Yes, You CAN get ahead without the Politics

In our competitive world of business, the pressure we feel to succeed often leads us to employ political maneuvering to get ahead. We see it happening all around us. It appears to be the only way to ‘win’. However, I believe we can choose a different path, one driven by values and principles and still ‘win’. Don’t get me wrong, I realize this deliberate choice is full of trials and tribulations along the way, but it’s worth it in the end. If more of us behave this way we can make organizational politics a rarity, instead of a commonality and make our work lives far more enjoyable and meaningful.?

I recently did an interview with Nellie Wartoft , CEO and Founder of Tigerhall where she asked me how I did it. I thought I’d take a few moments to write down a few of my reflections from the last 30 years of ‘not playing the game.’

Your Core Values

What matters to you more than anything else in this world? If you haven’t taken the time to articulate your top 3-5 values, I really think you must (I have an exercise you can do if you need it).? Once you have them (mine are Integrity, Respect, and Impact) make a pact with yourself that you are not going to compromise them–no matter what. No matter if you don’t get promoted, or you have to leave a company or yes, even if you end up getting fired .?

No matter if you don’t get promoted, or you have to leave a company or yes, even if you end up getting fired.?

Have the Right Mindset

OK, so you have your values and you don’t want to compromise them. But how does one actually do that?! For me, I tend to play mental gymnastics–holding onto a set of beliefs that guide my day-to-day behavior.? Having these mindsets may help you resist those temptations to play:

• Organizational Over Personal Gain: Put your organization's and customer’s welfare above your personal interests and desires. If teams were more aligned on a powerful mission and purpose of their company then THAT is where they will focus. Believe that you will succeed if your organization succeeds.??
• Impact on Others: All political moves come at the expense of another person(s). It is called a game, but the impact on people’s lives is real.? Believe that you do not want to succeed at others’ expense. You want to succeed based on your own talents and grit.
• Believe in Yourself:? You have to have enough self-confidence to believe you can always get another job. Believe that you are not stuck at your current job or company. This is your life, don’t let others take it away from you.
• Success on Your Own Terms: Write down what success means to you – detached from comparisons with others. Don’t include titles. Create a list of about 10.? In 2008 mine were items like: Being debt-free by age 50. Being on a public board. Being known as an authentic leader. When you aren’t thinking of success relative to those around you then you aren’t nearly as angry when a peer gets a promotion and you don’t.
• The World isn’t Fair: We can convince ourselves that because it isn’t fair it is ok to make that political move because we deserve that promotion. But in reality? it is never going to be fair. That’s not reason enough to play along.
• It’s a Marathon, not a Sprint: Not playing politics will feel horrible at moments in your journey, I can promise you that. You have to fundamentally believe that it will work out over time. Karma and ‘good goes around’ as concepts work in my own head. My experience shows me that those who have long played politics to succeed end up quite miserable. They don’t have trusted, caring relationships no matter how much power and money they’ve attained.
• ‘Mom Barometer’: What would Mom think? Who is that person you aim to emulate and don’t want to disappoint. Have them metaphorically sitting on your shoulder. It’s helped me out of a sticky situation and allowed me to be brave many a time.?
• The World is Small: ?As your career progresses you will find that 6 degrees of separation suddenly turns into 2. What personal brand will you have wanted to create for yourself? What would you hope people will say when they get those back channel reference calls??

Getting Ahead

People have often asked me if I would have more money and power if I had played the game. As far as money, the answer is 1000% yes. But in my mind enough money is enough money. We obviously live just fine and it is a good trade off for my soul. As far as Power? It all depends how you define power. My ‘power’ is in my richly rewarding relationships with thousands of smart, kind people. That’s good enough for me.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not naive. I DO believe you have to understand the politics of an organization in order to have an impact and to support/elevate the people on your team. But you have to know where to draw the line—when you are doing something or not doing something solely on the basis? of politics and certainly if you are compromising your values.

Navigating a Political Organizational Culture

Addressing a political culture poses real challenges, especially when executive leadership embodies such behavior. While I realize that you cannot single-handedly alter an entire culture, leading by example and influencing small pockets of change can indeed make a difference. Seek out others with similar values. Be brave and talk with them about the realities of the politics. What remains unsaid certainly can’t be altered. More of us need to band together instead of struggling alone.?

Embrace It?

In summary, I would offer these four immediate next steps:?

1. Write down your core values and agree nothing is worth those being comprised?
2. Define Success in 5-10 yrs on your own terms?
3. Find people you trust in your organization and openly talk about the politics of the organization?
4. If you are feeling brave enough, talk to your boss about it.? If you are feeling half brave just ask them what their perspective is on the current politics of the organization and see what they say?

One personal reminder: please don’t walk around your organization saying you aren’t political. Those are usually the characters who are the most political of all. Another tell tale sign is when someone tells me ‘it’s just business, not personal.’ It’s always personal in my book.

I beg you to lead by example, no matter your role. I promise people will notice. We need the groundswell. It is through the power of all of us that things will change.?

You can watch my 30 minute interview with Nellie here.