Formal and informal leaders, outcasts, social activists, jokers, primos, favorites, whiners, first beauties and gossips - the difficulties of integration into the corporate culture will be accompanied by the actions or inaction of such characters.

At the first stage of adaptation, you use more methods of external identification: you take a closer look at your colleagues, their appearance and then, depending on your own preferences, you either “fit in” with the corporate image, trying on the skin of the desired color, or actively resist, appearing among your “white-collar” colleagues in the usual jeans and knee-length jumper. Colleagues will also at this stage look at you for exactly the same reasons. Famous saying“You are greeted by your clothes and seen off by your wits” is of little use in this context, since you will certainly be seen off by your wits someday, except perhaps when you retire.

You will continue to be “met” for some time, but in the subsequent stages of your adaptation, other techniques will be important, and not at all your outstanding intellectual abilities. Although if you are the owner of well-developed emotional intelligence, you are almost lucky.

The technique that you will use in further adaptation is called social stratification. Its essence is in the selection and distribution (“labeling”) of your fellow tribesmen according to socio-genetic affiliation. Smart men and the first beauties, bitches and quiet people will form the basis of your classification. Based on it, you will build your attitude towards various members of various groups. Mistakes at this stage can lead to conflicts and awkward situations. Indeed, when stratifying, many factors need to be taken into account: the hierarchical position of the object, the level of material well-being, social status.

Each clan will study you for some time, like an unknown artiodactyl, with one goal: to try on and label you so that you, barcoded and identified, no longer pose a threat to the corporate tribe.

Next, you have to identify with some group before classifying yourself somewhere. Referring to oneself (identification) involves performing a complex ritual dance, acceptable in this clan, and pronouncing intelligible magic spells, meaning: “I accept the rules of behavior, rights and responsibilities, the status of the group. I want to feel community and security, which will give me confidence and save me from lonely confrontation with the majority. Oh, give me a protective totem! I warn you that neither performing a complex ritual dance, nor learning magic spells, nor directly copying the behavior of authoritative members of the clan will automatically ensure that you are assigned to it. You may be accepted “without exams,” or you may not be accepted, regardless of your ingenuity. However, you will still receive an individual barcode, and you will gain membership in a more or less elite clan over time.

The next stage will be intergroup discrimination. You will experience a glorification of your group and a critical and condescending attitude towards others. Managers, programmers, accountants, drivers, security guards and loaders consider their groups the most necessary, responsible, independent, and therefore you, as part of your clan, will acutely experience criticism from your superiors towards one of your fellow tribesmen. Regular criticism, infringement of rights, insufficient resources, deprivation of benefits and privileges can cause serious damage to the clan’s self-esteem, which will negatively affect the “clan’s” motivation to work. However, these same problems give rise to the desire for primacy, create competition and are an incentive to increase productivity.

In my favorite company, I was somehow “automatically” enrolled in a strong clan of “smart guys”, admittedly, without any effort or ritual dances on my part.

By kind corporate activities I’m not a “party girl”, so I just worked happily and productively. The strong clan was headed by the head of the personnel department, and sometimes I was simply amazed at the abundance of non-official information that swirled in the depths of this department. Since I was classified as an initiate, occasionally people came up in my presence. unknown details"near-corporate" life. On my naive question: “Where does the firewood come from?” - they answered me with invariable consistency: “We have connections, unofficial sources...” The head of the personnel service had her own retinue, which served her faithfully. In the ongoing events, I somehow did not notice the leading role of the Personnel Queen, but based on the reaction to this or that result - someone’s reshuffling, promotion or “retraction”, reorganization of this or that structure - I suddenly realized that the uniform of the gray eminence was firmly established on shoulders of the HR manager. Secret influence and openly demonstrated disloyalty to the first person of the company made the Personnel Queen a sacred and deeply revered person. Various executives visited her office; I often found briefings “on strategic issues” at the most different time. Due to the fact that we belonged to different structures, I did not really delve into the essence of what was happening and even, I admit, I was ironic about the pomposity and “backstage grandeur” of the head of the personnel department. I don’t know whether her real influence on practical events was so great, but the possession of information inaccessible to many gave her authority. Perhaps it was precisely this informational influence on the minds of high-status fellow tribesmen that warmed the soul of the Personnel Queen, wounded and rejected by the first person of the company.

The clash of our interests occurred on the basis of my “triumphant” appointment to the board of directors of the anti-crisis management. She congratulated me, but in a very strange wording for me: “Well, well done, this is an unprecedented career leap. Thanks to the crisis, you got a pass to the very top, and there are their own rules: whoever knocks will resist, whoever doesn’t knock is disloyal.” I irritably blurted out something about the “either-or” shutter situation that didn’t suit me, and just as sharply spoke about the fact that I would try to find a third option of behavior.

The casket opened simply. The disloyalty of the personnel manager was known to the level of legend precisely because she did not knock. Therefore, the development of her career slowed down, an increase in salary was already a pipe dream, and the dialogue with the first person of the company had long since sunk into the past. And then there was an internal crisis in the company, and she decided that the first person, forgetting the recent grievances, would immediately call her into the ranks of volunteer rescuers. But he scheduled a meeting (which he announced through the administrative secretary), put it off and put it off, and never called. And he called me and four other managers and even, in a manner unprecedented for the company, highly appreciated my activities.

Then, when everything had already started and the head of the HR department was only once present with me in negotiations with difficult clients to whom the company owed and could not fulfill its obligations, my colleague sarcastically remarked that maybe it was for the best that she was not invited and were not called.

