Politics Pitfalls for Women: Excessive Modesty
Letting Strengths Become Risks
We continue to get ongoing requests to speak at women’s leadership forums, so here is another entry about landmines politically for women in particular…
Every strength pushed to the extreme or unbridled can become a weakness or block. Given women’s aptitude and traditional role of being nurturers in families, it makes sense they might give too much credit to others, instead of fairly and deservedly ensuring they receive credit earned and that key managers understand their contributions. Don’t let your more caring nature seduce you into overly praising others to your own demise, being too soft on people (and therefore earning the reputation as not being results-driven enough), being too nice in granting favors that put you at a disadvantage because you dislike saying “no,” displeasing someone, or being overly apologetic.One way to get deserved credit while sharing credit and appreciation with others is to jot a quick, genuine email of positive recognition and thanks to people on a team you spearhead. Then copy the recipients’ bosses and your own. Without bragging, the fact that you are sharing credit announces the fact that you were the team lead, since you’re the one thanking folks (and of course, the team members spread positive buzz about you as a motivating, praise-oriented leader). We just get into trouble when we carry ourselves like “Mr. Cellophane,” the invisible, behind the scenes guy in the stage and movie musical, Chicago.
Another strength that can get misused or funneled into negative “buzz” can relate to women’s strengths in building close relationships, which on one hand is indeed a component of the Organizational Savvy Skills Pyramid, termed as Essential Networking. Just be sure that your relationship-building prowess is not interpreted as being at the expense of task fulfillment, leaning too much into emotional relationship-building if you’re with more of a Driver-oriented, task-focused individual that might see this as frivolous or “touchy-feely.” Also, some more self-deprecating, under-political women may restrict their relationship-building to one-on-one interactions and avoid large gatherings like the plague, missing opportunities for exposure to power brokers (”No thanks, I’ll just stay home and watch re-runs of Sex and the City!). Meanwhile, some “overly-political” people are tying together each other’s shoe laces to trip one another so they can get to the table to sit and schmooze with Mr. Big Wigs!
As with all the high-integrity Organizational Savvy strategies for influence, impact, and career growth, the key is BALANCE. Do you shrink your networking or fail to optimize alliance-building opportunities? And remember, important networking can occur outside large events, such as arriving early to staff meetings and NOT hopping on your phone or planner, but mixing and sharing mutual exciting projects and more importantly, asking others about what’s in their charter these days and how you might assist them.
Tags: corporate politics, Glass Ceiling, Organizational Politics, Women and Political Savvy
Influence Skills as a Wastebasket Training Topic
I wish I had a dime for every time a training, learning & development, or line manager has told me, “I need a program on influence skills.” After all, part of Organizational and Political Savvy is the ability to sell your ideas–– to influence. But too many curriculum planners fail to target with enough precision the exact category of “influence skills” behavior change or improvement is required by a target population. So “Influence Skills” has become a wastebasket, catch-all term. I hope this blog helps you to distinguish between four dimensions of INFLUENCE, so that you are more strategic before installing a training course on the subject.
Four dimensions of “influence skills” exist, so clients can now differentiate between these levels to optimize target populations’ expertise and growth. Each dimension is “necessary but not sufficient,” and each requires a different learning solution. Here, then, is the Influence Dimensions Pyramid.
1) Substantive Influence- The foundation of influence is the validity and soundness of the content or idea itself. Your competence and recommendation/proposal itself must be compelling, well-documented, accurate, solid in its business rationale, and clearly packaged. This entails task level training, on-the-job competence building, mentoring, and technical development. The substantive influence dimension is especially vital for buy-in from what our programs teach as the “Power of Ideas” Political Style, but no stakeholder will approve a recommendation, proposal, or initiative if the idea itself doesn’t hold water.
2) Core Interpersonal Influence- Many influence courses teach fundamental communication skills, such as Listening and Speaking skills to gain Agreements (Ridge Training), Advocacy and Inquiry skills with “push” and “pull” tactics (Forum, Barnes and Conti, Situational Management Institute, etc.), and/or alternative structures for packing “influence message” into formats or templates (e.g., “Hook-Point-Value” or “Idea-Action-Value,” etc.). Whether focusing broader interaction skills, packing formats for content, or platform presentation skills, this level of influence programs targets the interpersonal dimension of influence as the building block, because even the best idea poorly conveyed or done in either a passive or aggressive, versus interactive, collaborative fashion will fall on deaf ears.
