Corporate politics are everywhere˳ They inflict every company˳ In fact, you’d be hard put to find a senior manager out there who has completely avoided the fray˳
Depending how far you make it up the corporate ladder, you’ll feel the heat the higher up you go˳ Executives and professionals talk about it all the time, especially over cocktails, but rarely in formal discussions or meetings˳ If it does come up in a formal setting, it is likely brought up as “We need to reinvigorate culture˳”
And if you are running a new business in a large company that is developing or trying to develop a product or solution that is disruptive to the mainstream business, then you are likely drowning in corporate politics˳
That certainly was my personal experience in running a business group that was creating new computers and devices for people living at the bottom of the pyramid˳ Any product we created would match Clayton Christensen’s definition of a disruptive innovation: i˳e˳ compared to the PC, it would be more affordable (cheaper), easier to use (addressing computer/tech literacy issues), and have a unique value nonexistent in PC’s today˳
How did it turn out for me? Not great˳ I walked in with open eyes, having seen politics in action before and having navigated through it successfully to get things done˳ I knew it would be a tough slog given what we were doing, but I was still blindsided by the intensity of driving a disruptive business˳
In fact, I had come up with a way of describing corporate politics that I talked about frequently with my team, peers, and respective bosses:
There are “good” politics, and there are “bad” politics˳ Good politics are when someone needs to work the system (e˳g˳ culture, personalities, organizational silos) to achieve business objectives that are GOOD for the company (e˳g˳ bringing in new revenue, growth, profit, and satisfied customers)˳ Bad politics are when someone works the same system to make themselves look good˳
The moral of the story is obviously to practice good politics and avoid the bad˳ Looking back, the problem with this approach, and why I got blindsided, is that you can do the best job, exercise your best networking skills, and create fantastic things for your company, but by ignoring what I call the negative politicians, you will likely end up on the short end of the stick and you and the business you are running will suffer from it˳
So my main advice is … know your enemy more than they know themselves˳ I really hate to use the word enemy, as my “people” philosophy tends to be more on the trusting side˳ But these folks see YOU as the enemy; as competition for whatever that future lucrative position or promotion may be˳ (And a hint: they are right in a way˳ As you move higher up in the company, there are fewer positions to go around˳ Everything becomes more competitive˳)
So let me present five characteristics of the negative politicians I’ve observed over the years˳ They effectively:
Self promote˳ They go out of their way internally to promote themselves under the auspices of promoting their business or product˳ If they blog or publish internal articles about something related to their business group, you’ll see subliminal hints of-self promotion˳
Manage up˳ They typically withhold negative information about their business to their bosses and selectively spin things for the positive˳
Use information as power˳ They may use confidential (or what they position as confidential) business information about a part of the business they are involved in to enhance credibility˳ For example, in a meeting with other senior managers they’ll divulge some decisions or strategies that they know will captivate their audience˳
Become “buddies” with the powers-that-be˳ They tend to actively network with the key movers and shakers within the company˳ If the executive suite tends to be political as well, you can bet that they have found ways to endear themselves to the company’s top dogs˳
Spread disinformation about potential “competitors˳” They quietly spread rumors and/or misinformation about someone that may threaten them career-wise, or against the business that person runs˳
If reading these five characteristics makes your stomach clench, either in principle or because you’ve seen them in action, the next question you are likely asking is how do I stay away from these folks?
Short answer: You can’t˳ Long answer: Learn to work within “the company of wolves,” regardless of whether the intensity of politics is low or high˳ And I think you can do this without sinking to their their level˳
I am in no way the expert on the best way to navigate these waters, but I have learned from past mistakes and have thought hard and long about the subject˳
I have five recommendations I’d give to those that are currently in or expecting to eventually be in this situation:
Keep your ear to the ground — always˳ Keep an eye out and keep a mental list of those who consistently act the way I described above˳ By increasing your trusted network, you uncover misinformation and can make corrections˳
Don’t bad mouth them to anybody˳ Bad mouthing people is what negative politicians do, and you will likely hear about it eventually˳ Information gets around remarkably easily in a company˳ The adage “If you don’t have something good to say, don’t say it” applies here˳
Don’t alienate them, even if they screw you˳ The other adage I have found ALWAYS to be true is “never burn bridges,” no matter what˳ I have never burned a bridge˳ Those who have, got bitten back hard˳
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer˳ Don’t avoid negative politicians˳ Network with them˳ Kind words and praise go a long way˳ I find that those that are insecure and have self-esteem issues tend to be the most political, so find ways to help them and/or increase their sense of self-worth˳ But don’t make it up˳ Be sincere about anything you say or do˳
Use some of their tactics in a principled manner˳ Do some self promotion in a way that ALSO promotes others˳ Network with the powers that be in a way that shows your value to the company˳ Don’t avoid them at social functions … seek them out˳ Read “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi for great tactics on how to do this˳
Another reference for you: Dan King, Principal at Meaningful Careers, wrote a great article called “Winning at Organizational Politics without Losing Your Soul” that gives additional insights and reasons for not keeping your head in the sand˳ As he states in his article, politics is a game˳ “Play or not play, the game still goes on!”
Source by https://ezinearticles˳com/?Corporate-Politics—The-Elephant-in-the-Room&id=1522123