In this work, her predictions “knock - don’t knock” failed to come true, since no one would dare to lay claim to our chairs. And I, accordingly, fulfilled my promise, the third option appeared by itself: we fought so passionately for the survival of the company that corporate games were relegated to the twenty-fifth plan.

Although I did hear this comment in my back: “Well, I raised a girl. And she will go over heads without looking.”

From the list of suspects, bright, emotional employees, as well as obvious fighters for power, must be immediately excluded.

You need to pay attention to those who pick up the slightest crumbs of influence with the same zeal as they save their skin in “ head-to-head bets", and is not without ambition.

Reasonable people who love to draw up schemes, plans, and develop strategies are suitable for such a role.

Candidates for the uniform of a gray eminence are bad at friendship; they do not value people very much.

They get a moral gain in the situation “I have something to do with this, but no one knows about it.”

Often a gray cardinal is an employee who is close to the manager by mutual consent. But there is also the opposite situation, when he has long fallen out of favor and receives compensation due to this.

Another clue to finding our character may be the position he holds or the role he plays in the company.

Most often the SC becomes:

> HR director or one of his deputies;

> consultant, advisor or personal coach to the manager;

> lawyer;

> secretary or personal assistant to the manager;

> one of the deputy managers;

> psychoanalyst;

> wife or mistress of the leader;

>an astrologer, fortune teller, or other “spiritual guide.”

It is much more difficult for all other members of the team to occupy this position due to the distance from the holder of power. But difficult does not mean impossible. As practice shows, almost any employee can become an eminence grise.

The presence of such a “character” in a company is a certain element of corporate culture. Probably, you can fight him: collect incriminating evidence, look for allies and “make friends against him.” But it’s hardly worth wasting energy on this, unless you yourself plan to take his place. The reason is simple: “Mr. Richelieu” appears in the company not so much due to his own efforts, but because the general manager has a need for such a figure.

In this situation, you can either bang your head against the wall, risking each time dying in battle as the death of the brave, or take into account the gray eminence as one of the features of your organization.

The careers of ignoramuses, whiners and lazy people often develop quite successfully. The reason is simple: their leaders do not like to admit their mistakes, do not want to take risks and do not find the best way get rid of the subordinate who bothered them, except by transferring him to another position.

Several years ago, a manager I knew worked in a company that created software. One of his colleagues was distinguished by a secretive character, had a bad attitude towards his work and colleagues, and was extremely reluctant to carry out orders from management.

This employee was transferred from department to department, and as a result, he had three new positions in two years. His resume looked perfect. On paper he may have appeared to be a huge contributor to the company, but in reality managers were trying hard to get rid of him and taking every opportunity to push him into another department.

A bad employee often becomes an unwitting accomplice in the perfect office crime: a manager who must rid his team of an unnecessary person allows doubt about his actions, avoids direct confrontation and encourages incompetence.

There are plenty of losers and lazy people in any company. These people are not fired because no one wants to admit that they made a mistake in choosing an employee. And there is another possibility: whiners are very easy to recruit into any corporate games, in which they quite worthily perform their assigned roles. Incompetent managers use ignoramuses as a cover for their own shortcomings, since in the game “Who is to Blame” it is very easy to find someone responsible.

One of my friends worked for many years in a company where its manager promoted strict rules: “I’m the boss - you’re a fool!” She entered the office half-bent, shuddered, looked around in search of cameras and wiretaps, whined and complained, but did not leave the company. It is difficult to say whether she was a highly qualified specialist; those around her responded quite decently, but over the years of work she did not receive a single encouragement from management. She literally begged and begged for the bonus that was due to her, endured endless excuses and postponements, was proud of her honesty and was perplexed when, from her annoying questions, the managers winced and tried to quickly disappear from sight. When her immediate boss deigned to get angry, she pursed her lips resentfully and theatrically exclaimed: “For what? What have I done to you? This situation suited everyone, apparently. She was used to plug emergency situations and holes, transferring from one department to another, she whined and complained, but got the job done. Until I recommended her to another company. My friend had long hesitations and doubts, and I was perplexed: if the company treats you like this, if you always have your face on the table, how can you not respect yourself? She convinced her: you are alone, don’t you want a better life? I'm naive! After all, I thought that all these outbursts and her whining were a gesture of despair, and she rushed to save her (and the old woman can get screwed, as you can see!). In general, she moved to another company. I quit quickly, and on this occasion I endured an hour and a half monologue: “Why didn’t they even try to keep me?” However, I experienced all the “delights” of my friend’s better life with new strength, because she rightly judged that I was the culprit of the transformation and was directly responsible for it. During the time that she adapted to the new company, I was bombarded with so many details, doubts, fears, questions and whining that I regretted my recommendation. But this was not the worst thing in my situation. The horror came later - when she was fired. It was then that it was time for me to flee or immediately organize my own company, where I could accept a shipwrecked “colleague”. The funny thing is that she began to try to return to her company and told me: “Yes, I’m ready to crawl on my belly, if only they would take me back.” She was not accepted into the old company, although at first they promised to “consider the issue” - with a demotion in position and salary by fifty percent. Our relationship, of course, came to naught, she didn’t forgive me... just what?

In general, the moral suggests itself: whiners are not sharks, but they can ruin your life thoroughly. Therefore, if they whine, let them whine, step aside and don’t interfere with people’s creativity. Of course, if you are not their leader. I would advise leaders not to engage in humanism and self-salvation, but to drive them to where the songs of whiners and mediocrities are pleasing to the ear.

