1. PRACTICAL
POLITICS
SURVIVE THE OFFICE

2. where do you stand on the topic
of office politics?

3. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Politics is
caused by a
bunch of
scheming, self-
serving, scam
artists that
waste energy &
time.
We need none
of it!
Corporate
politics is a
wonderful, fun,
and exciting tool
that yields better
decisions for
companies.
We need more
of it!
Politics is
annoying, but I
recognize that
it is probably
just a fact of
corporate life.
I’ll play the
game when I
have to,
hopefully not
too often
Politics is
bearable.
Politics is
bad, but I
can live
with it.
I’ll just
ignore it
Politics is
generally good &
we should all get
better at it.
There is a place
for politics in
work
most people

4. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Politics is
caused by a
bunch of
scheming, self-
serving, scam
artists that
waste energy &
time.
We need none
of it!
Corporate
politics is a
wonderful, fun,
and exciting tool
that yields better
decisions for
companies.
We need more
of it!
Politics is
annoying, but I
recognize that
it is probably
just a fact of
corporate life.
I’ll play the
game when I
have to,
hopefully not
too often
Politics is
bearable.
Politics is
bad, but I
can live
with it.
I’ll just
ignore it
Politics is
generally good &
we should all get
better at it.
There is a place
for politics in
work
how I want you to answer
after this deck

5. i’ve got 3 questions i’d like you to
consider

6. Q1: What bad experiences have you had
with office politics that create your
assumptions?
Q2: Is an office without politics
preferable?
Q3: Is an office without politics possible?

7. now I’ve got 1 perspective I’d like
you to consider

8. politics is natural & unavoidable
because people will always have
different and legitimate beliefs,
issues, wants, needs, and
sources of power

9. those differences are created
biologically, environmentally, &
because of organizational
structure

10. so we’re all stuck with the
differences however much we
wish it were not so

11. there must be a process to
resolve conflicts that arise from
these natural and unavoidable
differences

12. that is what politics is

13. politics is neither good nor bad

14. however, how people implement
politics can be good or bad

15. and last but not least, politics exist
once there are two or more
people

16. so, don’t kid yourself,
entrepreneurs

17. start-ups have politics

18. so what do we mean by bad
politics?

19. • Lying
• Cheating
• Stealing
• Back Stabbing
• Ego Tripping
• Sucking Up
• Manipulating
• Self promotion
• General Ignorance, which causes political
pain to those around you

20. and what do we mean by good
politics?

21. • Fair distribution of resources
• The ability to invest in future firm returns, with
no immediate silo gains
• Protection of minority interests
• Ethical decision making
• Strategic prioritization
• Reduction of authoritarianism
• Protection from “bad politics”
• Engaging with bad politics rather than sticking
our heads in the sand

22. and what do we get if we are good
at good politics

23. • Get your projects up the priority list
• Get resources or funding for your project &
team
• Clear project barriers
• Influence decision making
• Compensation, acknowledgement and
advancement
• Get hard shit done
• Help others succeed
• Survive change and avoid trouble

24. here are a few really useful
thoughts on the subject

25. “Politics has such a bad name that many
good people persuade themselves they
want nothing to do with it. The ethical and
spiritual apprehensions are understandable.
But one cannot abjure politics.”
– John Gardner

26. “There is no doubt power can be used for evil
purposes. Of course most medicines can kill if
taken wrongly, thousands die in automobile
accidents each year, and nuclear power can
provide energy or mass destruction. We do not
abandon chemicals, cars or nuclear power.
Instead we consider danger an incentive to get
proper training.”
– Jeffrey Pfeffer

27. “Of course leaders are preoccupied with
power! The significant questions are: What
means do they use to gain it? How do they
exercise it? And to what ends do they
exercise it?”
– John Gardner

28. and one slightly ironic one

29. “It is not enough for a leader to know the
right thing. He must be able to do the right
thing. Leaders without the judgment or
perception to make the right decisions fail
for lack of vision. Those who know the right
thing, but cannot achieve it, fail because
they are ineffectual.”
- Richard Nixon

30. so, how good are you at getting
shit done…

31. 1 2 3 4 5 6
I’m totally
hopeless.
Unless I have
the authority to
beat someone
to death if they
don’t comply,
dependent
resources
simply do
whatever they
want
I use Jedi
mind
powers on
others –
“these are
not the
droids that
you are
looking
for”
I sometimes
get what I
want done,
so long as
my interests
are aligned
with the
interests of
dependent
parties
I sometimes
get what I
want done,
even if my
interests are
misaligned
with the
interests of
dependent
parties
I find it
very
difficult to
get what I
want done
outside
the scope
of my
direct
reports
I often get
what I want
done, even if
my interests
are
misaligned
with the
interests of
dependent
parties

32. what tools are in your ‘getting shit
done’ tool box?