3) Style-Based Influence- A higher level of influence astuteness entails style-based influence. Most often, this involves communications-oriented style models: SOCIAL STYLES models taught Ridge, Wilson Learning, Tracom Corporation, etc. (Driver, Analytic, Expressive, or Amiable), DISC, The Four Colors models, all of which are similar and helpful. Myers-Briggs Type Indicators (MBTI) and the Whole Brain models (the Hermann companies) address how people perceive, decide, learn, or think. Other style-based models include Enneagrams, Personalysis, Five Dynamics tool, and Psychological Associates. All such style based influence dimension models overlap a bit with the core interpersonal dimension, and all entail “flexing” to achieve harmonious and productive interaction, all appeal to style-based preferences, and all reduce style-based tensions that might interfere with an idea’s acceptance, regardless of it’s substantive validity or your interpersonal effectiveness in communicating the idea.
4) Strategic Influence- Here is where most influence training falls short, but assuming that any or all of the previous Influence Dimensions will be enough to win the day. Until recently, very little structured training has existed on this strategic influence dimension related to four (4) “P”s increasingly impacting one’s degree of influence, regardless of how effective one is in the previous three levels of influence (Substantive, Interpersonal, and Style-Based):
* Politics- Navigating within the political arena is essential for knowing the unwritten rules, the real way decisions are reached, and handling sabotage/deception.
* Power- Knowing who officially holds formal or informal power, knowing how to speak truth to power, respecting ego and turf, lobbying ideas to stakeholders, and challenging ideas are vital in today’s complex, turbulent, and volatile organizations.
* Perception- The role of perceptions in how decisions are made is critical for optimal influence, so politically savvy, agile leaders know how to assess their own and their team’s corporate perception and reputation–– fair or unfair, accurate or not–– and how to consciously craft a plan to alter negative perceptions. A cornerstone of effective ethical political influence inside of companies and government agencies certainly is “impression management.”
* Promotion- Astute leaders never over-promote their contributions or take undue credit for ideas and outcomes, but they also avoid becoming the “best-kept secret” in their companies or agencies. “Balanced, High-Integrity Self-Promotion” and promoting one’s team is a hallmark of the politically savvy, strategically influential leader.
Beyond the Wastebasket Approach. Hopefully, this break-down of INFLUENCE as a waste-basket, overly generalized competency will assist consultants and their performance improvement clients to better explore the optimal influence-oriented learning solutions for their target populations, leadership competency models, business problems and performance gaps. While there are scores of program for the first three dimensions of influence on the Influence Pyramid, you can probably count on one hand the number of proven, research-grounded, structured leadership development programs addressing the strategic influence dimension. It’s fulfilling to see our Organizational Savvy training course, assessment tools, and Wall Street Journal best seller text (Survival of the Savvy, 2004, Free Press) make such a significant impact on organizations seeking to install a more comprehensive, advanced approach to what otherwise is a wastebasket subject matter of “influence skills.”
Tags: Justifying Training Programs
The “Insanity” of Ignoring Influence Styles
Welcome back to the Savvy Blog which will from now on be updated at least weekly and so sorry for the Savvy Seasonal Vacation!
By popular demand, this week’s Guest Author is again Ken Bruss, Ed.D., picking up on the theme of Savvy and Six Sigma or Continuous Improvement. Ken has extensive experience managing the implications of Organizational and Political Savvy inherent in quality and process improvement initiatives. A primary area of focus has been New Product Development processes.
________________________________________________________________________________________
– Ken Bruss
Albert Einstein once observed that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.” For those of us involved with change initiatives in organizations, this observation is particularly pertinent. Why when faced with compelling data that the existing processes don’t work, do seemingly sane individuals resist change? 
I encounter this routinely in my work with New Product Development teams. I used to be amazed when empirically trained engineers committed to project schedules, budgets and performance requirements that flew in the face of organizational history. Puzzled, I’d ask myself why were they ignoring data and resisting more effective project planning methods.
I’ve found the Organizational Savvy Political Styles model created by Brandon Partners to be a useful means of unraveling this conundrum. In a nutshell the Organizational Savvy model presents a continuum of behaviors influencing such actions as decision-making. At one end is the “Power of Ideas Style” which views true power as residing in SUBSTANCE–– the work itself whether facts, logic and analysis, sales and new accounts, or creative and artistic results. At the other end of the continuum is the “Power of Person Style,” which views true power as residing in POSITION POWER, so this person deftly reads between the lines, psychs out power trends, and operates from a posture of street smarts and political practicality. The Organizational Savvy model suggests that by understanding what individuals value and how they navigate in the company, we will be more effective at influencing them.
Applying Organizational Savvy to Project Planning
As you might have guessed by now, I’m more comfortable operating from a Power of Ideas posture. Most project planning decisions, however, are not framed in such black and white terms. Typically they involve both types of considerations. To understand why otherwise rational engineers people act in what appears to be an irrational manner, I’ve learned to ask myself what other factors are at play? What data am I missing, either because I’ve dismissed its significance or simply did not recognize it staring me in the face?
