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.

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?!

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!