It is important to understand that politics are simply unavoidable from an organizational standpoint. The very essence of an organization is a group of people working together to accomplish a set of goals. And when people have to interact with others, there are always going to be disagreements, compromises and varying forms of engagement. Combine that with the fact that we are emotional creatures who care about what others think of us, and it’s only natural that people will posture when dealing with their colleagues.
Of course, when I say “posture”, what I really mean is “gain influence”. If you are going to get anything done in an organizational setting, you’re going to have to influence people around you to do it, and that requires power. Power is the only real currency that exists in an organization, and it is gained (and lost) by our ability to build relationships with the people we work with on a day to day basis. The more you can do for other people, the more power you have. If everyone comes to you to solve their problems, then you likely have attained the most power and influence in the organization, regardless of your title or salary.
Along the same lines, while you may think you are largely responsible for what happens to you in your career, you’re wrong. Strong performance and driving ambition are nice, but they are rarely going to be enough to get you very far in a hierarchical industry like college athletics. Your movement up and down the corporate ladder is a direct result of the people above you, the ones with the power to promote (or block) your rise up the organizational chart. Therefore, your primary focus should be ensuring that the people with influence have a desire to make you successful. It is performance, combined with your political skills that will help you rise through the ranks.
“We’re not talking about manipulating people here,” explains Huchthausen. “Building influence with someone means cultivating a relationship built on value. If you are genuinely interested in helping other people (and then actually deliver) they are likely to reciprocate. That being said, too many people approach networking trying to figure out what the person can do for them rather than the other way around, and the relationship goes nowhere because they come off as disingenuous. Swallow your pride, figure out how to create value for others, and just maybe they’ll be willing to help you,” she continues.
Unfortunately, not everyone takes the same ethical approach when they engage in politics. Particularly if we are managing others, we must be aware that a person’s attempts to gain power can often have a detrimental effect on our own careers if we are not proactive in countering their political behavior. For instance, instead of following the proper reporting channels, a coach within our department may circumvent their sport administrator and go directly to the athletic director with a specific ask for their program. Assuming the coach has a strong relationship with their AD, then it is likely they will get what they want. Whatever the outcome, the administrator will at best come off incapable of controlling their supervisee, and at worst be perceived as totally incompetent.
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