Among the corporate “sharks”, sooner or later you will see gray cardinals, favorites, power fighters, and well-connected idiots.

What if the most dangerous shark in your company turns out to be its founder? And your corporate happiness will someday come to an end, because you turned out to be just a character in the Karabas-Barabas theater, and you imagined who knows what.

An internal crisis broke out in the company I once loved. As a result of this, the company disappeared, but crisis management “kept” the company afloat for four months in the absence of any resources. My colleagues and I entered last tip directors and fought for the company as if it were her own business. Only some time later the meaning of what had happened began to dawn on me: how sophisticatedly they had used us! And how come we not only didn’t realize this, but also mistook the whole forgery for our own beliefs.

I once wrote an article about those events, “A Chronicle of a Single Crisis Through the Eyes of an Eyewitness.” I offer an excerpt from it as an ode to insight.

Crisis (interior portrait)

Time passed, and the crisis made one grimace after another. The categories of our clients changed following the issued obligations. Now people appeared in the queue “for money”, one glance at whom was enough to determine the type of their activity. Actually, this category did not hesitate to inform everyone present regarding the consequences of non-payment for us (employees) and for the company as a whole.

What was surprising was that it did not immediately occur to any of the leaders conducting the negotiations to make sure that personal Security was ensured. The paradoxical fact was that halfway through we discovered our complete insecurity. For example, to my question, the head of the Security group answered the following: “Don’t drive a car when leaving home - look around when approaching work - look around when crossing the street in the wrong place, look left first...” If I had been given a lecture on traffic rules in the spirit of traffic police inspectors, my satisfaction would be incomparably higher.

And the imagination and sophistication of the “special” category of clients grew. If it weren’t so sad and alarming, many of them could qualify for a prize in the category “For the most original method of reprisal.”

There were also employees, or rather personnel, who, although they were not the main resource of the organization (as we understood earlier), nevertheless continued their work with clients in the absence of all other resources. The best behavior was sit-ins and outright sabotage; the worst was panic and terror, resulting in an endless stream of hostility and aggression towards management, and ultimately an endless stream of resignations.

Employees needed confidence in the illusory tomorrow, words of encouragement and information, at least some information that would give the slightest certainty, and there were also needs for many other things: guarantees of the security of clients and their personal security, justification of the purpose of our continued stay in the current capacity and much more that would answer the question: “Where are we?...” The period has already passed when the bulk asked the traditional question for the Russian intelligentsia: “What to do?” (variation - “Who is to blame?”), everyone wanted to see the light at the end of the Endless Tunnel.

It is worth noting that the main expectations were associated with the leaders of crisis management, since who, if not us, according to the department employees, had all the information? In reality, everything was somewhat different; our needs were mainly related to obtaining the same certainty. The difference was that certainty was needed not so much for “ own use”, while for broadcasting and replication to the masses, we ourselves still demonstrated sufficient resistance to various kinds of stress factors. Any attempts to obtain the necessary information from the author of this process ended in going into “strategic distances” and very vague prospects. The “original source” also had other methods to circumvent reality, but this sophisticated tactic of behavior will be written about later.

We “jammed” the lack of information about the real state of affairs with the inspired performance of legends and battle marches (text and music " unknown author", our arrangement) at meetings in all divisions of the company. It is interesting to note that the text of this “Road Song” was formed gradually. The author threw in one line at a time (and a line, as usual, from a song...), and our virtuosic performance turned a simple hit about the vicissitudes of our lives into a Hymn for the Crazy Braves or something like that.

Yes, of course, a crisis is an excellent cure for illusions as well. The very first clash of interests between employees and administration put both sides in an extremely difficult situation. On all applications submitted, at the direction of “Himself,” there should be a resolution: “It is not ordered to let them in.” The feeling that the trap had slammed shut arose not only among the employees who decided to leave the company, but also among us, who continued the exhausting and ultimately pointless struggle for the survival of something that no longer existed.

The genius of manipulation, or What is “loyalty”?

“Today we have a very important issue on our agenda, directly related to the life of the company.” Thus began another emergency meeting with our “legendary and invincible” general director. We, at that time five other directors, had a lot of questions that really related to the life of the company. The deadline for responding to previously issued obligations was approaching. The promised lines of credit were never opened; tension increased not only among clients, but also the tension within the company was palpable. Litigation was on the horizon, there was a threat to remain with “not the main resource,” but only with a handful of the most dedicated employees.

