Using political & interpersonal skills

• We tend to think of political colleagues as underhanded or dishonest.
• But being political does not mean being devious.
• Having integrity and being politically astute are not inconsistent.
• Being political means working smarter through people rather than simply keeping your nose to the grindstone.

You can become more politically focused through these means:

• Team work - help key colleagues to earn I.O.U's.
• Customer focus - be proactive to meet needs of others.
• Strategic - add value that matters most to key stakeholders.
• Power focus - get onside with the right people, key influencers.
• Partnerships -create coalitions and alliances.
• Selflessness - make important people look good.
• Indispensability - give service that others can't do without.
• Consensus - look for areas of agreement to build on
• Peer pressure - win over those who can influence others.
• Diplomacy - show respect for the dignity of others.
• Perceptiveness - recognize who has informal influence.
• Emotional intelligence - notice and adapt to people's emotions.

For example, if someone is in a hurry for you to get something done, try to show an appropriate sense of urgency. This is a way of showing empathy. Or if a client is concerned if you will deliver on time, don't simply state the facts, express how much of an important priority this is for you. This is giving your client an emotional commitment.

• If you see yourself as running your own business, being more political comes down to being better at selling yourself, especially through forming alliances.
• This means learning more about the needs of your most important customers and finding new ways to help them meet their needs.
• It's just doing your job smarter - it's not boot polishing.
• It's not about deceiving people - that catches up with you in the end.
• Without trust you will only achieve short term gains at best.