Politics
Politics
Politics
Politics
This is certainly the hardest topic to provide guidance on, partly because people often don’t
want to hear about or understand the nature of politics and how to play the game. I have
learnt the following over the course of my career:
• Those that don’t want to play politics lose out. It’s very noble to say, I don’t want to
play those games, but at the end of the day if you want to get on you have to be
prepared to play the politics game.
• Competence versus confidence. As a very rough guide I would say that where
you get too in your career depends upon equal measures of competence and
confidence. If you are really competent but not confident you will under-achieve but
be damn good at your job. If you are confident but not competent you will be overpromoted and eventually found out. Sales figures will be low, IT developments badly
managed, research poor and so on. On a number of ocassions I have seen people
shoot through the ranks on the back of confidence, with many others around them
seduced by the confident air shown at meetings, presentations and the like.
However, once it becomes apparent that they are not actually competent their world
starts to fall apart. The thing to learn from this is that you should ensure that you
are both competent and confident. Pick up the tools of the trade outlined in this
book to build up your levels of confidence. Work on and be honest in your selfanalysis to ensure that you remain competent throughout your career. One great
year can seemingly make you, but one bad year will certainly hurt you.
• Getting you way. To be successful in business it is essential to get your way a lot
of the time. Certainly not all the time but for the majority of it. So, with this in
mind, ensure that you work hard on your persuasive and negotiation skills to
maximize the chance of decisions going the way that works for you.
• Know which battles to fight. A very wise boss of mine once taught me to only
fight the battles that I can win. This sounds so obvious when laid out before you but
we all know how easy it is to take on someone or something and get beaten up in
the process. If it’s likely that you will lose the fight pick another battle. Don’t feel
shy about asking other people what they believe your chances are. [Tip: think about
where the ultimate responsibility lies. You may beat your opponent, but then their
boss or boss’s boss may beat you.]
• When you disagree say you agree. This is an amazing facet of the politically
aware that astounds me, but it really does work. When someone comes up with an
idea or recommendation that is in conflict with your own agenda or idea, rather than
at the outset say “I whole heartedly disagree” try saying “That’s an excellent point.”
Then, little by little run through the argument the other party has put forward and
explain in a clear but tactful manner why it is not correct. I know that it sounds
counter-intuitive to do this (and remember that internal politics is not the same as
public (party political) politics. Did you want an example? Well, here’s how it works.
You have said “I think that we should build a square”. I want to build a circle as
firstly I have already been lobbying for it and secondly I feel it is a battle I can win
(see above). So my retort is “Yes, I think the idea of a square is an excellent one.
Then I go on to explain that I would add extra value to the square by cutting away
the sharp corners and smoothing around the edges. A square was such an excellent platform to start off with. The trouble for the competition is that you have been
really positive about their idea, and they are nodding away happily, and before they
know it you have turned everything around to get your own way. Now I’m not
suggesting that this will always be a successful tool but I would wager a bet that it
will win some arguments that you would otherwise have lost.
• The overlay. This is a subtle point where someone has performed some excellent
work and even communicated that fact. Your job (and you are not specifically taking
the credit for what they have done here) is to “reply all” to their communication and
overlay it with a message that takes a broader perspective. Again, don’t be seen to
be taking the credit for what others have done but rather add an “Executive” overlay
that reads well, makes sense and invites people to respond saying “exactly” or “my
thoughts exactly”. This is one of the most common tools in the armory of a modern
internal politician. Try it and benefit from it.
• Act like their boss. If you want to be their boss (perhaps moving from a manager
of one team to a manager of five teams) then start acting like their boss now. Use
techniques such as ‘The overlay’ to show that you are in charge and have the higher
level view. Also, offer to review the work of others in your team and ensure you
critique it thoroughly. You will need both the confidence and competence to do this
of course (or at least the confidence in the short term – see earlier). Avoid
arrogance. That is definitely not the way forward. Rather, use good judgment along
with a measured but determined approach. Above all, act with GRAVITAS.
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