We prepared to receive answers to our questions, but something surprising awaited us. So, “a question concerning the life of the company” turned out to be “a question about the loyalty of leaders.” There was a heavy pause, accompanied by a “destroying” look from “Himself.” What can I say - the effect was stunning, each of us had a creaking, knocking, rattling sound in our heads, in a second our entire previously lived life flashed by with all the details, everyone was actively looking for that very moment of “puncture”, simultaneously exploring the sources of information about the “discrediting honor” and the dignity of leader behavior." It was a superbly thought out and well-directed performance, and without knowing it we found ourselves actors in someone else's play. This was followed by a proposal to tell each of us about the signs and facts of disloyalty, we nodded in unison, and the “verdicts” were announced. Of the five of us, only one turned out to be loyal (apparently there weren’t enough informed sources). Needless to say, the subsequent course of the meeting was changed in accordance with the opportunity to “rehabilitate”. On the topic proposed by “Sam”, we happily rushed to invent various options. By the way, the wording of our “sins” was as insignificant as our desire to “fall into mercy” was great. For example, one of the directors was told that at such a crucial moment he was looking for a way to retreat, that is, he was trying to find a job and even considering some options (the director did not even try to refute this, perhaps this was a session of “mind reading” ), another was told: “And you are a generally incomprehensible figure, either you work or not...”, the third was accused of periodically throwing hysterics and instability of the internal (!) state, but I was charged earlier (I was awarded personal contact), so there was no point in repeating it. The plot of the accusation brought against me deserves special attention due to the structure of the subterfuges of a substantive nature. In fact, he was a classic in terms of harsh methods of manipulation. The situation was like this: shortly after being appointed to the position (without discussing the conditions and tasks), I received an envelope with a new salary and discovered that my rate in the conditions of anti-crisis management was significantly lower than that of my colleagues. Despite the fact that information about salaries was always confidential, of course, we knew who received how much in connection with the new appointment. This was the reason for my appeal, although in fact I was not satisfied with the situation of “presenting a fact.” After a long, long time overcoming the administrative secretary, I finally achieved a telephone audience. I expressed my desire to sit down at the negotiating table, in response to which I received the same thing: “You are forcing me to doubt your loyalty” (appeal to personality, “bet on false shame” - that’s what this technique is called). I assured that my loyalty is manifested in the fact that I am in the company and working in a crisis. “Here you go, work, and we’ll discuss the conditions based on the result” (“globalism, the desire to drown the idea” - the next technique was not long in coming). In response to my desire to clarify what exactly was meant by the result, the same technique was carried out again with the wording “so that the company would work as before.” In this context, it was unnecessary to remind that to achieve such a result, it was clearly not enough for me alone, so I again turned to objective criteria, namely, compensation that corresponds to the tasks, content and costs, in the end. What immediately followed: “You have ten minutes to decide whether you will work or not. Think about it and let me know about your decision” (“shutter tactics” is what this technique is called and is used in the form of rude and outright pressure). I said that I didn’t need ten minutes, because I had decided from the very beginning and the question was something else... then the finale was played, which in the tactics of tricks is called “refusal of negotiations”: “Well, let’s consider what we should discuss there’s nothing more... (the phone was hung up).” I experienced classic reactions in the form of annoyance, irritation, bewilderment and other vivid emotions, noting to myself that the entire set inherent in a tough game was present. From the point of view of countering manipulation, I completed the task, but these were separate tactical throws within the coolest strategic manipulation, programmed taking into account all the personal characteristics and ambitions of the participants in the process.

The last picture (final)

Some time later, having realized the absurdity and predictability of the situation, we finally gave ourselves the opportunity to look at the processes in the projection “from above.” The picture that emerged was bleak, but that was not the point of the howl. Perhaps each of us, realizing our position, did not have the courage to formulate main reason what we were so shamelessly taken advantage of was the belief (aka illusion) that everything could end well. Faith and unbelief are two sides of the same coin, you can hold on to both. If you look beyond this barrier, it turns out that you need completely different criteria, a different support. In the current situation, we were driven by the fear of being left without familiar landmarks. Even the question of responsibility was replaced in our minds by a sense of responsibility. For some of my colleagues, including me, leaving the company was not considered for this very reason. The slogan “If not us, then who?” gave way to another: “We did everything in our power.” It seemed that it would be worthy and noble to be the last to leave, closing the door behind the owl.

The personal ending of this story for me was the final plot, played out in one of the last meetings with “Sim.” Three of my four colleagues submitted a statement, and the general director, having immediately transferred me to the category of “loyal” leaders, invited me to a meeting. The beginning was traditional: “You and your colleagues put me in stalemate. You've got me against the wall." (Note: we presented an ultimatum demanding that we pay part of the salary, otherwise we refused to go to work. This was not a demand for money, but the only criterion for testing the honesty of our relationship. “Sam” did not pass the test.) I interrupted the accusatory speech, saying that if they called me for the purpose of “moving my face around the table,” then that’s enough. Then there was the following trick: “You offended me.” To which I noticed that we were offended, in this case, even earlier. And, of course, she called for constructiveness.

The next brilliant move was made very soulfully: “I don’t know if I can trust you...” I still offered to agree on other criteria not related to faith. Nothing else followed this except his unexpected confession, that in some ways I was right, considering employees to be the main resource...

In this long fight, I most likely won. But neither the admission of rightness, nor the exposure of the entire strategy of tricks brought a feeling of joy. So, the conclusion is simple: in manipulative games there are no winners, there are only losses. There is, of course, a gain - experience from which everyone learns. However, there is another aspect. After some time, we all assessed the degree of our own vulnerability and empirically calculated the so-called zone of permissible exposure. Of course, this is what gave us confidence and formed our readiness for mature, even more legendary exploits...

