Reframing Political Savvy
A Critical Leadership Skill
Navigating the political realities inside organisations is a critical leadership skill and a building-block for success. Politics – in the true sense of the word – is developing coalitions and managing company affairs.
Politically savvy leaders are able to sell ideas, decipher the informal and formal networks and steer through organizational complexities.
The mere word “Politics” carries an unfortunate negative connotation. It is rarely discussed openly, but always present within the organisation, regardless of size, location, public or privately owned.
There are three sides to every leadership competency : Skilled, Overly-Skilled and Under-Skilled. At the Horan Group, we help individuals reframe thinking towards a more constructive and positive definition of politics; building coalitions for the good of the organisation.
A manager skilled in political savvy tends to be a better performer, and organizations which acknowledge savvy as positive tend to be more effective. Political skills are critical for individual contributors, managers, and leaders. With a savvy perspective, they will exhibit behaviors grounded in ethics, integrity and values.
We use real-business studies, a political model of behaviour and interactive exercises based on doctoral research and real life examples from global firms. Our blended approach helps to identify the positive side of savvy to navigate complex organizational dynamics keeping integrity and values intact.
Who is this for
Emerging Leaders, Managers, & Individual Contributors
How we can help
- Workshops
- Coaching
- Speaking Engagements
Additional Resources
- Book: I Wish I’d Known That Earlier in My Career
- Assessment: Political Savvy & Influence Index
“Horan’s session on workplace politics at a time when I felt boxed into a niche role and couldn’t see how I was going to take a step up, and outside that niche, given the politically challenging work environment I was in. Visually mapping out my network, seeking out the right advocates, positioned me as the natural candidate for the role I was after, something I don’t think I would have achieved if I had left to the normal interview process.”
—Betty W. Global Markets
Global Markets, Finance Industry
“Jane provided tools that helped me navigate corporate structure and politics to transition into a new role within the organization that was strongly aligned with my strengths, values and professional plans. What I learned working with Jane applied not just to me but also my team; as a leader of cross cultural groups I continue to use these insights to build inclusive and engaged workplaces.”
—Joanna Burger
Real Estate Professional
“Simple, concise and practical examples we can use at work.”
—Participant
The Art of Career Navigation
“Very useful to have a new metric to judge our own political network, and where we should improve ourselves.”
—Participant
The Art of Political Savvy
Find out more about our other pillars
Building an Inclusive Workplace
The Essence of Talent Retention
Enabling Conscious Decision Making
An Essential Tool For Diverse Work Environments
Creating Career Purpose
The Key To Productivity And Performance