I'm re-reading the "How to improve your skill at office politics" entry for the third time now, trying to figure out why something here is bothering me. I think it is an outstanding article, I should mention. It's definitely more positive and helpful than the general commentary and advice on office politics that is currently out there.
And yet, when I think about trying to apply it to working with my situation-- it breaks down once it goes beyond my immediate office (i.e. specifically interacting with members from other departments).
I think the advice works when everyone is being honest. Unfortunately, the organizational structure of hierarchies frequently pits one department against another-- and discourages people to be honest and forthright about their concerns and needs.
I also disagree with the statement about incompetence being excusable if the person is likeable. True, being competent does NOT give you license to treat other people badly-- and if you think otherwise, you need to stop watching House MD reruns and get out in the real world more often. However, I've worked on teams where an incompetent staff member has pretty much single handedly destroyed the performance of that team. It's an absolute morale killer, period. Just ask anyone who's had to work over the weekend to fix the problems caused by another teammate's incompetence. If you cannot or won't learn to do the job correctly, you should admit it and move on to another job that you can do properly.