From French: Eminence grise. Literally: Gray Eminence. In France in the 17th century. this was the nickname of the assistant to Cardinal (from 1622) Richelieu (1585 1642) of the Capuchin monk Father Joseph François le Clerc du Trambey, who was right hand cardinal and... Dictionary winged words and expressions

eminence grise- noun, number of synonyms: 1 puppeteer (6) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary

eminence grise- about someone who has great power, but does not occupy a corresponding high position and remains in the shadows. The turnover is associated with the name of the monk - Father Joseph, confidant, inspirer and participant in the intrigues of Cardinal Richelieu... Phraseology Guide

cardinal- CARDINAL, ah, husband. 1. For Catholics: the highest (after the pope) spiritual rank, as well as the person who has this rank. 2. unchangeable The same as crimson (the color of a cardinal’s robe). The eminence grise is a person who has great power, but does not occupy... ... Dictionary Ozhegova

cardinal- I. CARDINAL a, m. cardinal m., lat. cardinalis. 1. Highest clergyman after the pope catholic church, whose distinctive sign is a red hat and robe; a person having this rank. BAS 1. There are cases in which the smallest number... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

Cardinal- This term has other meanings, see Cardinal (meanings). The vestments of cardinals Cardinal ... Wikipedia

grey- adj., used very often Morphology: grey, grey, grey, grey; grayer; adv. gray 1. Gray is a color intermediate between black and white, as well as an object of this color. Gray building. | Gray screen. | Gray overcoat. | Automobile gray. |… … Dmitriev's Explanatory Dictionary

Grey colour- This article lacks links to sources of information. Information must be verifiable, otherwise it may be questioned and deleted. You can... Wikipedia

Cardinal (color)- Cardinal Color coordinates HEX #C41E3A RGB¹ (r, g, b) (196, 30, 58) CMYK² ... Wikipedia

Dark Cardinal- Eminence grise is the name given to influential people (especially in politics) who act behind the scenes and usually do not hold formal positions with such powers. Contents 1 Origin of the concept 2 Examples in history 3 Literature ... Wikipedia

Books

• Banker. The Gray Cardinal, Dick Francis. We present to your attention a collection of novels by D. Francis... Buy for 490 rubles
• Martin Borman. `Grey Cardinal` of the III Reich, Pavel Pavlenko. 1998 edition. The condition is good. Martin Bormann is one of the most mysterious and terrible personalities in the history of the Third Reich. The main office killer committed his crimes without leaving...

You are honest, hardworking, principled. But he doesn't. You act openly, and he acts on the sly. You want to be on everyone's minds and lips. And he prefers the shade. Which one of you will climb the career ladder faster and take the first prize? Don't rush to answer, it's not so obvious. After all, you are just a top manager. And he is a gray eminence.

How to calculate SC?

As you know, it is very difficult to look for a black cat in a dark room, especially if it is not there. The cardinal gray is gray for that reason, so that he can easily hide against any background, pretend to be a rag in any situation, and only then... But then it will be too late, so if there is the slightest suspicion that there is a gray cardinal at work in the company, he needs to be identified immediately. And to do this, we first need to determine who exactly we are looking for, and from whom the potential danger may come.

Psychological portrait of the UK

We immediately exclude bright, emotional employees and pronounced extroverts from the list of suspects.

We draw attention to those who avoid publicity, do not strive to get into the forefront, but are not devoid of ambition.

Most often, phlegmatic people with a hidden thirst for power or people with strong character, nose big amount complexes.

Reasonable people who love to draw up schemes, plans, and develop strategies are suitable for such a role.

The gray cardinal is at the same time a poor communicator, but a good psychologist, an “expert in human souls.”

In addition, this is a person who does not value people, has no friends and does not strive to acquire them.

The greatest satisfaction for such a “character” comes from a situation about which he can say, “I did it, but no one knows about it.”

Often a gray cardinal is an employee who is close to the manager by mutual consent. In this case, he can play the role of his antipode according to the principle “A bad investigator is a good investigator”

If you do not feel psychological talent in yourself and cannot distinguish a phlegmatic person from a choleric person, then the “360 degree” technique will help you detect a shadow figure. Although, according to Svetlana Chumakova, most often there is no need for such a serious and expensive study, since usually everyone in the company knows the gray cardinal very well, even if they hide it.

Another clue to finding our character may be the position he holds or the role he plays in the company.

Most often the SC becomes:
HR director or one of his deputies
Consultant, advisor or personal executive coach
Lawyer
Secretary or personal assistant to the manager
One of the deputy managers
Psychoanalyst
Leader's wife or mistress
Astrologer, fortune teller or other "spiritual guide"

It is much more difficult for all other members of the team to occupy this position, due to the distance from the holder of power. But difficult does not mean impossible. As practice shows, almost any employee can become an eminence grise.

When the subject is discovered, it is time to move on to solving the second, much more complex problem.

How to get rid of SC?

In order to free herself from the influence of favorites and gray cardinals who brought her to power, Empress Catherine the Great launched an expensive and adventurous project, which went down in history as the “division of Poland.” And although its goal was achieved: both the Potemkins and the Orlovs were removed from the throne, this method can hardly be considered particularly effective. How can we part with the gray figure behind our back today with minimal losses?

Anastasia Kulikova, leading consultant of the Step Consulting Center: - The presence of such a “character” in a company is a certain element of corporate culture. Probably, you can fight him: collect incriminating evidence, look for allies and “make friends against him.” But it’s hardly worth wasting energy on this, unless you yourself plan to take his place. The reason is simple: “Mr. Richelieu” appears in the company not so much due to his own efforts, but because the general manager has a need for such a figure.

Marina Knyazeva, consulting psychologist, Lambre company: - Getting rid of someone does not mean expelling you from the company. The eminence grise, or informal leader, needs to highlight his own sphere of activity, and he may even have to be promoted. If the influence informal leader positively, his appointment to a leadership position will benefit both him: he will switch his energy into a peaceful direction, and the team: people will be drawn to him. If the influence was negative, then, having become one of those in power, he will lose the authority of the oppositionist in the eyes of the people. But the most important thing in this situation is to learn how to control the gray eminence, and for this you need to understand what control levers he himself uses. A “controlled” eminence grise can be very useful to the company, but an expelled informal leader can cause enormous harm, especially if he is a truly valuable figure. Your competitors may shelter him, but a person with such a character does not forgive offenses and does not forget for a long time. So, before you get into a fight, think about how it might end.

