Winning at the Game of Office Politics

1. #GHC14 #OfficePolitics @Jo_Miller Winning at the Game of Office Politics Jo Miller, CEO, Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc. 2014

2. Jo Miller • Founding Editor of BeLeaderly.comand CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc. • Helps emerging women leaders create a roadmap for their career advancement. • 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 women’s initiatives. 

3. I HAVE UNIQUE KOALAFICATIONS

4. #GHC14

5. 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.

6. You can’t afford to wait

7. Are you the best kept secret in your organization?

8. OFFICE POLITICS Do you enjoy playing the game?

9. WHY YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO IGNORE OFFICE POLITICS

10. I asked 169 professional women how they handled office politics. Over 80% said they ignore it, or reluctantly play the game where necessary. • In LinkedIn’s 2013 survey of 954 women, 23% reported office politics as their biggest frustration.

11. Many women managers find engaging in office politics to be difficult and painful. • Some view it as “evil”. Ruderman and Ohlott, 2002.

12. So, why not just ignore it?

13. “…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.

14. People who are politically savvy “Women and Political Savvy,”Leslie and Gentry, 2012.

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18. 4 Competencies of Positive Political Savvy • “Development and Validation of the Political Skill Inventory,” Florida State University Foundation, 2005

19. Who do you know who does this well? • What qualities or characteristics do they have?

20. Office Politics Organizational Awareness Being a savvy observer of the communication and relationships that surround you in your organization.

21. The Org Chart

22. The Org Chart • Doesn’t tell the full story.

23. THE SHADOWORGANIZATION MAP

24. The Org Chart

25. Relationships

26. Relationships

27. Relationships • Influence

28. Relationships • Influence • Coalitions

29. Relationships • Influence • Coalitions

30. Relationships • Influence • Coalitions • Key Influencers

31. Download This Presentation • www.womensleadershipcoaching.com/ghc14.htm

32. Relationships • Influence • Coalitions • Key Influencers

33. Relationships • Influence • Coalitions • Key Influencers • Verticals

34. “There is a special kind of relationship —called sponsorship — in which the mentor goes beyond giving feedback and advice and uses his or her influence with senior executives to advocate for the mentee.Our interviews and surveys alike suggest that high-potential women are overmentored and undersponsored relative to their male peers—and that they are not advancing in their organizations.” —Harvard Business Review

35. “A sponsor is someone who will use their internal political and social capital to move your career forward within an organization. Behind closed doors, they will argue your case.” —Cindy Kent, GM, 3M

36. “Are all your advocates in the management chain directly above you? I recommend that everyone have three to four advocates outside of her direct management chain.” —Michelle Johnston Holthaus, GM, Channel Platforms and Strategy Division, Intel

37. Relationships • Influence • Coalitions • Key Influencers • Verticals

38. Which element of the shadow map was most enlightening for you?

39. Relationships • Influence • Coalitions • Key Influencers • Verticals

40. What are some ways to gather information to map your shadow organization? • Face-to-face interactions • Virtually

41. THE RULES OF THE GAME

42. Unwritten, Unspoken “Rules of the Game” • Every organization has them.

43. Identify some “rules of the game” in your organization. • What are ways to navigate ethically and effectively within these rules?

44. THREE WAYS TO GENERATE QUICK WINS

45. 1 Early-career 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.

46. 2 Early-career Build aninfluential 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.

47. “It’s 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

48. 3 Mid & senior level 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 the opportunity.

49. Q & A

50. Download This Presentation • www.womensleadershipcoaching.com/ghc14.htm Blog • www.BeLeaderly.com