“Office Politics” is a common expression that is used and generally has negative connotations. 
    Jennifer didn't get promoted because Frank is the boss’s favorite. 
    Sally the new boss ignored Jennifer's idea in favor of John’s because Sally had worked with John previously. 
    Jennifer stayed loyal to her boss but when she quit no one realized Jennifer knew how to manage the team and should have been picked as the new boss. 
Do these situations sound like ones that you might put in the ‘Politics at Work’ category?

How about we re-frame the term ‘Politics at Work’ and use ‘Using your Organizational Savvy to Achieve your Goals’?

Sometimes I wish there were no grey areas. I wish there were perfectly aligned cascading objectives from management, the competitors of a product or service were static, and everyone was committed to the organization for the duration of a release cycle, and everyone delivered everything they said they would on time. Truth is most things are influx and we have to learn to adapt as they change.

Building your organizational savvy muscle will help provide some protection from churn. You may read this article and think there’s nothing related to being a woman in it, as this is advice for everyone. That’s true, except the three areas it hits on are: Networking, Self-promotion, and Negotiation – all areas women often find challenging. This article should help you realize the necessity of developing those areas in order to be better at using Organizational Savvy and not be afraid of politics at work. 

Here are three steps to help increase your Organizational Savvy

1. Keep tabs on the environment around you
Think of information as two types: formal information and informal information. Together they help you understand the organizational environment. Formal information is information provided on intranet sites about missions, visions, objectives, it is information provided in address books giving insights on relationships and organizational structure. It is the formal email organizational announcements sent division and company-wide. It can also be found in company press releases.

Then there’s informal information – the challenge of informal information is it’s not a fact, but access to informal information can help in several ways. It can help forecast possible directions of where a division or company may head, it can provide background information on a new leader and preference of work style, it can keep increase your awareness of possible partners or allies for the direction you want to move in.

Where do you find informal information? Try your network – and it isn't just talking with people who are already in your network but adding to your network – your network is dynamic and needs to be adapting as the environment changes.

So first keep in touch with people who seem relevant to the environment that may be able to provide additional perspectives. Second – build your network based on organizational change – if new players are moving into the organization be prepared to talk to them and learn about them, their objectives, how they work. Too often if we were previously in a comfortable situation making these new connections feels like hard-work or even disloyal but it’s all about having information about the environment you are working in. 

2. Make it easy for your campaign message to circulate without you
Have you heard of lobbyists? Again, often a term that feels negative when considered in politics but a lobbyist is someone who tries to influence or persuade a member of government to enact legislation that would benefit their group. The same process is used unofficially in the workplace – in order to influence change or support of an idea you need to have a message that is easy to communicate and understand, and can be appropriately modified to suit the audience you’re appealing to. These types of conversations may be formal and deliberate (presentation of an idea) but many are informal where an idea is raised casually and tested to measure its appeal. Feedback can help with refining the idea before moving to the formal presentation, or can be used for better informal conversations to help build support for the idea.

3. Be open to negotiating win-win situations
Naturally we focus on what we want and strategize how to get it which usually includes a logical argument of the value of what we’re asking for. However, many workshops and seminars on successful negotiations emphasize the need to understand what matters to the person you’re trying to negotiate with. The more you understand what matters to your partner and what outcome they are trying to achieve the better your position to negotiate is. The questions you need to be considering are, ‘To achieve my goal what can I offer my partner to help him/her get closer to his/her goal?’ and ‘What would I consider a reasonable outcome if a compromise is required?’
 
Now let’s consider the situations mentioned in the opening of this article. These are hypothetical but based on true situations. Some may say the outcomes were because of politics at work, but I want you to realize that we do have more ability to influence outcomes if we really step up our organizational savvy and learn to make the insights from our savvy actionable.

Jennifer didn't get promoted because Frank is the boss’s favorite.
Frank may have been aware of the organization environment and a change that was going to happen; perhaps he wasn't afraid to tell his boss and some influential people nearby an idea he had to help the team, perhaps he was able to negotiate the position by knowing what mattered to his boss.

Sally the new boss ignored Jennifer’s idea in favor of John’s because Sally had worked with John previously.
Sally was busy settling into her new job, she already knew John’s reputation and what he was thinking. Jennifer waited to be asked for a meeting with her new boss, and presented a formal plan that didn't map to how Sally was thinking about the organization generally operated.

