Politics
are a reality of life in business.
The point is not to avoid politics.
The point is not to avoid politics.
The
point is to navigate political situations
without compromising yourself or others.
without compromising yourself or others.
The title of this article probably
made you twinge. You may have laughed or
shaken your head no. You may have even
added a sound of disgust for good measure.
No surprise. Most people see workplace
politics as bad. People who dabble in them
are even worse. The thought of integrity
in office politics feels like an oxymoron.
I’ve always found it interesting that as present as politics are in the workplace,
no one actually claims responsibility. Not
one person I know lists “political” as a key skill on their resume. And yet, politics abound.
What if I said that you actively
participate in workplace politics every single day? Would you challenge me? Your immediate response is likely to be a resounding
“No way” with an inclination to stop reading.
Please keep reading before you decide I’m wrong.
The use of power and influence to achieve
things, good and bad, at work.
Most people have a negative
connotation of workplace politics and think primarily of hidden agendas,
back-stabbing, lying, cheating and other malicious efforts. The prevailing
thought is that politics involves people trying to advance themselves by means
other than merit and contribution. In
reality, the political landscape is far more subtle and complex. It’s comprised of more than just the subset of
negative issues that unfold in the shadows of the workplace. Politics is the collective use of power in an
organization in the daily course of business.
Every person in every
organization has a certain degree of power, influence and leverage. This is
true no matter what role you play. Think
of it as your personal capital. You may
have power through your position, overseeing
the work of others or controlling access to resources. Alternatively, you may have a sphere of personal
influence within the
organization. People respect and/or like
you, listen to you, and are influenced by your opinions. You may also have leverage in an organization. You may be someone who has specialized
expertise that makes you valuable. You’re
able to use your perspective to help shape the opinions of others.
Your Role In Politics
You use personal capital, both
intentionally and unintentionally, every day.
It may be to build relationships with others that benefit you. It may be to convince people to agree with
your position on a particular issue. It
may be to directly influence the decisions or actions of another.
Every comment you make, every
opinion you assert, every action you take carries weight in an
organization. Your characteristics and your
behaviors are an important part of the political landscape. This is true of everyone. The collective use of power, influence and
leverage in an organization is what propels it forward to achieve and
perform. Politics is simply where all of
these individual perspectives and relationships intersect.
If we’re all a part of the
political machine, why do we feel such disgust for workplace politics? It’s
primarily for two reasons. First, we
tend to focus on the more obvious and detestable demonstrations of political
power - the “how can they not see what he’s doing?!?” examples. We rarely notice the more subtle daily
manipulations that occur in hallway conversations and email communications. Second, it’s because in many organizations,
the behaviors that are encouraged and tolerated are competitive in nature and non-productive.
The idea that survival-of-the-most cunning
wins within an organization is ludicrous to achieving the best business result,
but common none-the-less.
The CEO and senior leadership
team set the tone for the culture and political landscape. If you align well to their preferences, you
thrive without effort. If you don’t, you
have to learn to navigate. That said,
you’re impacted by (and impacting) politics in every interaction you have at
work. Politics exist in the nuance around
you. This is why personal integrity
becomes so important to successfully navigating any political environment. You don’t jump in and out of politics. It’s all politics.
1. Understand Power In Your Organization.
You can easily look at any
organizational structure and see who’s been granted power in an
organization. You have to watch and
learn, however, to see who really has
power in an organization. Understanding
who has influence and leverage, and why, is important. Much of what drives people crazy in workplace
politics is trying to understand how to get things done. If you know who’s in a position to influence
outcomes, you’re more likely to get done what you need to get done. Period.
As for navigating culture with
integrity, this is where your choice of relationships becomes important. It’s much easier to stay true to your integrity
if you aren’t aligning with others for future bargaining position. Assigning value to relationships based on
what you believe they can do for you later often comes back to bite you. You have to do this to some degree, but the
more you can avoid it the better.