Vasily Pigin, managing partner of Dialogue Management Consulting: - The easiest way to identify the gray cardinal is to determine who is endowed with the maximum amount of “undeserved” privileges. This means that in order to get rid of such an informal leader, you just need to make the secret obvious. Change the decision-making process and the distribution of benefits so that they become transparent, and the cardinal will leave... But in this case, could the cardinal grise become the official leader? Perhaps yes, but it will be very difficult for him to overcome the habit of manipulating others, since this problem is from the area of ​​internal beliefs.

How to become an SK?

But perhaps you are faced with a different task. You intend to put on the gray suit of an “underground worker” yourself. Andrey N., Deputy HR Director, talks about how this is done: “Every company, even the most prosperous one, has its own pitfalls, currents, and sometimes there are even sunken submarines. Ours was no exception, I realized this almost immediately. And I decided to take a risk and embark on this underwater adventure full of dangers in search of, if not the treasures of the dead captains, then at least a better position, salary, and in the future... But more on that later.

After a month of work, I realized that none of the department heads, deputy chiefs and their deputies were going to retire, die, or look for another job in the near future, and, therefore, there was no point in thinking about moving up the career ladder by doing your job honestly. There was only one thing left - to become an informal leader. But how? Having applied all the knowledge acquired at the institute and the experience of previous places of work, I developed an action plan, which I began to strictly implement. If you are in a similar situation, and you have no other opportunity to realize your ambitions, you can take it into use. As time has shown, I chose the absolutely correct tactics.

Strategic plan to seize power:

Finding a current informal leader (this is not difficult) or a gray eminence (much more difficult). And gain his favor or at least attract his attention. How: To do this, you just need to encounter him more often in a variety of situations, always provide him with small services, volunteer to carry out assignments.

Become an indispensable employee not only for your immediate superior, but also for his boss. How: Do a little more work than assigned, anticipate what else might be assigned, always be aware of what is happening in the team, clients, competitors, etc.

Gradually but regularly expand your powers, first capturing some of the capabilities of your colleagues, and then your boss. How: Replace someone who is sick or has gone on vacation, and after returning, keep some of his most important powers to himself.

Make friends with people who enter the boss’s office and have influence on him. How: Find out what they are interested in, hobbies, where they go, and begin to be interested in the same things, visit the same places.

Copy your boss's working style. How to: Work when the boss is working, maintain the same dress code, and treat all other employees the same way as possible.

Become a member and soul of the office informal organization or associations. How: Actively participate in all their events, offer your ideas on this topic.

Under no circumstances:

*get involved in the struggle between various bosses, in the most acute cases, take sick leave or vacation;
*show off your real opportunities and power until the time comes;
*tell no one anything incriminating about yourself, preferably nothing specific at all;
*show how you really feel about your boss, and especially his boss;
*argue over important issues, at the same time, you can defend your opinion on little things, so as not to seem like a person,
completely without an opinion.

I can guarantee that if you strictly follow these rules, then at most in six months your position in your favorite office will change: regardless of your position, they will treat you first with caution, then attentively, then respectfully, then with caution, and then... It all depends only on you: if you want to take power into your hands, you will. As for me personally, I did not miss such a pleasant opportunity. But most importantly, never take the struggle for informal leadership too seriously. It's just a game. Otherwise, instead of the robe of a gray eminence, you may end up with a straitjacket.

Literature “on topic”: D. McGovern “Martin Bormann. Gray cardinal in a brown uniform", 2000, "Phoenix";
V. Kraskova “Grey Cardinals of the Kremlin”, 1999, “Modern Writer”

So, the gray cardinal is exposed, exposed and expelled from the company. Now you can finally work in peace. Unless, during the righteous struggle, you forgot how to do this, and a new gray guard did not arise around you, helping you in the struggle for sole leadership... Although this is also not so scary, because now you know how to identify the gray cardinal and how to get rid of him . And this activity, as practice shows, is very exciting.

Interesting, calm, confident, friendly, well-educated, professional in his field - in general, an ideal subordinate. But in Lately you began to notice characteristics that do not correspond to the image of your employee. He finds himself indirectly involved in behind-the-scenes games; it turns out that on occasion he turns to his superiors, ignoring his immediate supervisor. Common situation? Here is one of the types of subordinates - the “gray cardinal”.

Nose to the wind

It is quite difficult to identify such an employee. Knowledge own merits gives him confidence in his actions. And, it’s true, his colleagues and managers characterize him positively. The “gray cardinal” tends to play in the dark, without involving strangers in his plans. He feels well the situation and those around him: what needs to be done at one time or another, to whom to say what. Possessing developed communication and empathic abilities, he knows how to tune a person into in the right direction, or provide the support that is expected of him, of course, if it is beneficial for our hero. Being well versed in the ups and downs of relationships, people of this type are able to maneuver between warring camps. They manage to sit on two chairs at once, because they use every opportunity “one hundred percent” for their benefit. The hero is distinguished by the ability to plan in advance, and at the same time performs the functions of a “quick response team.” Thus, positive external traits are combined with internal inclinations, but the orientation of his abilities does not give him the right to be called the best employee.