Jennifer stayed loyal to her boss but when she quit no one realized Jennifer knew how to manage the team and should have been picked as the new boss.
Jennifer didn't renew her network as change was heading her way. She may have failed to tell the new management team that she wanted to become the boss, expecting them to come to her. No one told them she had the skills for the job. She didn't ask for the position or an opportunity for her to demonstrate her skills.

For each of these situations I have seen Jennifer miss out on opportunities because she didn't proactively get involved in responding to the changing environment, hoping someone would notice her skills or ask her opinion, or give her what she was asking for because it made sense to her. But I have also seen Jennifer take action and get results - it took courage to step up but she was able to get what she wanted through engaging. 

 


 

If I had to rate the various skills I have what would I consider the most important excluding domain knowledge. I think one skill that would come close to the top is being character acting. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I have sat in my office awaiting a tough meeting thinking how would Meryl do this. Now truth is I don’t know if it ever made a difference in how others saw me, but it did make a difference in how I entered various work situations, from giving presentations to interviewing to dealing with difficult negotiations. So yes, Meryl is my go to role-model for when I’m figuring out how to get through a tough situation. I thought it was my little game to help me prepare and get through the situations but I’m now delighted to know there may be a scientific justification to my behavior. According to Amy Cuddy, spending 2 minutes holding a power pose can make a big difference on an outcome such as a job interview as it increases the right type of hormones for the situation (testosterone) and decreases the wrong one (cortisol). She had this hunch when she experienced public speaking fear. She has since completed research on the topic and the results actually support the ‘fake it till you make it’ saying. She is the lady who now has research rights to ‘ it’s not fake it till you make it, it’s fake it till you become it’. 

So today when you’re not busy I suggest you play the game below and aim for a 'She Can Oscar' nomination. 

How many fears do we have to overcome to be seen? We have to show up, be visible, interrupt, toot our own horn, ask for responsibilities,and negotiate. If life resembled our dreams of how work-life could be it would probably go something like this… 
 
Our talents are recognized in the organization, so much so, that in a meeting somewhere among the executives they remember how marvelous we are and invite us to the next meeting to hear our opinions. The meeting is scheduled at a vacant time slot on our calendars later in the week. We arrive at the meeting a few minutes early to which a few people are already present and welcome us into the room with smiles, offer to get us a coffee (okay that’s a real dream), ask about how our project is going and have we progressed against an earlier challenge for which they had provided some thoughtful advice. We take a comfortable empty seat at the table, are able to contribute to some of the small talk about the latest strategies for the business as we were cc’d on an earlier mail thread. The meeting starts by the director in the room providing a brief overview of the topic to be discussed and then we all have an opportunity to contribute our thoughts and ideas, and ask inquiring questions in a friendly supportive manner. The execs decide they’d like me to to own the project, and offer support with their people and resources to get it done, and to not hesitate to call them if we have a question. 
 
Oh, dream on! Like that’s going to happen. Though don’t forget the dream as when you are a successful
leader you can work to encourage your organization to provide a supportive environment like this, but in the meantime here are the potential challenges you’re going to face and some suggestions for how to handle
them.

Can you negotiate the meeting time? 
How many times have you had something else planned and someone schedules a meeting over your time, or puts it in late or too early in the day? Now think how many times did you ask if it was possible to change the meeting time? Negotiation is something women don’t do well, and this task is a negotiation.  It’s always worth asking if there’s another potential time slot. While you can ask the execs when they might be free, its also useful to work with administrators to get times moved around. 
 
Do you have the right information to be prepared for the meeting? 
May be its okay not to prepare because you know it all, though this isn't generally known to be a female position, however pro-actively asking if there’s anything you should be familiar with or take a look at ahead of time can be helpful. Perhaps there are some mail threads or presentations they’re going to assume you’ve seen that you should see ahead of time - ask for this information ahead of time.

Do you enter the room with the attitude of belonging there? 
This may sound like an unimportant behavior but it can make a difference and is within your control. When you go to the meeting, walk in with confidence and be ready to engage. There are some actors who say they create their characters from the floor up – they put on the right shoes and figure out how a character would walk and take it from there. So how would a confident trust worthy leader enter a room? Don’t hesitate on the way in or laden yourself down with bags, or laptops. Walk confidently into the room like you belong there –because you DO belong there. 

