Political Navigation at Work
You can’t bank on your talent alone.
How many times have you seen people around you advance in their positions for reasons beyond merit? This is the game of life, and it starts from a very early age — competing for positions on sports teams, classroom favoritism, playground hierarchy, college acceptance, and landing positions in the workplace. It’s not just about excellence in your craft, but also who you know and, more specifically, how strong your relationships are with the people around you.
Political and social navigation is part of life and a very important criteria for advancing in the workplace. If this is not your bag, I suggest you rethink it. You deserve to be seen, considered, and promoted for hard work, excellence, and attention to integrity in your workplace relationships. With the simple tips below, you can compete with the best of them.
But first, let’s review some important distinctions.
It can be easy to confuse political navigation with negative conflict or toxic office culture. Constructive conflict is a critical element of all workplace relationships and allows the best ideas to come to life. It takes courage for a leader to foster an environment where people can disagree, debate, share their own opinions, and find common ground.
On the other hand, when political navigation is ego-driven and focused on personal advancement at the expense of others, work environments become toxic, and people begin engaging in negative tactics as a means of survival. If this is the case, you can’t avoid managing the darker side of office politics and destructive conflict — you’ll need to tune in even deeper to align with the people you can trust, gain what you need from the experience, and if you are still unable to buffer yourself, then determine your exit plan.
Let’s assume that you are working in a generally healthy workplace with respected leadership. If this is the case, navigating social politics and competing can be an exciting part of your job. You can derive motivation, energy, and a thrill from this layer of your workday. Consider your own motivating force — is it climbing the corporate ladder or earning loads of money? Being top of your field or famous for your creativity or intellect? Having a seat at the strategic table or doing good for society? What do you want to achieve, win, or succeed in? This driving force is your agenda, and navigation in the workplace is a component of how you will fulfill that ambition.
Office politics boils down to the quest to be in command of your career: empowered and at choice in the workplace. Aligning with the people who already have this kind of power is an important step towards reaching your goals. Look around you to determine who the decision makers, the influencers, the people who seem at ease and direct, the people who are most respected and sought after are. Align with them by reaching out — ask to socialize (coffee/lunch) or request mentoring. Build those relationships diligently — take risks if you are more reserved, and make the time and put the effort into this element of your career development. You can’t advance in a vacuum.
The currency you have in any work environment is the solidity, strength, and authenticity of the relationships you build. Who are the people who have your back and are looking out for you? Who is going to teach you and, ultimately, help you grow? Who can you emulate?
Remember, relationship building is not just about what someone can do for you. Be sure you are creating reciprocity. Look around and consider: who needs your help, who needs your guidance, how can you make other people look good in front of important people? Be humble in your pursuit of advancement by focusing on helping others do the same. When we are looking to advance ourselves, it should always be in the context of advancing our team’s agenda, our organization’s success, and influencing excellence in our industry, too.
Game on.
Tips for Successful Political & Social Navigation:
KNOW YOURSELF. What is it that you are seeking to advance around? Be extremely clear about this. Then, be radically honest about how this ambition is not only going to serve your own needs, but also the greater good of your team or company. If you cannot find a “greater good” outcome to your motivation, shift it. This will ensure a less ego-based drive and will keep you on the high road.
FIGHT OR FLIGHT. If a workplace situation or relationship triggers a fight or flight response, this is a signal that you are moving into a negative, protective, and rigid position. Be aware of the adrenaline that can grip you in these moments — and either diffuse your intensity or step away from the situation — because you won’t win. To win, you must be in a confident, grounded, objective place. No good can come from the resistance that fight or flight mode brings. Calm is power; always remember this.
LISTEN, THEN RESPOND. The most powerful tool in navigating, negotiating, and winning is listening. If you are deeply hearing what someone is saying at all levels — the surface level words, tone of voice, body language, and the unspoken, hidden cues — you will be at an advantage. When you integrate this data, you will find yourself naturally choosing the most effective response. Listening brings us into the moment. It allows us to align with the right words and the right timing that resonates with our audience. Even when we are unprepared, listening can be a profound strategy that allows us to find the right response to put us ahead.
AVOID GOSSIP… AT ALL COSTS. Pride yourself on the reputation as someone who transcends petty, personal, back alley discussions. When you find someone trying to hook you into this kind of chatter, find a way to spin the discussion back to something productive and empowering. Oftentimes, people will feel better when you get them out of that headspace. A person that avoids gossip and fosters positive, solution-focused discussions is automatically more trusted across the board.
FIND YOUR TRIBE. Social navigation and political advancement are much more easily achieved when we have a few people we consider our trusted tribe — people we can be most vulnerable with. These will be our confidants, rational sounding boards to help boost our confidence and give us the clarity we need when things seem murky. Identify this short list — it can consist of people inside or outside your organization. Fall back on them when you have lost your way or need a reality check.
GO FOR WIN-WIN. If you are playing this game well, the ultimate outcome is collective advancement. This may mean that we don’t get everything we want at the time we want it. Compromise, flexibility, and nimbleness in the spirit of win-win outcomes is part of advancement. Again, build your reputation as someone who has the greater good in mind, holds relationships as sacred over getting what they want, and builds trust through integrity at every turn. People will seek to work with you, and you will advance naturally as a result.
Kristine Steinberg is the CEO of Kismet. She believes that your life should be deeply fulfilling — not tolerated. Partner with Kismet to dismantle fear, define your path, and lead with courage. Start your transformation today.