Download Successfully Navigating Office Politics

December Women’s Forum
Hosted by:
Wendy Goretski
Cindy Lee
Presenter:
Jo Miller
Successfully Navigating
Office Politics
It is possible to navigate office politics without becoming a
political animal.
As careers author Erin Burt has noted, “…avoiding (office)
politics altogether can be deadly for your career. Every
workplace has an intricate system of power, and you can -and should -- work it ethically to your best advantage.”
In this workshop, discover the unwritten “rules of the game” at
work, and how to navigate them with effectively. Learn the
dynamics of power in your organization. Create a powerful
workplace network—and access hidden resources and
opportunities.
Copyright 2012, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
Why We Chose this Topic
•
•
•
•
•
Why office politics can be the #1 “career killer”
The difference between organizational awareness and
office politics
The Shadow Organization Map: A tool for understanding
the hidden dynamics in your organization
How to identify the unwritten, unspoken “Rules of the
Game”
Personal action plan
Copyright 2012, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
Jo Miller
• Helps emerging leaders create a roadmap for their
career advancement.
• Founding Editor of BeLeaderly.com and CEO of
Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
• A leading authority on women’s leadership, Jo
delivers more than 60 speaking presentations
annually to audiences of up to 1,200.
• Has traveled widely in Europe, Asia Pacific, and
the Middle East to deliver keynotes and teach
workshops for conferences, professional
associations, and corporate employee initiatives.
I HAVE SOME UNIQUE
Copyright 2012, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
KOALAFICATIONS
The emerging leader’s
quandary
You can’t get a higher-level job without
leadership experience…
But you can’t get the experience
without the job.
Copyright 2012, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
You can’t afford to wait…
Don’t wait for
permission
or an
invitation to
lead.
Don’t wait for
someone to
promote
you.
Take charge
of your own
career
trajectory!
Office politics
Copyright 2012, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
Do you enjoy playing the game?
WHY YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO
IGNORE OFFICE POLITICS
I asked 169
professional women
how they deal with
office politics. Over
80% said their
response is to either
ignore it, or
reluctantly play the
game where
necessary.
In LinkedIn’s
survey of 954
professional
women, 23%
reported office
politics as their
biggest
frustration.
Many women
managers find
engaging in office
politics to be
difficult and
painful, and some
even view it as
“evil”.*
Ruderman, M.N. and Ohlott, P.J. (2002).
So why not just ignore it?
“…avoiding (office) politics altogether
can be deadly for your career.
Every workplace has an intricate system
of power, and you can — and should —
work it ethically to your best advantage.”
- Erin Burt, Seven Career Killers.
Copyright 2012, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
Those who are politically savvy
Have better
career
prospects
Have better
career
trajectories
Are seen
as more
promotable
Are less
likely to
derail
“Women and Political Savvy,” Leslie and Gentry, 2012.
Ignore it
Turn into
someone
you don’t
like
Ignore it
Be
positively
politically
savvy
Turn into
someone
you don’t
like
4 competencies of the
positively politically savvy:
Social
astuteness
Interpersonal
influence
Networking
ability
Sincerity
“Development and Validation of the Political Skill Inventory,” Florida State
University Foundation, 2005
Who do you know who
does this well?
What qualities or
characteristics do they
have?
Office Politics
Organizational Awareness
Being a savvy observer of the
communication and relationships that
surround you in your organization
Copyright 2012, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
The Org Chart
THE ORG CHART
Doesn’t tell the full story
THE SHADOW
ORGANIZATION MAP
The Org Chart
 Relationships
 Relationships
 Relationships
 Influence
 Relationships
 Influence
 Coalitions
 Relationships
 Influence
 Coalitions
 Relationships
 Influence
 Coalitions
 Key Influencers
This presentation is available at:
www.beleaderly.com/gilead/
 Relationships
 Influence
 Coalitions
 Key Influencers
 Relationships
 Influence
 Coalitions
 Key Influencers
 Verticals
Which element of the
shadow map was most
enlightening for you?
EXERCISE:
• What are some ways to gather
information to map your shadow
organization?
I. Face-to-face interactions
II. Virtually
Copyright 2012, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
THE RULES OF THE GAME
Every organization has unwritten,
unspoken “Rules of the Game”.
Copyright 2012, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
EXERCISE:
1) Identify some “rules of the game” in
your organization.
2) What are ways to navigate ethically
and effectively within these rules?
Copyright 2012, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
Three ways to generate quick wins
Copyright 2012, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
1
Earlycareer
• In every organization, there is someone
who is great at navigating.
• Find them!
 Navigates well at all levels
 Keeper of the “institutional memory”
 Gets a “quick read” on people & groups.
Copyright 2012, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
2
Earlycareer
• Build an influential coalition
• It can be quicker and easier to get
great things done from the grass-roots
 Make a list of like-minded individuals
 Go way out of your way to support stuff that
is important to them
 Ask for their support for something big
Copyright 2012, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
“Its not enough to have a bright
technical idea.
I have seen too many projects led by
great, passionate people fail because
they tried to be the lone influencer. You
have to get the right people in the boat
with you. You have to engage the entire
human fabric.”
Sophie Vandebroek, CTO, Xerox
Copyright 2012, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
Mid &
senior
level
3
• Don’t like the unwritten, unspoken
“rules of the game”?
• Become a game-changer!
 Pay attention to the scope of your influence,
and look for ways to expand your reach.
 Notice when you have the power to “change
the game”, and seize it the opportunity.
Copyright 2012, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.
This presentation is available at:
www.beleaderly.com/gilead/
“… a really great piece of advice I learned early
on in my career and I’ve used continuously:
never let an organization’s structure get in the
way of achieving results.
I’ve found that one needs to operate inside and
outside of the structure, with a positive
attitude, always moving forward, filling in the
gaps where needed”.
Vivian Banta, Vice Chairman,
Insurance, Prudential Financial.