A useful starting question is “what is motivating the client to ask for such an aggressive schedule?” Follow-up questions might be:
- What internal or external pressures are driving their behavior?
- What organizational changes have recently occurred?
- Whose projects are being funded and which ones are being cut?
- What’s the mood like in the company?
- What new competitors are nipping at their heels?
While all of this data can be statistically analyzed, attaching appropriate meaning to these factors requires a more qualitative approach that factors in the stakeholders’ Political Styles; in essence, perception sometimes really is reality.
By utilizing these new insights, I’m then able to conduct a more nuanced and productive project planning discussion. I’m able to see more clearly the reasons why people are clinging to seemingly dysfunctional behaviors. While I’ll still rely on hard data to justify my points, by broadening my understanding of issues I’m able to focus on what truly matters to the client.
Tags: Business Rationale for Political Savvy, organizational change skills, Organizational Savvy, quality, Six Sigma
Savvy and Six Sigma- Guest Author Ken Bruss
This week’s Guest Author is Ken Bruss, Ed.D. Ken has extensive experience managing the implications of Organizational and Political Savvy inherent in quality and process improvement initiatives. A primary area of focus has been New Product Development processes. Ken will be contributing a few blog entries based upon his experience.
Why is Political Savvy Critical for Six Sigma Success? It seems every day we read about another company reporting amazing financial results attributable to a Six Sigma initiative. Led by Black Belt masters religiously deploying statistical methods these companies are successfully eliminating variability from their processes and defects from their products.
On occasion, the same business journals report on companies failing to experience anticipated benefits from their Six Sigma initiatives. Post mortem data indicates that frequently the root cause for disappointing results is failure to achieve company-wide buy-in. This is surprising, since unlike many other process improvement initiatives, Six Sigma heavily focuses on securing active senior and middle management support. One of the fundamentals is creating a robust infrastructure (e.g., green belts, black belts…).
Kissing the Frog. In other instances we read about a perceived struggle between achieving efficiency and fostering innovation. For companies whose lifeblood is new products, complaints that Six Sigma stifles creativity can’t easily be ignored. Inherent in the front end of New Product Development is risk. As technologists push the envelope and explore unknowns, failures will occur. The slogan “you need to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince” hangs in many Silicon Valley cubicles. Six Sigma data analysis would have recommended killing many development efforts which subsequently resulted in profitable, breakthrough products. As software companies attempt to manage risks by implementing “lean” and “agile” approaches to development their goal isn’t to eliminate failure, but simply surface it sooner.
How Does Political Savvy Address This Innovation versus Efficiency Challenge? Brandon Partners’ Political Styles model teaches about two distinct organizational influencing styles with contrasting world views about true Power, Politics, the role of Perception in idea approval, and Promotion of yourself and your results. On a very basic level Six Sigma is totally consistent with the less political style’s (Power of Idea’s) approach to work and organizational politics–– which is to put faith in “Substance Power” and count of the data and results speaking for themselves. In organizations where a Power of Idea’s orientation is the cultural norm, this posture will experience smooth sailing. These are organizations, after all, where power resides in facts, logic and analysis, not hierarchical status; where decisions are based on meritocracy, not relationships.
Many organizations, however, don’t operate this way. While they may not suffer from being “Overly Political,” a slightly more political, but still highly ethical political style (Power of Person) is also very active and appropriate. Here, for Six Sigma initiatives to take hold, dazzling statistical analysis isn’t sufficient. In such company cultures, decisions and resource commitments have already been informally made before the official “decision-making” meeting is held. To be effective, Six Sigma practitioners need to lift their head from the data and become politically savvy, engaging in what Brandon and Seldman in Survival of the Savvy (Free Press, 2004) call “Ethical Lobbying.” This doesn’t mean that Power of Person Six Sigma leaders need to compromise their methods or principles, but simple sell them more effectively to stakeholders across the enterprise. In up-coming Blogs we’ll explore how being Politically Savvy can contribute to Six Sigma success.
Tags: organizational change skills, Organizational Savvy, political savvy, quality, Six Sigma
Accepting a New Job in the Same Company: Stay SAVVY!
