SUCCESS AT WORK
People generally do not want to have anything to do with
politics. It is viewed to be exclusively confined to the arena of government and international affairs; something that is non-existent at the workplace. Yet, politics, is a crucial factor that determines
SUCCESS at work. Too often, we observe a competent person with remarkable track record get passed over a promotion. He loses to a certain individual whose qualifications may not be as impressive but who is politically savvy. If a person aspires to climb the ladder of success acquiring political acumen is a prerequisite.
There are significant skills to be mastered internally if one is to gain political advantage at work. First and foremost is political intuition. Intuitive people have the ability to sense and read subliminal cues in their surroundings. They are sensitive to the discrepancies between verbal and non-verbal cues. They have several antennae that gather information from all directions. They can read the behavior patterns of other people. This allows them to skillfully manage
positive relationships with their peers and superiors, gaining them access to the elite inner circle of their company. Politically naive people are usually the last ones to know about a change that is about to happen. Politically intuitive people know beforehand when a change is to take place and are prepared to deal with it. Having political intuition allows a person to foresee what others take for granted. Political intuition is not an uncanny gift bestowed by nature to a selected few. It can be developed. By learning what matters and who matters in one's corporate culture; by studying the behavior patterns of associates and colleagues at work; by keenly tuning in to the language and emotional cues; by carefully building a support group within the inner circle of the organization; one can harness the power of intuition.
Merely performing "gut checks" is not enough, one must also possess a set of strategic responses. Political insight pertains to an individual's ability to react or act accordingly to a specific situation. Being insightful simply means having a vast repertoire of creative solutions to address a problem of any kind. Insightful people employ several
techniques and rarely overuse an approach, hence they are not predictable. Predictability of behavior and responses places oneself in a compromising situation, that is, he or she becomes vulnerable to maneuvering tactics of his or her rivals. A person who is less predictable is much more difficult to manipulate.
Insightful people employ the power of
persuasion masterfully. They are excellent in gathering support for their ideas. Their persuasive skills manifest an understanding of "quality of talk" and "quantity of talk". To put simply, they know when to force their ideas gently and they only go the lengths they are allowed to take at a given time. Most importantly, they know how to approach the "duck", the big people who call the shots in the company. A politically insightful individual emphasizes competence when the boss is all about competence. When what matters to the boss is profitabilty he then phrases his ideas or suggestions along this line.
Finally, one must have an understanding of how to yield and wield political power. It defines the fine line between
career success and career
suicide. Even the most creative ideas will not have a strong following if power is lacking. Achieving power in the workplace is made possible through positive planning. The first step is to establish credibility by doing exemplary work that is directly valued by the company. One must also develop strong relationships with people from all levels of the corporate hierarchy. One can do this by establishing 'favor banks' with those who have power who can potentially extend support in one's favor. Make yourself an indispensable asset for the company as this reduces your dependency on other powerful figures. Be charismatic and manage communication in such a way that you win people to your side rather than offend them. The exercise of positive politics points a path to sucess.