improved opportunity for your business to grow.
Secondly…when it comes to a different type of politics in business, make sure you address it as quickly as possible.
The kind of politics I'm talking about is drama, rumors, gossip, “water-cooler” talk, trash-talking others, and overly-inflated egos that all cause disruptions and loss of productivity in an organization.
I learned many years ago that politics and production don't mix. They don't go hand-in-hand. You either have production or you have politics…and not both. So…
If you have drama happening in your group, gossip occurring, cattiness happening…then you need to address it head on, and do so quickly. Get the team off the drama and back to production. Don't let it fester. It can ruin a sales organization very quickly. It's not fun to address it, but it's something that as a leader, you will find yourself doing many times during your network marketing career.
Don't avoid it because you don't like confrontation. I hate confrontation, but I'll do it to get the group back in order. Your check will thank you for it…and so will ALL the people in your group that are being affected by it.
Stay strong. Avoid politics. Stay productive.
