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Consider this – politics is not a dirty word. Yet this word brings up negative feelings, emotions and sometimes fear. Many try to ignore office politics when it happens, pretending it does not exist. But like it or not, it’s here to stay. Politics (good and bad) is an established fact of organizational life. Embrace what’s good about it!
Laugh (at least inside) when someone proclaims in all seriousness, “There are no politics here. We don’t allow it!” Allowed or not, the statement is ludicrous. Whenever there are two or more people collaborating for any reason, you’re witnessing and engaging in politics. So accept the reality. Move away from thinking negatively.
Re-frame your thinking to the constructive, affirming side of politics. That’s the first step.
The second step: build relationships
The secret of positive politics is building relationships. No coded handshakes, passwords or clubs. It’s all about managing stakeholders and the networks you influence. (And, those of influence). Some see this as manipulative, but great consultants learn and embrace the skill.
The third step: evaluate your network
Think of your organization as a giant social media network – LinkedIn or Face book. Take a look at your connections. How many do you have? Even more important: how many of your connections are decision makers? It is not about the number of followers but all about who you can tap into when you need career advice or to sell your next big idea?
Business Leaders are political masters; they understand themselves, their teams, and their environments. Watch any successful leader and you’ll see a great politician – a relationship builder.
There’s an art to building relationships. It’s about intention. Each time you go out of your way to meet someone new, it should not be about you but about the advice you can offer. Think about your connections today.
Although political savvy is a crucial leadership skill, too few organizations build on it. While organizations invest heavily in leadership development and executive coaching, too little time is spent teaching politics and power. Despite this, power and politics is deeply and broadly embedded into nearly every competency framework.
Take a look at Lominger or Emotional Quotient. In the Lominger competency framework, Political Savvy lists at number 48 on the 67 competency list. “A savvy manager can navigate complex political situations effectively and quietly.”
Quietly? What does that mean: don’t tell anyone?
In Goleman’s book, Working With Emotional Intelligence political awareness is touted. “The ability to read political realities is vital to the behind the scenes networking and coalition building that allows someone to wield influence, no matter what the professional role. Mediocre performers lack such social acumen…”
If mediocre performers lack social acumen, is it because we don’t talk about building savvy? I think it is.
Action Step
Instead of shouting your dislike of politics and dismissing its power, ensure that everyone in your realm is equipped to understand and embrace it. The pitfalls of being unaware of politics create a significant impact on talent retention and engagement.
The answer: Build a savvy work force; retain savvy talent to drive stellar performance.
Office Politics 101 : Building Mutually Beneficial Coalitions
Many people consider politics—especially office politics—a scourge, a blight, something to avoid as much as possible. But return to the original Greek meaning of the term “politics” and what you find may astonish you—it has no negative connotations at all.
At its essence “politics” means “building coalitions for the good of the state.”
Every leader needs a loyal group of followers to support his or her idea, objective or goal. Too many people fail to understand that organizations are ecosystems where politics are mandatory, not optional, even though they’re rarely discussed (except in derogatory terms). If you listen closely in office hallways you’ll hear intentionally-desultory remarks: “He (or she) is so political” or “Watch your back—that company is a cesspool of politicians.”
Recognise the verve and value of positive politics
Politics is not always about big power or big money. It’s often about improving people’s lives. So having great political instincts is a crucial leadership skill. Unfortunately rarely is the discipline taught as much as it is “caught” in schools and organizations. Although organizational scholars have been writing about politics for eons, people within organizations recognise or define this skill set as a critical part of management development.
Political savvy defined
“Political savvy” is perhaps best defined in Marty Seldman’s book, Survival of the Savvy. Seldman calls it “the art or science of informal, unofficial and sometimes behind-the-scenes efforts to sell ideas, influence an organization, increase power, or achieve other targeted objectives.” Notice that Seldman’s definition is values neutral. Make what you will of “office politics”; but true political savvy” opens up a world of powerhouse possibilities.
Political savvy flows through the veins of all leaders worthy of the title
So from now on when you’re at work and encounter the whispered term “politics,” don’t run and hide. Don’t put your head in the sand. Tune in and listen.
Action Plan
Listen to the positive, synergistic, strategic rumblings going on around you. Understanding office politics is a critical leadership skill—a skill to hone and embrace – as long as it’s for the good of the organization or team. When you hear chronically negative back-biting from an individual or small group in your organization, it’s your cue to think critically, not to abandon honing your “political savvy.”
Talented women leaving the firm – puzzling? Not really, the fact is women or men not moving ahead will leave. Nothing new there. Yet, employers continue to wring their hands, hire high priced consultants to help the female brain drain. Yes the problem is complex, if we want it to be. But there are simple measures to put in place that may slow down the departures. One of the biggest issues is the lack of role models or opportunities to move ahead.
To change this, organizations need to stop thinking women have different family priorities. Women and men both have responsibilities for family commitments. According to recent McKinsey research most women don’t choose to leave as some do not have this option. And, if they stay they want opportunities to advance – just like anyone else. If not, they will find opportunities elsewhere. Simple.
It is not only family friendly policies and certainly policies only for women exacerbate the problem. By the way, these policies for women only – does not make sense. The policy is family, so why not include both.
Deloitte & Touche, one of the top four audit firms has looked into “certain measures to encourage female employees to stay…” Great, but how about opportunities outside of audit? And does taking family friendly time off hamper careers – most women (and some men) think so…. but Deloitte says otherwise….thinking that more women will remain with the firm (and in Audit) if they know there will be equal career opportunities offered to them even if they take on a reduced workload.
Yet some organizations realize even with family flexible policies, women still leave. Why? Could it be the manager, compensation, opportunities for advancement, or how about I am just bored and need a new opportunity?
Find out what people want and give it to them. Stop with the blanket approach, one size fits all, and one sided policies. Smart companies use a marketing approach segmenting benefits to fit the needs of their employees. In so doing, they increase engagement and save money. Similar to focus groups for customers, when an employee leaves they call them to find out why. Great idea and best to use an external firm for these calls; savvy employees learn never to burn bridges or swap war stories about a narcissistic boss. Most feel comfortable sharing the real reason for leaving with an anonymous third party.
So what is the number one reason why people leave or stay? Typically – the boss – nothing new here.
