Office Politics

There is nothing more difficult to deal with in any office setting than politics. Hospital, a place for caring the sick, where art and science gets to be practiced in the realm of medicine is where one would probably least expect politics to be displayed as part of its existence is definitely not exempted from this and could even be a glaring example of how one defines politics; the power and ability to impose one's will even in the face of opposition. Politics per se is not a detestable display of human behaviour for it is an accepted process for important decisions to be made and concluded.

What is difficult is being caught in the middle of it all. And that is the shaky ground my precarious position and person has sometimes been put into. Inner conflict arises to satisfy and uphold the rationality and sensibility of my boss's decisions but at the same time I'm also caught off guard for the decisions ultimately affect the very people I'm working with, people who are my colleagues, my mentors and my friends. It's not so much a question of defensibility for I know the decisions can very well stand the scrutiny of reason and fairness. But to my mind this is just one part of the bigger equation. Somehow, the soft side in me also put more weight on the decision that is made with equanimity and compassion.

That is one thing I get to admire my boss; no matter how unpopular his decisions are, he will stand by it for they are approached and made with logic and reasons; always with the end to uphold the rule of law and what to him is fair and equal. I may never completely agree with him all the time, but I get to respect him as well for recognizing and taking into considerations the other dimension I get to bring to his thinking process; somehow, I get to let him see as well the more tempered and compassionate part of the equation.

Conflicts are already brewing and the tug war starting. I just hope people do not get to tug on me too much as to compromise the decency of my work and position.