MCC ICF coach helping clients leverage their talents and expertise to become effective leaders in a fast-changing and uncertain world.
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What words come to your mind when you think about office politics? What about when you consider influence? Here are some noteworthy examples according to an online thesaurus.
Influence: great, strong, considerable, powerful, direct, important, little, significant, profound, greater, major, predominant, disturbing, subtle, stabilizing, extraordinary, favorable.
Words associated with office politics are a bit more negative, such as: toxic, frustrating, dangerous, demotivating, draining, unfair, unnecessary, cliques, gossip, power dynamics, name dropping, badmouthing, idea snatching, lobbying, playing favorites, being pushy.
Unfortunately, this is the general perception of what being politically savvy means. It is overwhelming how negative this perspective is. Thus, I’m not surprised when my clients don’t want to engage in developing the skill, because it would imply that they are not good people if they do. No one wants to think badly of themselves.
Yes, I can agree that political intelligence has a dark side. For pity’s sake, even empathy has its toxic and dark sibling. Namely, using cognitive empathy at the expense of others and for personal gain without sympathizing with people. Yet, the picture is very biased and limited if we just focus on the harmful side. That is why we need to reframe and see all layers and shades to be able to participate in political and strategic activities. Only this way can we engage with them on our own ethical terms.
What makes it an essential endeavor?
So many talented and hardworking managers refrain from getting caught up in it. “I would like to be promoted, but I hate dealing with all the organizational politics!” they claim. Each time I hear this, I am reminded of Plato’s words: “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” The perspective to which Plato invites us in The Republic, (Book 1, 346-347) is to realize that if honorable and intelligent people do not want to engage in ruling, they will face the punishment of being governed by those who are evil and ignorant.
From that point of view, being involved in politics implies exercising your influence and making your organization a better place for others as well. Moreover, while wearing “I hate office politics” as a badge of honor, you might actually neglect to shape your network with people who can advocate for you and your ideas. So, it is far from smart to do so.
What does being politically intelligent mean?
If you start defining political intelligence according to your work ethics and your healthy standards, the view can change radically.
Office politics on a director and executive level focus on building a network so you can influence the whole organization for the greater good by networking with stakeholders who have the power and resources to help. Being politically savvy is all about managing communication across and up the organization, which results in having a positive impact and building alliances so the best ideas can move forward.
Aspiring directors who are politically savvy do not let politics distract them from the main goal though. They can calmly and efficiently navigate intricate political situations and are aware of and respect the way people and teams operate. Moreover, they anticipate where potential risks lie and plan the approach accordingly. What is most important is that aspiring directors consider corporate politics as a necessary part of organizational life and strive to work for the benefit of the whole organization.
What is manipulation?
There is no conversation about impact without mentioning its murkier side, specifically manipulation. Political intelligence lies very far from manipulation. Yet, it is so easy to slip, so be sure you do not abuse your influence. Being politically savvy is not the same as using charm, gossip and power to hurt others. Let me just describe a few behaviors that twist strategic networking and turn it into manipulation.
First of all, you can spot a schemer when they abuse praise and take advantage of compliments, small favors and excessive public recognition in order to gain rather than recognize and truly appreciate. Moreover, when it comes to sharing feedback, they make use of social comparison to diminish others. Smart strategists compare people to standards, not to other employees, because it might lead to lowering a person’s self-esteem. This is what a manipulator actually wants, therefore they initiate self-doubt through excessive criticism. It is quite an easy achievement to manipulate a person who thinks that they are not good enough. Lastly, plotters spread misinformation about an employee or a whole team, so coworkers eventually develop negative perceptions of them.
It’s very likely that you’ll work with someone who manipulates others to achieve results at some point in your professional life. You need to be able to recognize the signs. If you are trying to move up in your career, assess whether you sometimes use variations of these tactics. I noticed that slipping into unnecessary flattery becomes a tool to make the other person reciprocate your “kind words.” The other unfortunate, yet common, way is to use comparison to others when giving feedback. Try to abstain from it, even if you feel that it is helpful to model behavior on a certain employee.
Developing your career path to a director level will require you to build strategic connections and understand the hidden dynamic of power. As long as you act in an ethical manner for the general advantage and benefit of all, you show political intelligence. The moment you start abusing your network, you stop being a strategist and you get closer to manipulation.
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