This week, Jane Porter featured my input in her Wall Street Journal article (Careers D-2) entitled “New Job, Same Firm: Learning the Ropes.” I thought it would be helpful to link you here, and to review some of the thoughts I shared about the challenge of switching roles in the same organization. Whether from re-structuring, downsizing fall-out, or a promotion, taking a new job is sometimes tackled without trouble-shooting potential problems or navigating the “white space on the organizational chart,” and after all, that’s a lot of what Organizational and Political Savvy is about. Here are some quick tips…
Be Thankful. “At least I HAVE a job to complain about!” Ahhhh, a familiar refrain these days, eh? One very real outgrowth of our economic turmoil is massive re-organization, which results in many people being transferred, so if your new position is not one you sought, you’ll benefit from focusing on the benefit of even having a job in these tough times for many. If you are bummed out, don’t “wear it” or you’ll be quickly branded as a pessimist, cynic, Pig Pen type character from the Peanuts comic strip and be doomed before you start. Literally count your blessings by reminding yourself of all that’s positive in the new gig, without being in denial. 
Role Clarity. The section Jane Porters discusses on “Talk it Out” and later on about “Learn to Let Go” both involve the need to communicate clearly with both bosses–– the old and new–– about time-lines, transition plans, residue responsibilities and potential lag-over tasks that will fall between the cracks if you don’t nail down who’s truly accountable. Like it or not, you could be blamed for unfinished business and simply saying “Well, it’s not my job anymore” won’t cut it these days when mutual accountability, going above and beyond, and avoiding cop-outs are watchwords of achieving more with less in companies. So demonstrate proactive, preventative thinking about what might go wrong or get lost in the shuffle, leaving the enterprise vulnerable. Be a hero while protecting and running interference for yourself by getting clarity on who’s taking over for you, how available for coaching and help you’re expected to be, and how you’ll be able to re-negotiate new job assignments based on the degree of old-job demands you are sucked needed to tackle.
Don’t Assume the Unwritten Rules are the Same. The mere price of admission these days is to achieve results. That’s a given. The true determinant of success really comes in understanding the unwritten rules, hidden norms, and “real score card” for success. Try to learn the ropes in your new job in case informal expectations are different regarding meetings, taboos, conflict management, feedback, reporting protocol or formats, leadership priorities, hours and punctuality, work ethic, life balance, pet peeves of the boss, team communication, cooperation and manager preferences, etc. You don’t want to unwittingly commit career suicide or go on someone’s you-know-what list by not being in the loop about unwritten rules. Quickly build a network to get the inside scoop on how to survive and thrive in the new environment. 
Remember Essential Networks. Remember the old adage, “Make new friends and keep the old; one is silver and the other is gold?” Well, double down on that bet! So many job transfers result in people’s falling out of touch with old stakeholders, colleagues, friends, and other network members. We need to cultivate and maintain both old and new purposeful relationships not only for the pure enjoyment of the interactions, and to help and support one another (yes, there IS such a thing as Corporate Karma), but also because you never know when you’ll need the old network to advocate for an idea, endorse your credibility, or partner on a new cross-organizational initiative. Besides, with the amount of organizational volatility going on, who’s your boss or colleague going to be next week?!
Tags: Job Transition, Organizational Politics, Organizational Savvy, Reorganizations
Politics Pitfalls for Women: Modesty and Femininity Misused?
As covered in recent blogs, many women under-estimate how their attitudes and actions about power and how their traditional sex-role socialized behavioral patterns can impact their career, influence, and team’s credibility. We’ve discussed how they may define power differently, dislike traditional power versus collaborative power, slip into language conventions that attract disparaging labels, or allow other stereotypically female habits to marginalize or plateau their careers. Today’s blog shares more friendly reminders so you don’t unwittingly step on a “corporate buzz” (aka, grapevine) mine-field.
Keeping a Low, Modest Profile
Men tend to more naturally speak about their accomplishments, to the point of sometimes bragging or taking credit in more territory-building ways–– and often they are not censured, but rewarded for doing so. As “tadpoles,” little boys are scripted to be assertive and more active in putting themselves out there. Women, on the other hand, typically receive childhood messages about modesty, avoiding too much self-promotion, and nurturing others’ image. While certainly less true in recent decades, there is still some truth to this generalization. So female executives are more apt to under-promote and to even discount focus on their own contributions (even more than males when their parents may have transmitted these same societal messages of humility).
Some women may avoid letting others see their hand print on their work, for fear of being perceived as “strutting their stuff,” being “aggressive,” or appearing too boastful. This is problematic given that Kathleen Reardon, in her book, The Secret Handshake, and Deborah Tannen, in her research and book, document that men are often promoted based upon their future potential, whereas women are more likely to be promoted based upon their past track record! This ironic trend means that women receive the very messages that muffle their efforts to engage in those very politically astute actions needed to ensure proper documentation, fair notice, and company knowledge about what they’ve accomplished. We called this Balanced Self-Promotion in our workshops on Shattering the Glass Ceiling. We offer non-crass, appropriate tactics for getting the credit and recognition you deserve without appearing pompous or overly-political. For instance, when talking about your accomplishments, instead of framing them as “results” and “achievements,” you can express excitement about what your team has “learned” that might help the company or someone else’s similar task force. This way, you’re not bragging, but just enhancing organizational learning, which is a burgeoning, valued culture-building trend in corporations.
