The Power of Politics in Business

Jeanna Yeager&

Ryan Nolan

What are Business Politics?

In business, politics is the difference between success and failure.

Bad Politics

Politics = Power

The bigger the company, the more complex the politics.

Bad Politics, cont.Successful business politicians:

Spend most of their energy managing up.

Base their career on building relationships with the power brokers.

Attend all the right meetings.

Bad Politics, cont.

Successful business politicians also:

Take personal credit for other's ideas.

Hoard information

Bad Politics, cont.

Information is power and power is politics.

“The dead giveaway of a political person is when they rarely share information.”

Bad Politics, cont.

To play the game, you must:

Build your network up, not down. Make yourself visible to the network.

These two steps will distance you from your peers and subordinates (if any).

Spend more time on your networking than on your job but still find a way to get your job done.

This requires the "This was my idea" behavior.

But Good Politics Do Exist!

Good business politicians also spend time on networking, but at all levels of organization

They spend time with first level employees, as well as upper level

Are aware of what makes the business successful, and can represent it clearly at any level

Good politicians also…

Share information and encourage others to do the same

Build on their knowledge base to increase their understanding

Good Politicians Also…

Are visible to their network in appropriate ways:– Attend meeting when they can add value– Make themselves available and approachable

throughout the organization

The Big Picture

Managing positive relationships with peers, subordinates, and supervisors will determine how successful you can be.

But…

Bad politicians do often get ahead. To survive in the political game, you must:– Set ethical boundaries for yourself– Accept political decisions that are out of your

control– Play hard to win!

Any Questions?

Information provided from:– “The Power of Politics”

http://www.alanarnette.com/viewpoints/politics.htm