Politics in the workplace is an undeniable fact of life. How you engage in politics is under your control. You can do this effectively, given the right skills.
People describe politics in their organization as everything from coalition-building to back-stabbing. But the truth is, organizational politics is neither good nor bad; it's simply the air we breathe in organizations.
Your perception of organizational politics shapes how you respond to it. It can also influence how you feel about the organization and your coworkers and how well you do your job. One way to be effective in the inherently political environment of contemporary organizations is to change your way of understanding politics—to become politically savvy. To develop and demonstrate “political intelligence.”
Politics, because it is complex and changing, requires savvy. You can either try to avoid politics (which is impossible) or engage in it reluctantly and accept that politics will exert its influence on you. Or you can embrace politics and commit to building your political skills so that you can leverage politics to your advantage and in service of your team, the organization, and other stakeholders.
Here's a breakdown of behaviors that typify a politically savvy leader. Of the ten behaviors listed below, identify the three that you feel you are currently strongest in and the corresponding three that you feel are most in need of development.
STRENGTH | NEED |
Understands the political nature of the organization. | |
Accepts politics as a natural part of organizational life. | |
Engages in organizational politics. | |
Sees politics as neither good nor bad. | |
Builds relationships through networking. | |
Controls impulses. | |
Reads situations accurately. | |
Responds constructively to disagreements. | |
Comes across as authentic. | |
Inspires others to have trust and confidence in him or her. |
Take a moment to reflect on how your perceived strengths and corresponding development needs in this area have played out in the past and currently. As you progress through this chapter, keep in mind how you might augment or leverage these approaches.
THE USES OF POLITICAL SAVVY: A PRIME MINISTER ON YOUR SIDE
He had been Norway's prime minister since World War II, having served longer than anyone in that position, and he was the only world leader known to have stepped down due to the illness of depression. But the lines on Kjell Magne Bondevik's leadership resume continued to grow after he left politics in 2005. In many respects, his increasing effectiveness as a leader stems from his mastery of the political system.
Bondevik's openness about his depression changed the way Norwegians talk about mental illness. As he told the Bulletin of the World Health Organization: “They were thinking: ‘If the prime minister can talk about his mental health problems, why can't we do it too?’” Awareness then turned to action. Bondevik, a longtime leader of the Christian Democratic Party, used his knowledge of the health-care system and its stakeholders to effectively advocate for funding a massive overhaul of the neglected system.
The former prime minister's efforts were not limited to domestic policy. He became a UN humanitarian envoy to the Horn of Africa and meanwhile founded the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights. The center provided democratic assistance in Kenya, Somalia, the Sudan, and Burma.
Bondevik's journey illustrates how political leadership skills can help people cross boundaries and forge creative alliances. How can you develop political savvy that will make you a more effective leader?
Mindset often stands in the way of developing political savvy. Common beliefs such as the following contribute to a negative perception of politics and encourage avoidance:
Politically savvy leaders see things differently. They adopt a practical and realistic perspective that encourages them to use their political skills, behaviors, and qualities to be effective and accomplish shared objectives. They value sincerity as a vital element in their approach and work hard to build confidence and trust. Following are some of the key mindsets of politically savvy leaders.
POLITICS IS NEUTRAL AND NATURAL
Engaging in politics can lead to desired outcomes while also being positive and authentic. Many politically savvy leaders have developed high-quality relationships and networks, know themselves well, and have a good sense about what is going on around them. They get the resources that they and their subordinates or teams need to function effectively.
They also clearly see politics around them, where employees experience competing interests, scarce resources, ambiguity in decision making and authority, unclear rules and regulations to govern workplace behavior, and a lack of information. But politics to them is not a zero-sum game where they work the system to their own advantage and to the disadvantage of others. They regard workplace politics as neutral. They understand workplace realities and use that knowledge to influence others to act in ways that enhance personal and organizational objectives.
Once you consider, understand, and accept that organizational politics is neutral and a natural part of everyday occurrences in the workplace, you can appropriately build your capacity to lead effectively in that environment. You can be regarded as someone with effective political savvy in your organization, one who can influence and persuade others in a sincere, authentic manner.
NETWORKING WORKS
Leaders who possess a strong networking ability build cooperative, beneficial relationships with their colleagues. Networking comes easily to some people, while for others it feels like a political move. If you are among the latter, consider changing your thinking. In other words, think of networking as a way to build and enhance a support group of diverse people. If that doesn't sell the idea, think of the social capital you build by networking as a critical factor to your success and that of your team.