Overdoing Femininity?
Some corporate settings frown on overly feminine norms for dress, such as long, dangling earrings or certain hairdo’s. Also, being too responsive to feelings, too “touchy-feely,” relationship-oriented, or expressive with emotions can go against the current. When discussing the negative impact of an idea, women might place too much stress on morale, fairness, or personal concern about a colleague, whereas a man might matter-of-factly note, “it’s just business.”
On the other hand, fear of being perceived as too feminine, or even misinterpreted as being coy or coquettish should not trap you into ignoring company norms. After all, many organizations do NOT require adopting more male standards, ignoring fashion, or sacrificing caring feminine traits. When Carly Fiorina was CEO of the Silicon Valley’s Hewlett Packard, for example, she nurtured many alliances by actually sending flowers and grateful messages in ways that honored her own gender, also helping her career.
A Grain of Salt
As we suggested in the overview to this blog series on Politics Pitfalls for Women, it’s great to be aware of gender-based workplace politics and differences between males and females, but let’s keep perspective. It’s counter-productive to be so worried about such dynamics that women curb or muffle the influence strengths that their gender-based tendencies actually create.
For instance, women are well served when Respecting Ego and Turf, Addressing Hidden Agendas, and using Ethical Lobbying skills that demand getting on the other’s wavelength and sensing agenda so you link your agenda. Because of their social skills and empathy, women more readily handle hyper-sensitive egos and avoid “career-limiting moves” that many more combative, oppositional men commit. Women’s familiarity with issues of image and appearance may also better equip them to dress for success or be more aware of perceptions and how they come across.
The bottom line message is: Don’t overreact or overdo things! Don’t fall into the trap of being so self-conscious of the Women’s Politics Pitfalls in the last four blogs that you over-emphasize the role of gender mistakes and their impact. Simply starting to ponder these questions is a large part of the answer. We hope this blog series and our Organizational Savvy: Shattering the Glass Ceiling workshop might be intriguing and relevant.
Tags: Glass Ceiling, Savvy Tips, Women and Political Savvy
Politics Pitfalls for Women- #2: Language Patterns
Losing Through Language
Deborah Tannen, in Talking from 9 to 5, and others have documented how women use different language patterns than men. It is not that these are mistakes in and of themselves, since they are simply different conventions. The risk occurs when women do not recognize how some habits are interpreted by some men. Both men AND women misinterpret their language differences, taking them too literally and attaching attributes too automatically instead of seeing them as mere habits that may not reflect deeper character traits. As we review in Organizational Savvy: Shattering the Glass Ceiling, here are a few areas to monitor that can impact the Corporate Buzz and political impact of women:
- Self-Deprecating Patterns – Women use more tentative phrasing such as, “I might be wrong, but…,” “I haven’t totally thought this through, but…,” “sort of…,” “kind of…,” “I think… “ (instead of “I am sure, etc.”). They tend to add more qualifying language like, “I really worry that…” or “this is a very important initiative,” whereas men let their opinions stand without adding as many emphasis enhancers.
- Criticism Patterns – Men may give negative feedback and constructive criticism more directly as “straight talk,” while women soften the feedback by coupling criticism with praise, placing criticism in the context of what’s good about the idea/product/report, etc., being more indirect, or empathizing with the receiver’s feelings. Men may view such qualifying behavior as weak, insecure, too nice, or wasting time. Conversely, men’s more direct language conventions may be interpreted by women as harsh when that may not be the intent.
- Apologetic Patterns – Besides using softening, qualifying language when presenting ideas, women literally apologize more. Besides more frequently saying the actual words, “I’m sorry,” they use apologetic tones more when delegating or assigning a task, (e.g., “I hate to ask, but…”, or “I know you are swamped, but I have no one else as qualified…”, etc.). Women are more likely to say “I’m sorry” in ways that actually accept blame more than men, whose “I’m sorry” can come off more as either dismissive (e.g., “Sorry, but that’s the way it is…”) or as attributing the problem to external sources (e.g., “Sorry this has happened to you.”).
- Asking Direction Patterns – Similar to the husband who amazes his wife by driving around lost instead of stopping to ask for directions, research shows that women are more likely to ask for more workplace directions, clarity, or suggestions on how to execute project. This is intended to ensure quality, timeliness, and respect for a boss’ specifications. But some “buzz-ards” (men and women alike) may view such requests for guidance as too frequent, signals of less competence, clues to less confidence, and as a one-down position. Be aware of your patterns and their impact.