Aligning too strongly with any
one person, or group of people, can also prevent you from being successful
long-term. Personal capital shifts in every
organization over time. This is
particularly true when changes in leadership occur or new strategies are
introduced. If you try to refrain from
positioning yourself too closely with any one party, and instead engage
collaboratively across the organization, you’re less likely to become collateral
damage as political shifts occur.
2. Establish Your Personal Capital.
Understanding the level of power,
influence and leverage you have in an organization can be challenging. Your power comes primarily through the role
you play and the level of authority you’ve been given. Your influence and leverage, however, are
more about how you interact with others. Do people involve you in important discussions, either formally or
informally? Are you often asked for your
opinion? Do you generally receive positive
feedback from others in the organization?
Do you interact frequently with your peers? Are you known by your boss’s peers and other
senior leaders?
Cultivating your personal capital
is about maximizing your ability to influence outcomes in your organization. This is what allows you to successfully
navigate the political landscape. At
different times of my career I’ve done this very well… and other times I’ve
done this incredibly poorly. What I've learned
over the years is that some things don’t really change that much from what you're taught in kindergarten.
Be nice to everyone. You never know what the future holds for any
relationship. Respect others and work
hard to consistently earn their respect in return. This provides greater political strength than
any other single factor. Listen as much
as you talk and share what you can, without breaking confidences. It makes you a tremendous political ally to
others. Don’t bark or bite unless you
have to, but don’t allow others to bully you. Stand up for what you believe is
right. Don’t compromise your relationship with one person to improve your
relationship with another. It rarely
serves you well. Invest in relationships that are positive, productive, and worth
sustaining. Let politics, and the politicians,
shake out on their own if at all possible.
3. Use Power Only When It Matters.
If you have power, influence or leverage
in an organization, it’s tempting to use it.
Often. Here’s the rub. You only have so much you can achieve in an
organization. You won’t win every battle. You won’t deserve to in many cases. Be selective in using your power to drive
outcomes to your favor. Remember that
there is a distinction between being
right and doing right. The former doesn’t matter in the broader
scheme of things and often leads to political misbehavior. It’s hard to align to a decision when you
believe strongly in a different path, but save your power for matters of
importance.
Fight for opportunities that allow the organization to demonstrate
integrity, by doing the right thing for employees, customers or shareholders. You’ll know you’re on solid ground, personally
and professionally, if these are the things you stand behind. No one gets it right every time. We all pick the wrong battles at times, or
fight them in ways we later regret. The
trick is to learn and manage it better the next time around. Without a doubt, you’ll have the opportunity.
4. Rely On Your Personal Compass.
The final key to navigating workplace politics with integrity is to be
thoughtful about what integrity means to you.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the negative channels of politics, from
fairly innocuous office gossip to more aggressive forms of sabotage.
Carly Fiorina, former CEO of HP, spoke
at a conference I attended a few years ago.
She talked about a personal compass she used throughout her career. When faced with difficult decisions or alternative
paths, she asked herself three questions:
-
Am I doing the right things?
-
Am I doing them with the right intentions?
-
Am I doing them to the best of my abilities?
The power that comes from your answer to these questions will serve you
well. I have a personal compass and use
it frequently in my personal and professional life. I even have a physical compass on my desk as
a reminder. Whatever mechanism you use,
it’s important for you to know what matters most to you. Find a way to challenge yourself when you
feel caught up in a political situation at work. If you know what matters, you’ll fight for the
right things in the right way. You’ll be
surprised to find how often you win political victories using this as your
guide.
***
Workplace politics can involve power
struggles, internal conflict, and polarizing manipulation. It can
also involve collaboration, adaptation, and respectful navigation. Some argue that all that matters in the end is
whether the right thing is done for the business. Others argue that the means to the end… also matters in the end. No one
can make that decision for you. Can you
navigate workplace politics with integrity?
My answer is yes. What’s yours?
My best to you,
Lisa