How to Decode the Corporate Power Base

There is a corporate power base at work in your organization.

That’s a bold statement that will have some readers saying, “No, there’s not.”

A power base isn’t necessarily negative. Within your company, there is a way things get done–it may be obvious and it may be hidden–either way, that’s the corporate power base.

Investigating and understanding who is more (or less) influential at helping your ideas get traction helps you create genuine-leader impact and realize your ambitions.

It is possible to be authentic and pragmatic about what the corporate experience involves and how things get done within your organization.

In my early days of practicing authenticity in the tech industry, I noticed things I had discussed with leadership, or ideas I had brought to the table, which I thought had a green light, weren’t happening. I also noticed decisions weren’t getting made the way I expected.

At times, things seemed off. Someone would make a decision that wasn’t in alignment with what I heard at meetings, or the written corporate processes didn’t match up to how I saw decisions getting made. I realized something was going on that wasn’t visible.

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Noticing and getting curious.

The key to uncovering how decisions get made, who makes them, and how to advance your goals within this framework starts with understanding.

4-Step Authentic Game Plan for Understanding the Corporate Power Base

1. Notice how your organization talks publicly about decision making. Is there a corporate-strategy process? Does the CEO decide everything? If you were to go and ask someone who makes the decisions, what would they tell you??
2. Compare. When decisions are being made, what can you learn about how they came about? Did the process follow what's written down for everyone to see, or did something unexpected happen?
3. Observe who speaks up in meetings and advocates for a position, then notice what happens after the meeting – did their idea fly or get grounded?
4. Get curious. When you are trying to influence or advocate for a certain decision, ask peers, leaders, those who have been there longer than you. “I’m trying to advocate for X, who do you think makes this decision?”

When you ask that last question, assume positive intent. When you start from a place of authentic inquiry and a desire to learn about how you can be effective in the company and culture – and not from a place of digging for dirt, people are more likely to be open with you.

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Which relationships should you nurture

Some relationships will help you achieve your goals better than others. Start noticing who has the power to make the decisions that impact your role, your team, and your career. Cultivate a genuine relationship with them such that if you come to them with an idea or an ask, you know you’re getting honest feedback and they’ll give you input to help you course correct or move forward.

Like anything, you have to be aware of your audience: who you’re talking to and how they’re going to receive your questions. Some people prefer directness, for others that’s off-putting, so you’ll need to try a different tact. This is about meeting the other person where they are – not about you.

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Course correcting a relationship that’s not successful

Ever have a decision go a different way than you anticipated? You thought you had a good relationship, you got direction, and then the decision surprised you? What can you do?

• Get curious and ask for feedback. Find out the why behind the decision and ask what you can do differently next time – then be willing to accept the feedback.
• Own the fact that maybe what you thought you had conveyed is not what the other person heard.
• Operate from a place of curiosity and learning and say, “Hey, I had advocated for this position the last time we talked, and we’ve done something different. I’m curious to get more information as to the why behind that so that I can understand going forward how I can bring better information and alignment.”

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Corporate politics exist.

When I reflect on my own career, I realize that I wasn't always curious enough or aware enough of who actually had the power and how they were able to drive decisions and get things done.

It’s a lot easier to see in hindsight than when you’re in the middle of it.? Having a coach is a key component for navigating this – I was supported by one and she was invaluable to me and my career.

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Corporations are full of politics. It feels like a dirty word, or a dirty game, and some of us don’t like to admit that it’s there – but it is.

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Once we acknowledge that politics are at play, that a corporate power base exists, only then can we begin to cultivate relationships within that power base that benefit us and our teams.