- Negotiation Patterns – During a challenging negotiation or a conflict resolution meeting, women may open conversations by asking about the wishes of the other person (“Well, what is it you believe is the fair solution?” etc.), failing to see that others may view this as meaning they will too readily grant others’ desires. The woman may only use this approach to get each party’s opening positions out on the table for dialogue, but men may see a one-down posture and over-compliance.
- Small Talk & Humor Patterns – This is obviously a cliche, but men are more likely to small talk about sports and politics before “getting down to business,” while women focus on personal lives, family, or their appearance (hair, fashion, etc.). Similarly, types of humor follow these lines, too, with men using more sarcastic (aka, side-ways anger!), oppositional, and put-down teasing, while women use more self-mocking humor. The impact is to create a less powerful image and cast women as too “soft.” Many coaches urge women to get on the wavelength of men by being able to “dish it out” more. They might consider getting on men’s pages more by adapting to learn more about topics that men discuss. (And, of course, the reverse is true as well!)
My next Women’s Politics Pitfalls blog will deal with several more classic female behavioral patterns inviting potentially risky Corporate Buzz, so that you are fully aware of patterns and their outcomes in the political arena. Stay tuned!
Tags: Glass Ceiling, Organizational Savvy, Savvy Tips, Women and Political Savvy
Politics Pitfalls for Women- #1: Power & Emotions
A core career mistake women can easily correct is that of ignoring blind spots about organizational politics, and overlooking common behavioral differences between males and females that often lead to unfair corporate “buzz” and interpretations that impact credibility. Sometimes blocking, negative perceptions are the outgrowth of mere language conventions, which we’ll cover in my next blog. Other times, women may want to adjust other normal habits and make conscious decisions to alter certain behaviors in order to curb some of the labels that the “buzz-ards” might be attaching to their reputations. (Or not, but the key is to at least consciously decide rather than be “on automatic pilot.”). As I stressed in my last blog previewing Politics Pitfalls for Women, we don’t like to make generalizations because they are based partially upon sex-role stereotypes about women and men that are less true than decades ago so, where appropriate, take the following trends with a “grain of salt.”
Avoiding Politics & Power
Research suggests that women define “power” differently (power with) than men (power over), and therefore may be less likely to throw their hats into the political arena. Women may under-estimate the dynamics of corporate politics and are often less comfortable dealing with them. This becomes a block since, like it or not, in many companies women have to work harder than men to climb the ladder, due to the cliché (but very real) “glass ceiling.” A few years back, FORTUNE Magazine published an entire section on such attitudinal differences within women executive ranks, urging a reframing of “power” to be more conducive to more female leaders embracing position power rather than suffering tremendous ambivalence.
It’s no accident that Citibank, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, UBS, Goldman Sachs and other enterprises have asked Brandon Partners to address women’s networks about Organizational Savvy, and that some leadership consulting firms specialize in helping women executives advance, such as Jupiter Consulting Group and WOMEN Unlimited (The Women’s Organization for Mentoring, Education, and Networking). When we conduct workshops around the world,we help women leaders to identify various Political Styles operating in organizations. A key difference is how the major styles define “power,” and this power definition discrepancy is true of women versus men, with men associating more comfortably with hierarchical, traditional position power “over,” and women preferring power “with” postures to achieve substance power of work well done–– believing that true power resides in the work itself. Further, the famous Machiavellian question, “would you rather be feared or loved,” is far less likely to be answered with “fear” by women. More men than women might slip into preferring the power-perverted version of the Golden Rule: “He who has the gold rules!”
If you are a woman in large organization, the lesson learned is to ask yourself whether you are being marginalized by your own ambivalence or rejection of position power. If so, consider learning about how you can adopt a hierarchical definition of power and still retain the integrity, relationships, and values you cherish. That’s true ethical Organizational Savvy or Political Savvy.
Letting Emotions Rule
An obvious stereotype is that women are more emotional. The problem is again what the “buzzards” do with their interpretations of such emotional behavior. Whereas emotional reactions and aggressive behavior are interpreted as “passion” or “positive power” in a male, women run greater risk of having more negative labels attached to similar behaviors exhibited by male counterparts. You can explore the dynamic of how reputations and perceptions start to circulate in a very incident-driven fashion by completing our Organizational Savvy Self-Assessment’s survey questions, paying special attention to the recommendations under Knowing Your Corporate Buzz. You may have freedom and latitude for emotional behavior as a woman (particularly in the financial services or securities industry where you may be in the minority), so work consciously to become aware of your emotional triggers.