Are you ready for the ‘How’s it going?’question? 
While we’d love to think our managers know how to talk to us and show an interest in our work, it doesn’t always happen and they'll often throw us the ‘how’s it going?’ bone question. We should always be prepared to answer that question. You can have responses that range from your thoughts on the company strategy, asking them for their perspective on future based on something you’ve considered, or update on your project. The key is to provide a response that will encourage them to ask another question, or allow you to ask questions about the business. Stop right now - if an senior exec asked you, 'How's it going?' what would you say? Get something prepared now, and be prepared to use it.
 
Do you take a seat at the table?
If there is a seat at the table, take it and be near where the action is happening. If you don’t it will limit your ability to participate in the conversation – women have enough challenges in getting heard in meetings so if you choose to sit away from the action you’re going to make it harder for you to participate. These are the ways we can painfully hold ourselves back on a daily basis. 

Do you speak clearly and directly? 
Many women tone down their language to be inclusive, non-judgmental and offer up opinions in the forms of
questions and litter dialog with qualifiers. "I was thinking may be, perhaps we should go forward with the plan Tom was suggesting if we think it's a good idea? unless others have other ideas?" We need to work on speaking in direct sentences and communicating what we mean, and getting it right first time. It takes practice. 
 
Can you handle interruptions and re-track derailments? 
There’s always someone in the room who wants to share their opinion, shoot holes in your opinion, or decides any time is an opportunity to show how clever they are. Women are frequently talked over, or when they speak up are not heard, ignored or not responded to, only to have a man say the same thing a minute later and have others engage in dialog. Some techniques for managing this were given in a previous article. It’s important to have a strategy or plan for how to manage it when it happens. Don't be afraid of trying different approaches.
For ideas: You can't be heard if you're not making a noise

Will you step up and take on the new project?
If you want to take on the new project then ask for it, if they ask you say ‘Yes!’ You are not to make suggestions of other people who could do it, or maybe you could do some of it, or you need to review other work items before saying yes. If this is an interesting project that is something you want to do and have career progress potential then seize the day. Women are their own worst enemies in not saying yes to opportunities because they want to be certain they’re good enough, doubt themselves and think someone is better, or don’t want to appear eager. Take a risk, have confidence – DO IT!
For example: Hear Ginny Romerty experience doubting herself, and she's now President and CEO of IBM!

Do you know how to ask for support to get the work done? 
Once you have the opportunity to lead the project, we’re not done yet in terms of overcoming challenges. Just because you’ve said yes to the work, doesn’t mean you can’t ask for support to get the work done – do you need people, budget, equipment? What will it take to get the project complete? Start setting the expectations that an ask will be made soon once you’ve thought through the work. Again this is negotiation, women don’t do this well, so if it feels uncomfortable you’re not alone – ask and worst that will happen will be ‘no’. 

Have you identified someone who could give you occasional pointers? 
If this is a project that you’d benefit from strategizing with someone, ask for help, someone to bounce ideas off. It could be a formal arrangement, or you could informally ask someone to give you some pointers. You don’t have to go it alone and have all the right answers –this is when you strategically move to finding and using mentors, and perhaps even the person who gave you the opportunity could spare a few minutes. 
For ideas: Getting what you need - a valuable lesson in using contacts 
 
Will something need to be prioritized to give you time for this?
Cool you’ve landed a new project but what happens to your already full plate? Think of ways to prioritize, delegate, or lower the expectations on the delivery. The last two options here are again ones women struggle with but are essential strategies to use in order to move ahead. You are not letting people done in using any of
these techniques you’re making trade-offs to give the business what it needs AND you’re helping the business take advantage of your talents in new and progressive ways. 
 
It’s no wonder when reviewing this list that our dreams of engaging in a meeting can sometimes turn into a stressful nightmare. However, I hope you realize that every one of the steps above is yours to practice and improve – you have the power to master these skills that can make a difference in how you’re perceived and the opportunities that come your way. So now you’ve been provided with the anatomy of a meeting and where gender comes into play you can roll up your sleeves and start to make progress by picking ONE of these areas to work at. A career is not a sprint but a marathon so you have time to master skills as you move forward. We’ll keep providing ideas on how to master these skills here in future posts.

