This is a continuation post to Much-Ado about “Politics@Work”
What’s your reaction to being called good at political skills? Do you take it as a compliment or does it offend you…If it is neutral or offensive, we suggest its time for some mindset reframes:
Limiting Belief: Political skills require the use of manipulation for self-interest, which spoils an organization’s culture.
Reframe: Political skills can enable me to improve my interactions and professional connect to enhance my and my organizations’ performance.
Political skills(savviness) are set of interpersonal competencies, which can help an individual to navigate workplace dynamics and cope from stressful situations at work. These interpersonal skills not only empower an employee to improve their performance to move up the organizational ladder, but they also help managers improve a team’s performance and create a culture of agility and social influence; competencies key to the dynamic work environment. These competencies take precedence in leadership roles over the technical skills.
Let’s explore the dimensions of these competencies a bit further:
Dimensions of political skills:
1. Social Astuteness: Intellect to comprehend & understand the tone and appropriate nature of social interactions in your concerned organization or workgroup. Most organizations call it the prevalent culture or the way things get done.
2. Interpersonal Influence: Ability to modify self-behaviour in context of others to earn a response. In neuro-linguistic programming(NLP), we practitioners have a presupposition: the most influential person is the most flexible one. Flexibility gives us options and more choices. It helps to understand when a decision, stance or outlook is not working for our goals and be flexible enough to consider or collaborate on other alternatives.
3. Networking Ability: The ability to position self for available opportunities. This is a critical skill acquired with time and practice, it’s effectiveness is exemplified best in the subtleness with which individual forms and forges positive alliances. Research shows that the connectors in a social network surpass limitations of geographic, functional and even organizational boundaries to create opportunities for themselves and others. Are you a connector or can you think of one such person in your network?
4. Apparent Sincerity: It is common to hear that ends define the means in politics. Yet, organizational psychologists emphasize a positive association between sustained social influence and perceived behaviour sincerity. For our influencing skills to be effectual and not coercive, it is important to come across as genuine to others. Gather the trust and confidence of others. People do not trust or support those who demonstrate the presence of ulterior motives in there actions. If apparent sincerity is a dimension for political savviness, why is it common to associate manipulative behaviour with being politically savvy or “political”? Professor Gerald Ferris in his extensive research on political skills at work states, an important measure of effective political savviness is in coming across as genuine and authentic. If an individual comes across as manipulative or self-serving, they aren’t politically savvy yet.
5. Self-control: Management of personal emotions and mindset to avoid self-damaging reactions to unpleasant situations or conversations. In a way, cultivating the ability to think about consequence and appropriateness before speaking. Most of the topical key skills we hear of these days from mindfulness to agility require self-awareness & control as a qualifier.
We choose what an event means to us and our reaction to that event defines the behaviour/temperament we are associated with.
6. Managing influence with all concerned levels, not just top management. While it helps to align with the boss and organizational leadership for ease of goal clarity. An influential and positive connect at other strategic levels(360 degrees) can enable better perception and influence management. A politically skilled individual has mastery over aspects of emotional intelligence and influence. They know what to do when and how. While it is a gift to be born with natural ease towards these competencies, they can be developed with openness and focus.
How to acquire political skills?
These tenants can enable you to gain self-control and practice social influence:
1. Be authentic to your need and personality: Commitment or success at a goal requires a compelling motive, opportunity to practice change and belief in personal ability to meet the goal. This begins with you understanding your need and values. If you find networking draining, think of other possible ways you can establish your influence in your organizational network. Maybe, you can still forge and nurture connects while focussing more on other dimensions to bridge the gap.
2. Self-monitoring: We expect our leaders to be authentic and truthful of their commitment, but we also like them to align with the prototype image of an ideal leader. i.e. visionary, compassionate, in-control etc.
Authenticity has a time and place in our life! yes, things fall naturally into place when we work on a goal which is aligned with our values or if we are in a situation where we can be our natural self. Yet, if your goal is to nurture & develop young talent in your team with compassion and your natural authentic self is diligent(seemingly perfectionist and demanding), you will need some self-monitoring to not come across as harsh or difficult. Similarly, the inability to be authentically extrovert or outgoing, should not stop you from reaching out to potential clients. Self-monitoring brings self-awareness & control, it gives the opportunity to develop self for the aspired position.
Becoming aware of our thinking traps or developmental areas is often the first step in this journey.
3. Tacit feedback and experiential knowledge shared by organizational leaders and mentors. These can be people who understand the organizational network and have achieved their coveted positions through practising behaviour that is valued. Many organizations run mentorship programs for their potential talent. Mentoring is also a benefit extended by some professional bodies for their members.
4. Practice influence through persuasion: Professor Robert Cialdini gave us beautiful nuggets with his principles of persuasion, relevant here are that of liking and reciprocity.
a)People tend to say yes to your request/demand if they like you.
b) If you are good to someone, that person can feel compelled to return the favour to you(reciprocity).
5. Focussed personal coaching: A trained personal coach invested in your success can understand your motive and purpose, explore your current reality through objective assessment tools and devise a coaching plan designed with you for your needs. Keen to know more? Connect with us at Thoughtsfile to simplify this journey for you to win at work.
Reference:
Ahearn, K. K., Ferris, G. R., Hochwarter, W. A., Douglas, C., & Ammeter, A. P. (2004).
Dai, L., & Song, F. (2016). Subjective career success: A literature review and prospect. Journal of Human Resource and Sustainability Studies, 4(3), 238-242.
Ferris, G. R., Treadway, D. C., Perrewé, P. L., Brouer, R. L., Douglas, C., & Lux, S. (2007). Political skill in organizations. Journal of management, 33(3), 290-320