Your network probably includes peers and other people over whom you have no direct authority. To lead in contemporary organizations, you need to develop the ability to influence others in order to accomplish your organization's work. Although this may not be new to you, the recognition that you already know how to negotiate and manage conflict among your peer networks is a step toward building your political savvy. (For more on developing your networking skills, see Chapter 18.)
“THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COZYING UP TO POWER AND BEING CLOSE TO POWER.”
— BONO
Count to ten, think twice before speaking, choose your battles—how many times have you heard or said one of these? Chances are there have been a lot. Impulse control is important, and it can also help you avoid a mistake like sharing an idea prematurely, shooting down another person's idea, telling an inappropriate joke, or using humor at the wrong time.
Direct reports characterize managers who lack impulse control as hostile, aggressive, and intolerant—especially when things don't go the manager's way. Do you tend to remain calm in a crisis and when recovering from mistakes, or do you let your anger escalate and lead you down a path where you lose composure?
In some organizations it may be difficult to discuss workplace politics, much less to ask for help in developing political savvy. Even if you work in such an organization, there's still hope. In this section we provide simple ideas and exercises to help you accentuate skills, behaviors, and qualities that are vital to being effective in political environments.
MINGLE STRATEGICALLY
The ability to build strategic relationships and garner support is important for the success of any leader. When it comes to building political savvy, it is essential. The easiest way to get started is to look at your current network. When you hear the word networking, you may think of handing out business cards, going to a networking or professional event, or even schmoozing. Networking goes far beyond that. Try the following techniques:
CAUTION! If you manage others, don't spend so much time building your network upward and outward that you forget to develop and manage your direct reports.
“LEADERSHIP IS THE ART OF GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO DO SOMETHING YOU WANT DONE BECAUSE HE WANTS TO DO IT.”
— DWIGHT EISENHOWER
READ THE SITUATION
Politically savvy managers tend to be perceptive observers of others and of social situations. This kind of social astuteness involves observation, self-awareness, and the ability to adapt and tailor behavior to different environmental conditions. Here are some ways to more effectively read what's going on around you.
CAUTION! Reading the situation can take time, but over-examination can lead to action avoidance if you're not careful.
BE CONSTRUCTIVE, NOT DESTRUCTIVE
When figuring out how to handle disagreements or influence others, take a step back, gain perspective, and write down what you think would happen if you behave a certain way. Think about what others would think of you if you went with one action versus another. Also, write down what you think others are thinking or feeling in the situation. In other words, what are their perspectives? Understanding their perspectives can help you figure out what you should do in the situation. You may even want to go so far as to ask others what they are thinking or feeling to help you gain more perspective. Also consider these approaches to manage difficult situations:
CAUTION! Be careful that you don't overcorrect and avoid or smooth over conflict for the sake of harmony or personal gain.
“BUILD YOUR OPPONENT A GOLDEN BRIDGE TO RETREAT ACROSS.”
— SUN TZU
LEAVE THEM WITH A GOOD IMPRESSION
What kind of impression do you make on others? Do they consider you trustworthy? Whether or not you consider yourself politically savvy, you may have thought of workplace politics as manipulation.
When asked if you want to manipulate your colleagues to get the much-needed funds for a top-priority project, you're likely to say no. But when asked if you could influence them in some way to get the funds, you probably would say yes.
Manipulation is one form of influence that can alienate your colleagues even if it is considered a justifiable means to an end. Politically astute managers struggle in these situations, but they have learned that being authentic—honest, sincere, trustworthy, and genuine—inspires others to trust and have confidence in them. Enhance your authenticity with these approaches:
CAUTION! Don't try too hard to impress!
Use the following worksheet to map your political network. Write your name inside the oval. Then think of the people in your network, including those you would like to get to know because of their influence, power, reputation, or ability to get or provide resources. Put the names of those you have strong or close connections with closer to your oval than those you have weak or distant connections with. Look for patterns in your connections. Also look to see whether those you have close connections with are in some way connected to those you have distant connections with and consider whether you can get to know the latter through the former.
KEY TAKEAWAYS in DEMONSTRATING POLITICAL SAVVY
18.226.185.196