We often work with both women and men to better manage any feelings of resentment or indignation they may carry about inequities or unfair labels. Here, our Assessment’s and book’s section on Savvy Attitudes can assist you in developing mental coping strategies. Take some time occasionally to systematically re-train your own counter-productive self-statements about 
politics, power, unfair gender-based norms, ego-oriented colleagues or bosses, or predatory behavior. Use Self-Talk skills to re-program your thought patterns (“I owe it to myself to get credit for this project” instead of thinking, “I shouldn’t brag”). Work to consciously re-frame any negative view of “politics” or “playing the game” into viewing these dynamics simply as an avenue to increased impact and influence. Sell yourself on the notion of positive power as a way to achieve great things for your enterprise. If you feel intimidated by the political influence arena, mentally visualize yourself successfully advancing on the corporate ladder without selling out. Catch yourself over-reacting if others attack or undermine you, since you don’t want to have a trigger response that people spread around because of one off-balance day! “Buzz-ards” have a way of unfairly imprisoning you in their frozen perceptions of you and labeling you with “buzz” that sticks and reinforces unfair stereotypes. Don’t help them do so!
Disclaimer and Preview
Again, I’m aware of how these cautions could ring of passe’ or outdated generalizations, but the simple fact is that we hear stories in many workshops, with nearly every coaching client that there is truth in these trends and patterns. Beyond the behavioral pitfalls covered in this blog, there are special language patterns that the next Politics Pitfalls for Women blog will address. I hope you’re finding these reminders helpful. If they seem obvious, at least they’ll reinforce of what you already may have mastered. After all, my definition of “professionals” are those who excel and are good at what they do, they constantly strive to become even better, and they know exactly what they do that makes them so good so that they can teach others. You may find these pointers a validation of how you operate, so that you can replicate it, as well as coach or mentor peers and direct reports on these political landmines. You’ll learn more blocking behaviors in my next two entries. Thanks for reading!
Tags: Glass Ceiling, Organizational Savvy, Savvy Tips, Women and Political Savvy
Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Disclaimers
Next month, I’m addressing the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association’s annual Leadership Conference on women’s political blind spots, so I’m writing several blogs on this focused niche–– ethical politics for women. To keep myself honest, I’ll first address three common resistance points about the very premise of treating women as a politically marginalized group: Are such niche programs (1) obsolete due to recent advances for women in business, (2) passe’ because historic sex-role stereotypes are outdated, or (3) divisive by creating a greater schism between genders or generating anger about double standards or inequities?
Is the Glass Ceiling “Obsolete?”
There are still shockingly low percentages of women in the upper echelons of corporate life and alarming compensation discrepancies. Sure, we can point to Andrea Jung at Avon, Carol Bartz at Yahoo!, Meg Whitman of e-Bay (oops, no more), and Carly Fiorino at Hewlett-Packard (oops, no more), or Hillary Clinton’s post as Secretary of State and nearly president. But the gaps are resounding, as cited by the National Council for Research on Women, with scores of conferences, articles, and forums addressing ongoing struggles. And let’s not let progress breed complacency. President Obama’s election was source of pride for all Americans, regardless of political preferences. It validates progress in equality among the races. But to believe inequities or discrimination have dissolved is naive. That’s why Jackson State University had us deliver Organizational Savvy in their Black Executives Doctoral Program, and many clients install our Organizational Savvy: Shattering the Glass Ceiling. Just yesterday, California first lady Maria Shriver presided over the annual nonpartisan Women’s Conference, the nation’s top gathering of the most influential women in corporate, political, and entertainment arenas, drawing over 15,000 attendees.
Is Organizational Savvy for Women “Passe’?”
Do specialized women’s leadership courses perpetuate out of date sex-role stereotyping? Admittedly, we’ve come a long way since traditional gender-based stereotyping prevailed (e.g., the classic Southern belle “stand by your man” norm). So we are ambivalent about making unqualified generalizations about gender preferences around power, language customs, and behavioral patterns. Many sex-role stereotypes have relaxed, especially within business. Yet, many stereotypes have a ‘hook of truth” that started somewhere before getting blown out of proportion.
There are some differences between men and women that can result in certain “corporate buzz,” perceptions, and reputations that harm women’s influence, impact, and career mobility. Sometimes, unfair labels circulate if women speak in more nurturing ways, wisely ask for directions to avoid inefficiencies, or use language that softens their stance to be less absolutist. Debra Tannen’s ground-breaking book, Talking from 9 to 5: Men and Women at Work, validates how behavioral trends do exist at work (whether or NOT you believe men are from Mars and women are from Venus!). Sadly, such gender-related habitual differences may result in labels for women like “needy,” “doesn’t take a stand,” or “pushover.” At times, women may even be discredited, marginalized, or sabotaged for the very same behaviors and traits that make men successful. Remember the “Hillary Factor” that dominated the Democratic primaries between Clinton and Obama?