Find and neutralize

As a rule, the “gray cardinal” is busy with administrative work or manages a small project. But he does not intend to stop there. The main motive of the professional movement is the need for power. Therefore, he pursues his own policies, sometimes to the detriment of the interests of the leader. What methods does he use and what is his strategy? Workers of this type try to establish connections and contacts with superiors and influential people. If necessary, they may well take advantage of their professional position. In order to establish a relationship, they can enter into a conversation with a “high-ranking” interlocutor on behalf of the company in which our hero works, or speaking on behalf of the manager. They strive to gain people's support high society. In the eyes of the “gray eminence,” proximity to influential people provides real strength, which provides grounds for expanding the boundaries of one’s power.

The technique of behavior of the hero with leadership deserves special attention. He can use a political technique: “exchange of favors” with a superior. What is the meaning of this technique? If a manager has personal problems, it is quite possible that a “gray eminence” will be nearby. He is the one who will help you “cope” with difficult situation, or rather, do not develop this topic among employees. For a small favor in the future, he will count on your special favor. Knowing psychological feature, he skillfully uses it: in a familiar work environment, a person can be taken by surprise if the problems of his personal life are exposed to public scrutiny. There is no manifestation of flattery or flirting with superiors; both sides accept the rules of the game. For example, an employee (belonging to this type does not depend on gender characteristics) witnessed an unpleasant conversation between the manager and her family. To which the boss asked not to tell the staff about what was happening, for fear of the spread of rumors and gossip. Later, other things being equal, the employee and other employees received priority.

Management is nothing more than getting other people to work. Lee Iacoca

Not only the suppression of certain circumstances, but also the presentation of information in a special way is the merit of the cardinal. The presentation of the material and the project is presented in a favorable light. Moreover, the authorship business proposal is attributed to oneself, even if a collective effort has been made. Therefore, trust, but verify!

If the cardinal is a secretary or assistant, then they carefully control access to the leader. The rest of the employees behave especially politely towards them, because sometimes it depends on them how soon the meeting with the boss will take place. That is, taking advantage of their professional position, they extend power to their colleagues.

What to do?

Having understood who is in front of us, we need to learn how to work with such a person. You're not going to fire him, are you? He suits you as a specialist. You just need to follow some rules when interacting with the “cardinal”.

1. Always maintain chain of command. Don't join frank conversations. Anything you say can be used against you.
2. Try to communicate privately, using the effect of surprise. Say that you understand the interlocutor’s behavior strategy. He is unlikely to admit it, but he will stop repeating his actions.
3. Don’t be led, remember that this is a person who is fluent in manipulation techniques.
4. If you begin to impose sanctions on a person suspected of “unjust actions,” then you will earn the reputation of an incompetent leader who can only control through intimidation.
5. As paradoxical as it may sound, delegate some of your powers to him.

His main need is power. Let him have it. In accordance with new position he will have to bear additional responsibility: for all misconduct, failure to fulfill plans - he will be responsible for the entire department to senior management. Thus, you will reorient it; now the vigorous activity must be put into action!

“White crows” are not such rare “birds”. IN kindergarten the child is not accepted by other children into their play because he is not like everyone else. Moreover, the nature of the differences is different basis: for example, a child is overweight and therefore clumsy, or, on the contrary, he orients himself so well in a game situation that he constantly wins. Different thinking and behavior are not welcomed at school either by classmates or teachers. In adult life The uniqueness and originality of a person is not always favorably accepted by others. On unusual people they look with interest, curiosity, but at the same time with fear. It is not always possible to restrain emotions and patiently accept the characteristics of another person.

Smoke without fire

Quite often the object of dissatisfaction becomes ordinary people. If we consider the area professional life, then this phenomenon can be noticed during the adaptation period of employees in a new team. As a rule, newcomers, when they go to work, try to do their best. They stay late in the office, take on extra responsibilities, and strive to join the team. Such diligence is not clearly perceived by colleagues. Someone, taking advantage of the situation, is trying to transfer some of their responsibilities to a newcomer. Other employees take a wait-and-see attitude: they carefully monitor the actions of the new employee in order to highlight mistakes on occasion.

Public opinion is always more oppressive towards those who are clearly afraid of it than towards those who are indifferent to it.

No matter how the situation develops, the new employee is guaranteed attention. But first of all, what is needed is not controlling attention, but helping, promoting the professional development of a specialist. Mentors facilitate this process. So, an employee who got a job as an office manager found herself in an awkward situation. Her sincere desire to cope as best as possible official duties caused hostility from colleagues. They tried in every possible way to complicate her life: either the secretary “forgot” to convey the director’s order, or Required documents“didn’t show up” on time. Then the employee and her mentor turned to their superiors with a request to look into the matter, not being able to independently solve the problems that had arisen. A conversation between the manager and his subordinates took place: the instigators, of course, were not found, but the seriousness of the situation was clear to everyone.

Stay afloat

Why is mobbing (non-acceptance of an employee by colleagues, resulting in exclusion from the team) such a common phenomenon in the professional community? One answer: incompatibility of people. When initially selecting a professional team, target specialists who adhere to a similar value system or have common interests. It is impossible to create a team of individuals who completely match their life goals, attitudes, and characters. And in this case, the business will suffer, because when hiring you will have to focus, first of all, on personal qualities applicants. Therefore, when selecting personnel, you should rely on professionalism, while not forgetting to study the motivational system of candidates, highlight the range of their interests, which will contribute to team unity in the future.