As a determined independent individual in my student days I would have a vision of what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go and focus in on it, and then make it happen. As the internet wasn’t available back then if I needed information I had to think about how to find it, where to find an address or a phone number. I lived in a rural coastal village in England and to even get to a library or book shop for information required having my parents drive me there (or take a bus that ran once a week). Using variations of this approach got me to a university in the UK and a graduate school in Minnesota, and even my job at Microsoft – tenacious curiosity and patience with postal treasure hunts. 
 
Maybe I was a late starter in terms of the benefitting from knowing people as I wanted to do it all myself without being in debt to others combined with the what I considered were good manners of not wanting to bother anyone with my requests. As my career progressed and I had increased scope of responsibility and managed people the challenges I faced increased in complexity and novelty, and eventually a determined independent approach was not going to scale to get me the information to get everything done. I had to figure out another approach – I knew the expression ‘Don’t work harder, work smarter’ but what did that mean other than the belief that it was an expression created by lazy people to give the appearance of doing work without doing it. 

I had heard about ‘Networking’ and considered it a formalactivity that schmoozing people did to get ahead without doing the work. I wasn’t up for it and ignored it. So I kept on working and making friends and meeting people at the company, and ignoring networking events.  

In a women’s training session (Women Unlimited) we were talking about how guys have no trouble in asking for help (note, I didn’t say asking for directions that would be a different topic). They feel quite comfortable with calling up someone they haven’t talked to for years and after a brief, “Hi, how you doing?” they move straight to the purpose of the call. Whereas we women often feel uncomfortable if we have lost touch with someone, we think over all the things we could have done in the past, like have coffee last time in their area. We think we need to commit to a formal engagement, rekindle the relationship rather than a 2 minute call with a request. 
 
One day a problem arrived at my desk, I had to find out some details about a financial model for the product I was working on, this was a topic I knew nothing about and also couldn’t think of anyone I knew who would know anything. Then I remembered I’d met a VP of Finance at a training session 18 months earlier. We’d had a 15 minute conversation at the time during a break. Even though he was not in the division where the answer would be, he surely must know someone who could give me the answer. Thinking of the conversation I’d had recently about guys asking for help without a relationship, I decided to send him an email, I reminded him we had talked at the training event and asked if he knew anyone who could help me get the details I was looking for. Within an hour he’d sent me two names, and cc’d them on the email, and within another 2 hours my problem was solved. 
 
What a revelation – what I realized afterwards was this was a deliberate act of me leveraging my network. For all those years I had been thinking of networking as some kind of uncomfortable social activity that smarmy people did to get ahead, it was in fact a simple means to get a problem solved. 

It may sound like a small happening, but I can tell you this one act of reaching out for assistance to someone I’d met by chance at an event changed my whole perspective on the purpose of networking, or what I prefer to call leveraging connections. If only the topic of networking was not introduced as a social activity and as a problem solving activity I think it would be experienced differently by women from the start. Forming a social connection for women is loaded with expectations and behaviors, and nuances of the importance of likeability. 

As I progressed in my career I found myself being responsible for product areas and disciplines that I wasn’t familiar with. Inside I may have had the voice that said – “what are you doing here, you don’t know about this stuff, or what these people do?” but I also had a voice that got louder that would say, “okay, what do you need to know and who do you know that can help you, or point you to someone who can help you”. My ability to ramp up on new areas, domains, businesses got more efficient at knowing what I needed to know and how to get it. 

I’ll post more on connection making later, and also on approaches to more complex needs. I’m convinced you probably know names of people that can point you in the right direction or give answers to questions you have, but haven’t taken the step to reach out. Remember this isn’t about long-term friendships it’s about getting your job done. 
 
Tips for getting what you need to know.
 1.      Most important step, once you’ve thought of a name of someone who you think could help answer your question or point you in the right direction reach out to them. The longer you procrastinate the more you turn it into a big deal in your head.
 2.       To ask for a pointer or help in business most of the time you don’t need a deep and trusted relationship with the person you’re going to ask. 
3.      You don’t need to send a long catch up email, or phone message before making the request– it’s not a friendship you’re looking to leverage. 
4.      Make the request to the point, so the contact can make a quick decision on how to help you. 
5.      Ask a couple of people for the same input if its time critical. It’s not a monogamous relationship you’re looking for. 
6.      Be okay with not getting a response in a timely manner or at all. People get busy, or are on
vacation. Don’t strike them off your list as a possible contact for a future need. 
7.      Say thanks for the help or input, and if it makes sense follow up with a brief message on how it went.