Dealing with Corporate Politics
There's an old poker saying, "If you look around the table and can't find the sucker, it's you."
Whether we like it or not, working in a corporate environment invariably involves some level of politics, particularly in more senior roles.
I'm sure you've come across people who say their company is great because "there aren't any politics."
I struggle to believe that. I think there's a few possibilities here:
There are politics but this person isn't particularly impacted by them
The politics are 'good' - I'll talk more about this in a minute
They're the aforementioned sucker and they're being taken advantage of
The reality is that when you put a group of people together in an environment where money, power, prestige, and all manner of other motivators are in play, it is unavoidable that there will be politics.
If you're trying to avoid getting involved, you might find yourself manipulated by someone with fewer scruples than you. At the very least you need to be aware of what's happening around you.
Everyone is playing politics in some way - the question is how can you reframe it to be a positive thing?
'Good' vs 'Bad' Politics
Usually workplace politics is characterized as an intrinsically bad thing. I think there's some truth to that but you can also expand the definition away from manipulation and self-serving behaviour towards win-win negotiation and effective stakeholder management.
Sometimes teams can have goals that seem to be in conflict with one another, and this can lead to disagreements and even power struggles. There is also the aspects around career advancement and personal recognition to consider.
It is very difficult for people to not have an element of self-interest when their livelihood is at stake. The key is to be aware of this - both in yourself and in others - and strive to be a positive influence. By being aware you reduce the chances of things happening to you that you don't necessarily want.
Being a positive influence means doing a few things:
Understanding the needs of your stakeholders
Looking for win-win solutions
Selling and celebrating your team's achievements
Always considering what's best for the organization as a whole
Cultivation is key
Stakeholder Management
One key aspect of leadership is identifying and working with a wide range of stakeholders. You'll need to create and cultivate a whole host of new relationships. Naturally there's an element of self-interest involved in this - a key question you'll need to be able to answer is, "What's in it for me?"
In order to understand how you can help your stakeholders, you need to understand their goals and the problems that they have that are in your domain to solve (or even outside your domain, if you can facilitate, connect, or assist in solving).
This is often where looking for win-win solutions comes in. You have to find and create ideas that will help both parties achieve their goals. This will often necessitate compromising and figuring out the overlap between your goals.
Many of my more technical clients go through an eye-opening phase when they get into leadership roles. There's always a moment when we talk about working with their new expanded range of senior stakeholders where they say something like, "But we've delivered all these projects! Why doesn't the work speak for itself?"
Maybe it should, but the reality is that a part of taking on a more senior role is selling what you've achieved. This will help build your visibility and reputation, making it easier to negotiate and find good win-win solutions with your stakeholders.
It's a well-documented fact about human nature that if you help people, they will help you back.
Finally by being a good corporate citizen and keeping the overall company goals in mind at all times you will often find the best way to proceed.
All of the above is what I would consider 'good' politics - you're working with your network in the organization to steer away from self-interest and towards working together to best achieve the company goals.
"If you build it, they will come..." - Field of Dreams
The same applies to your reputation and career progression - if you build good relationships, put the organization's goals ahead of your own, and deliver strongly towards the company objectives, you will naturally move onwards and upwards.
Of course this is based on the underlying assumption that your organization is a meritocracy that rewards people based on delivering against company goals. If it's not...well that's probably a topic for another day...
When you're ready, I offer 1:1 coaching for leaders who are looking to take their life and career to the next level. Send me an email and we'll set up a time to have a chat.
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