33. TOOL DESCRIPTION PROBLEMS
Authority Formal power granted through
organizational structure
“Do it or you’re fired”
• Badly out of fashion
• We depend on too many outside
our scope of authority
• Too dependent on individuals
who can wield power poorly
Culture Shared vision, values and attitudes,
behavioral norms, artifacts, & rituals.
“Do it because it is the right thing to
do”
It is very difficult for managers to
build, maintain, and control culture
Politics Effective use of power through
influence, persuasion, & negotiation
“Do it because it is in your self interest
to do it”
Influence, persuasion and
negotiation are hard work and
organizationally time-consuming

34. Authority (or else)
Culture
(it’s right!)
Politics
(It’s in our interests)
Q: Are there dangers of
using each axis too
much or too little?
What I need to use daily
What I’m good at and like

35. so with all that said, it is time to
propose the basic rule of ethical
politics

36. Be Political

37. accept that you need to be political
to get shit done

38. but, in the process, never advance
your own interests by harming the
business or by hurting other people

39. focus on building, protecting, and
using your power

40. not on undermining the power of
others

41. ok, so let’s assume that you agree
with me that you should be better at
politics

42. in that case, the next step is to
develop your Political Intelligence
and a plan to build and use your
power

43. ASPECT QUESTIONS TO ASK
Where Where does power come from in my firm
and how do I get it?
Who Who has power & how do I expand my
power through them?
When If I have power, when do I use / expend it?
How When I decide to use power, what is the
most effective way to do so?

44. power comes from position

45. • Title & “vestiges” of power (think corner office)
• Authority to act within a specific scope
• Control of the allocation, access to, and use of
specific resources “that others need”
• Objective-setting, appraisal & compensation
approval
• Access to Information
• Location in the info/social web
• Centrality – how often you proxy
• Connectedness – how many nodes you touch
• Closeness – How close are you to connected
nodes
• Complexity – The # of nodes unique to you

46. political wisdom sidebar
1.Seasoned players know how to
“create” resources to control!
2.Defend your positional power from
encroachment by other managers –
But no Evil Politics!

47. take time to regularly update a
positional power audit

48. how strong is your positional
power?

49. How
strong am
I? (H/M/L)
Why am I
strong or
weak?
Power Plan (What can I
do to improve?)
Vestiges
Formal
authority
Control
over
resources
Location in
the web

50. extra credit
who has positional power
around you? Why do they have
it?

51. power also comes from
relationships

52. Step 1: Identify coalition partners & assess
their relative power
•Get out there and meet people
•Ask people in the know
•Look at unit’s representation in larger
decision-making
•Look at who has benefited from previous
decisions

53. Step 2: Create political capital
•Just do a really good job
•Build reciprocity by being helpful & creating
linkages. It’s never not in your Job Description
•Help allies obtain greater power
•Avoid ceding power to opposed alliances
(but no Bad Politics, please)
•Build alliances

54. political wisdom sidebar
•Interdependence often arises from resource scarcity
•Opposition is not about disliking an “enemy”. It is about
structural realities that drive differing, but legitimate,
goals. The goals of Audit are structurally different from
those of IT. It is not that they are a$$holes
•Never force an ally (especially a superior) to expend
their political power in your support
•Use political capital before it depreciates. Reciprocity
debt devalues quickly as people forget, or simply leave
the firm. Political capital should not be hoarded. Capital
Flow Velocity is more important

55. take time to regularly update a
relational power audit

56. PERSON Current Capital
I have with
them (H/M/L)
How aligned are
our interests
(H/M/L)
Is the
relationship
threatened?
(H/M/L)
How
important is
this person to
me? (H/M/L)
Poswer Plan – What
do I need to do in
order to improve
Answer these questions:
Q: Who do I need to succeed?
Q: Who needs you to succeed? Can you make a power deal?
Q: Who is structurally (or otherwise) opposed?
Now fill out the table below for you (and potentially others)…
Start with those closest to you and move outwards based on prioritizing
stakeholders

57. power also comes from yourself

58. • Reputation (perception is reality)
• Ability to tolerate conflict and work with
curmudgeons
• Ability to recognize bad politics and respond
appropriately
• Honesty, Trustworthiness and reliability
• EQ, communication, persuasion skills and
charisma
• High value/demand expertise (be irreplaceable
because you add value, not because you are a
bottleneck)
• Powerful ideas, enthusiasm, hard work and focus
• Flexibility and the ability to get along
• Confidence and stamina (endurance prevails over
cleverness)

59. political wisdom sidebar
•Invisible contributions have no political
value
•There’s nothing like a perceived external
threat to reduce internal conflict
•Never, ever, ever send an email when
you are angry
•If a governor is up for re-election in 20
months, don’t bring to him a project that
takes 24 months to complete

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62. CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTIONS
Title Slide: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dbuedo/
Please note that all content & opinions expressed in this deck are my own and don’t necessarily
represent the position of my current, or any previous, employers