Such considerations will be my focus in the next few blogs on Politics Pitfalls for Women. But as you read my blogs about the common political mistakes by women, please take them with a grain of salt. Filter the organizational savvy ideas through the lens of your own uniqueness, the cultural norms of your organization, and the biases of your managers. Ask mentors to provide insight on how the mistakes apply to your organization.
Are Programs for Women “Divisive?”
Some people––mostly men, but even some women–– fear that women’s programs engender resentment. But we find that only when marginalized groups are disempowered without hope that reactionary responses occur. Women’s networks, diversity initiatives, and leadership institutes for women can carry a message of hope and determination versus desperation, despair, and disgruntlement. A more militant, feminist posture during the 60’s and 70’s was demanded when the women’s movement was in its infancy. Today’s solutions attack the problem in more uplifting, inclusive, and non-divisive ways.
For example, WOMEN Unlimited, founded by Jean Otte, and featured on 60 Minutes, is a nationally respected leadership institute whose acronym is clever: Women’s Organization for Mentoring, Education, and Networking. The mission is to achieve greater workplace parity, but not through alienation or outrage, but by cultivating leadership excellence, empowerment, learning, and accountability. The spirit is one of collaborative, forward momentum–– joining hands with male executives who are also invited to be mentors as opposed to playing “ain’t it awful” at the water cooler.
In the same spirit, my blogs on Politics Pitfalls for Women intend to move women from whining to winning, to honor our gender differences without stereotyping or boxing, and to celebrate our progress without denying the the glass ceiling.
Tags: Glass Ceiling, Savvy Tips, Women and Political Savvy
The Recession Demands Political Savvy
Why is Political Savvy Vital in the Economic Downturn?
My recent discussions with clients confirm an unavoidable truth–-in these economically uncertain times, maintaining a resilient and productive corporate environment demands a healthy political landscape. A climate of fear and scarcity can trigger destructive and resource-draining internal competition within companies at the very time we must collectively align against external competition. In 2009, Brandon Partners clients have renewed or even expanded their Organizational Savvy offerings, viewing ethical leadership, positive politics, and strategic influence as mission-critical. Others have asked for ways to validate their training choices to stakeholders, so I’m sharing these talking points for HR, learning, or training managers/directors who serve as stewards of company resources, reputation, and welfare: “Why is organizational savvy a must-learn competency in these hard times?”
Preventing Destructive Politics
It’s human nature for fearful people to jockey for position, practice deception, sabotage, or be self-serving. When Political Savvy is taught as “ethical politics,” it helps high-integrity contributors and leaders to recognize and protect the enterprise from overly political players so that ethical, competent people can reach positions of positive power. Savvy skills create cross-organizational collaboration to curb unhealthy competition, silos, and turf battles.
From Fear and Upset to Focus
The current economic downturn can be distracting or even paralyzing. Possessing Organizational Savvy reduces stress through an increased sense of control, understanding of what’s happening in the organization, and greater ability to predict behavior of work associates. Even snaky, shark-like activity is less jarring when you can anticipate it. Learn signals of inappropriate maneuvers so that you’re not thrown off-balance when they operate. This doesn’t make you a pessimist or cynic who can “light up a room just by leaving it!” It makes you prudent and realistic about human nature. As the bumper sticker quips, “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t out to get you!” Seriously, we believe corporations and government agencies hunger for a healthy forum to constructively, openly, and proactively discuss and manage inevitable organizational politics, instead of sweeping these inevitable dynamics under the carpet or whining at the water cooler. This way, people can quickly re-focus their energy where it belongs–– on being productive.
Innovate to Grow
Companies atrophy without innovation, which demands a flow of new ideas and safely “speaking truth to power.” Organizational Savvy helps your enterprise’s people choose the right battles, respect ego and turf, and sell their ideas so that progress continues even during slowdowns. Growth in tough times involves optimizing your internal talent by making sure that competent people understand how the system works and how to move ideas forward so that solid ideas see the light of day.
Leadership Bench Strength
If your company is in a holding pattern, rebuilding, or cutting back, a reliable funnel of leadership talent will help you to survive, thrive, and emerge even stronger. Given external threats and severely limited resources, organizations cannot afford gaps in their leadership pipeline due to lack of strategic influence skills or career derailment. Ethical, politically savvy leadership is pivotal in today’s complex and volatile business environment.
I look forward to helping you position the bottom-line benefits and “burning platform” business needs your learning solutions and training programs address during future blog postings. Hopefully this entry helps build confidence that if you are a training, learning and development, human resources, or leadership development professional, you may be one of the “quiet heroes” helping your company to survive the storm of these turbulent times, so pat yourself on the back!