In order not to cause additional hostility among staff towards a colleague, a recommendation to the manager: treat everyone equally - evenly, in a businesslike manner, do not pick favorites. The appearance of favorites causes a feeling of indignation. Each person, motivated to perform his duties, performs his work at a certain pace: some faster, some slower, based on personal characteristics. According to the laws of psychology, you cannot compare people with each other. The results of one person’s activities in different periods time. Movement in one's own professional development deserves praise.

If the problem of an employee’s hostility with the team has arisen, then the manager should under no circumstances ignore internal conflict. If gossip or rumors appear as one of the methods of “office battles,” then you should react negatively to them, thereby stopping the spread of negative information that can lead to disorganization of the company.

One way to prevent underhanded games is to have an open conversation. At the negotiating table, tell us what specifically worries you. Having expressed their suspicions, the employees involved in the intrigues are unlikely to immediately openly confess. But they may well think about it and reconsider their views if they realize that this causes dissatisfaction on the part of management. During a conversation, you should avoid an accusatory tone. An employee who has become a scapegoat should not look like a victim in the eyes of the team. He should not be pitied and reproached by others. Otherwise, you will earn yourself a reputation as an unpopular boss.

Aggressive, tough behavior is not the best option in this situation. You should demonstrate to your subordinates that you are serious: you do not intend to lose sight of the current state of affairs. Yours Attentive attitude to the situation will help you find peace in the work atmosphere.

• Personnel policy, Corporate culture

"Grey cardinal" or "schemer". Who is who?

There have been, are and will be intrigues in any company with more than two employees. This is human nature. Not everyone, but many of us, think that if we move someone close to us, our own talents will shine in a new light.

Are all “weaving webs” in the office harmful? For most of us, the concept of an intriguer-scandalist and a grise eminence are one and the same. But it is not so. Today we will figure out who is who in the intricacies of office conspiracies.

The éminence grise of your office.

This is a clear leader, and one who has little power from a formal point of view. But it is this person who controls the situation, minds and hearts in your team. The very concept of “gray cardinal” arose thanks to Francois Leclerc du Tremblay (Father Joseph), a monk of the Capuchin Order, head of the chancellery of Richelieu. This personality ruled both Richelieu and King Louis XIII.

Using this example historical figure the following definition can be given:

Eminence grise- a person with pronounced leadership qualities, an intelligent person with an analytical mind, a good speaker, capable of captivating others with his ideas. This person does his business not in the name of selfish goals, but in the name of the “common good” and prefers to remain in the shadows.

To achieve the goal, this type of personality goes to any length. For him, “the end justifies the means.” And these are not just words, this is a lifestyle, so the entire arsenal can be used to achieve a goal: intelligence, analysis, the gift of persuasion, bribery, flattery, cunning, deceit. With such methods, he can be confused with an intriguer.

From the point of view of modern business, having a “gray eminence” on your staff is a great blessing! The main thing is that he is on the side of management, and his priority is business development and maintaining order in the office. It is important that he cares about the benefits of the matter.

In this case, you have a reliable assistant who will nip in the bud all intrigues and intrigues that harm the common cause, and will develop your business as if it were his own.

back side medals: Office intriguer.

He is aware of everything, has influence, they are afraid of him, and they try not to mess with him. They know or intuitively understand that this person can do harm. In his arsenal: gossip, a sneak attack, slander to his superiors, stolen ideas. But is he a leader? At first glance, yes. He is a prominent person in the office. Often all “secret” power is concentrated in his hands. However, this is only at first glance. He is feared and feared rather than respected.

The goals of these types are diametrically opposed! The first one cares about the cause, but this is not naked altruism. The “Grey Cardinal” either sees the importance of this work or has other motives; but own interests, in any case, come in the background.

An intriguer - only for his personal benefit, as long as he is valued and the company’s business is going uphill. In this case, he is ready to work, sometimes tirelessly. But at the first hint of difficulty or if someone begins to threaten his well-being, the schemer will use his black skill.

Let's look at an example.

Standard case - appears in an organization new employee. From the first day it becomes clear that this is a high-class specialist, a real pro in his field. What actions will the “gray eminence” and the “schemer” take towards him?

In the first case, most likely, the person will take care of the new employee, try to create more comfortable conditions for him, so that nothing disturbs him labor activity, if necessary, will draw the attention of management to this person, and not because it will benefit him, but only for the good of the matter!

In the second case, this is a direct threat to the well-being of the intriguer, especially if their sphere of activity coincides. This means that a lot of negativity will be unleashed on the new person: they will try to incite the team against him, constant nagging and reproaches, and strict control will begin. Everything, even minor mistakes, will be exposed.

Here are two sides of the same coin...

Fire or manage?

Unfortunately, when applying for a job, it is extremely difficult to determine the tendency to intrigue. But don’t worry, after a short time, such an employee will show himself in all his glory. In this case, try to attract to your side the “gray eminence”, this
a person can become your reliable business assistant.

In principle, according to the advice of most psychologists, it is better to part with an intriguer. This is not bad advice, but what should you do if your “schemer” is a valuable specialist?

As a rule, schemers are extraordinary personalities, with creative thinking, invention, fantasy, with active position, ambitious - only all this is aimed at yourself, your loved one. Try to ensure his interests and secure his position, and you can have, if not an “ideological fighter” for the cause, then a very active employee! Your former “schemer,” due to his personal characteristics, will delve into all the affairs of your company and keep all processes under control. All you have to do is control it.