Be Politically Savvy, if you want to be successful as a manager - 1

-
Even the most truly high performing work places are not pure meritocracies where everyone is perfectly rewarded based on the quality of their work. This is more true as you climb up the ladder and in to the leadership ranks. Unlike in schools, the continued success in a job depends of your achievements, general likability, friends at work and how politically savvy you are to navigate the complex bureaucratic corridors of the work place. In schools, you pass exams based on your general cognitive ability and IQ; ie: based on your merit.

 Political skills are often neglected and considered taboo when you first join a team. Even during recruitment, we always look for the most bright, most educated, most likable candidate and his/her past accomplishments. 

 Don't get me wrong here. Your ability matters the most. Along with your ability and likability, there are other variables that add or take away from the potential that affords you. I know that you wish to work in a pure meritocracy, but more often than not, your relationship with individuals within your teams and other teams affect the outcomes. 

 Success at work depends on understanding the people around you, what clicks them most, the dynamics involved in decision making, the interactions and beliefs of the people who make or break your targets. You have to build your social capital, build your social standing and your influence; id est, the intangible but finite amount of latitude you have in a group to speak up and impose your will when everyone is not on the same page. 

 When you think of how much leverage you have on, be brutally honest, be conservative and think about your odds of winning. If the odds are good, don't waste too much effort. But if the odds are not good, start your research in to the stakeholders involved in the decision, their relationships with each other, likely motives for saying no (or yes) in this situation. Start spending your social capital to increase your sphere of influence. 

 to be continued....




 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The True test of Intelligence

-
Einstein once said,  “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” Socrates, long before him, famously claimed,  “I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing.” To be honest, both statements left me scratching my head. So I began to ask myself:  What exactly makes someone intelligent?  And more importantly,  what does it mean to be an “intellectual”? This question nagged at me for one simple reason: in our everyday conversations, people are quick to label others as either “intellectual” or “stupid”—often without context, understanding, or kindness. I wasn’t convinced this was fair or even accurate. So, I did what any curious mind might do: I went looking for answers. Asking Around: How Do People Define an Intellectual? I decided to ask people from different walks of life how they define an "intellectual person." Their responses were as diverse as their professions. The Businessman “An intellectual person is someone who expr...
Read more

Transformation is the KEY!

-
Addu City Council and the Promise of Decentralization: Power to the People, or Just Paperwork? I’ve always believed that  Addu City should be run by its people, for its people . We know our challenges. We know our dreams. And we deserve the power to shape our own future. That’s the heart of decentralization— bringing decision-making closer to the community  and giving local councils like ours the authority to lead change. But let’s be honest. Despite the decentralization laws in place,  Addu City Council still faces serious obstacles . Bureaucracy, limited capacity, outdated systems, and political interference all hold us back from delivering the kind of services our community deserves. To truly make decentralization work for Addu,  we must transform how the Council and the Secretariat operate . That means building a culture focused on  collaboration, innovation, and smart use of technology . It means reimagining public service—not as red tape, but as a tool to ...
Read more