Politics is not a bad word – yet it conjures up many negative thoughts, feelings and fear more than almost any other word, doesn’t it?
During turbulent times – a financial crisis or a merger – you cannot put your head in the sand, pretend politics doesn’t exist and wish it away–like it or not, it’s here to stay. So embrace it!
Organizations are wonderfully rich ecosystems where politics flourish. When a boss says, straight-faced: ‘There are no politics here-we don’t allow it!’, they send the wrong message to their team… because it’s not true.
Then what do you need to do? Well, first of all, acceptthat politics exist and move away from thinking about the negative, to the positive side of politics.
Here’s a secret – politics is nothing more than building relationships, no coded handshakes, passwords or clubs. It’s all about managing stakeholders and influential networks. Some managers shy away from doing this, and say – Let me just do my work-leave me out of all that stuff-not interested!
Have you ever considered thinking about your organization as a giant social media network – Like LinkedIn or Facebook?
Ask yourself:
How many connections do you have?]
How many of these are decision makers?
Can you tap into this network when you need advice or to sell your next idea?
Business Leaders are political masters, they understand themselves, their team and their environment – look at any successful leader – and you will see a great politician – and relationship builder.
There’s an art to building relationships – it’s about intention – each time you go out of your way to get to know someone, provide advice, or think through a challenge, you are building connections for the future.
Think about your power connections today.
