A version of the article appeared here on 31st May 2023.

Last Monday, 29th May 2023, I went to see Peter Morgan’s play, “Patriots”.  In its simplest form, it’s about how the post-Soviet and post-perestroika Russian business oligarchs elbowed (or worse) their way to quasi-political money-based power within Russia, but without realising that actual-political power isn’t necessarily money-based, but lay elsewhere.  The triumph of their misplaced love and misplaced perception of the power of money (over the values of a state that operates for the benefit of its people) naively allowed autocracy in through the back door.  The lesson is that politics can lead to advancement and promotion, but not being alert to the moving parts in a quasi- or actual political environment can lead to your own downfall and the success of others.

In parallel, I’m reading a book called “The Politics of Promotion: How High-achieving Women Get Ahead and Stay Ahead” by Bonnie Marcus.  The premise is that, when it comes to women in the workplace, promotion is often a direct result of politics (she cites the men who work only 80% as hard as women, but then spend 20% of their time talking to others about how good they are and get promoted over equally-as-good or more competent women anyway) not ability or qualifications.  The lesson (again) is that politics can lead to advancement and promotion, but that not being aware of the choreography of workplace politics can lead to you being side-lined or left behind, while others get promoted beyond their own levels of competence.

The intersection of this type of politics – by which I mean an awareness of relationships within the workplace, rather than a belief system – and its effects at work then led me to speculate on two questions you might ask yourself, plus one affirmation with which you need to be comfortable, if you want to progress your career with velocity (i.e. speed, but also with direction):

These are the two questions:

1. “What are the dynamics and relationships between (i.e. the politics relating to) the people I work with and for (and between them and me) and how can I work with and within those relationships (i.e. their political relationships to me) to get, and then stay, ahead?”
2. “Where would I be today if I had previously been more politically aware and tuned in to the way decisions are made; and what are the future opportunities and possibilities for me if have the tools and learn how to navigate those workplace politics?”

This is the affirmation:

1. Although the usual approach to “politics at work” is negative and that “politics” is a dirty word, being political doesn’t mean I have to be a sly with no integrity; if I change the label from “politics” to “observing and leveraging relationships at work” I’ll feel more comfortable and much less inhibited. 

There are, of course, different stages of being politically conscious at work.  You need to be aware of what those stages are, as well as where you sit on the awareness scale.  Coaching can help with these stages:

• Stage 1: is when you’re a grinder and are oblivious to the politics.  Essentially, you’re a gofer.
• Stage 2:  is when you’re still grinding, but you have an awareness of who are the movers and shakers within your organisation.  Essentially, you’re conscious (barely, but waking up).
• Stage 3: is when you’re still focused on working but may have grinders working for you and you start to build up your network and personal brand in a way that makes others aware of you and what you’ve done and are doing.  Essentially, you’re working the room.
• Stage 4: is when you’re still focused on working, but people know when you’ve entered the room and are looking to you for advice and leadership (because you continue to tell people what you’ve done and are doing). Essentially, you’re working the politics.

In this context there’s a fair amount of theory about the different approaches to promotion between men and women.  It’s complicated, but one theory is that girls are taught to equate success with achievement (so women expect to be noticed and rewarded at work because of competence) whereas boys are taught to equate success by winning (so men expect and demand to be rewarded at work because of shouting loudest about what they’ve done, even though it may be less good).  I suspect there may be some knowing nods relating to this scenario…

Whatever may be the gender-based difference (and clearly it’s much less binary than is written here) there are tools that can be used by everyone in a way that ought not to cause even the most self-effacing person to blush by being “political”.  Here are eight of them:

1. Self-evaluation: you need to know your value to others.  This involves thinking about the things you’ve learned and know from all aspects of your life (not just at work) and how these synergise to make you worth more at work than you think you are.
2. Self-promotion:  you need to work on how to communicate your value to others in a way that resonates with them (and will make them look good too because you align your values with their goals) so they will want to work with you and advocate you to others.
3. Self-reviewing: remember that if you don’t have a clear idea of where you want to be (i.e. your goals, both short- and long-term) you might end up somewhere else, which could be suboptimal.  So review your goals every few months to see how things are shaping up.
4. Self-improvement: being ahead of the pack is always helpful.  Stay updated with the latest trends and advances in your field; take advantage of training programs, workshops, conferences, or online courses to enhance your skills and knowledge; and seek out opportunities to develop both technical and soft skills relevant to the promotion you want.
5. Self-knowledge: actively seek feedback from colleagues, mentors, line managers or supervisors.  By doing this you understand your strengths and areas for improvement, and work on addressing any identified weaknesses or areas for improvement or different behaviour.
6. Networking and alliances: you need to build relationships and form alliances with influential individuals.  Being well-connected within an organisation provides access to opportunities and increases visibility simple because others know of you and what you do.  
7. Strategy: remember that networking isn’t just about knowing more people.  It involves getting to know people who can help you in different ways – people who can (for example) advise, challenge, criticise, introduce, mentor, support, tell-it-like-it-is and spread the word about you.
8. Knowledge of Process:  understand the promotion process and familiarise yourself with the criteria, timelines, and requirements within your organisation.  If in doubt, get clear on (and talk to someone about) what’s expected. Tailor your efforts and focus on those requirements.

All these tools are capable of being regarded as political.  But all of them are equally capable of being regarded as no more than sensible strategic steps towards self-improvement that have the side-effect of promotion.  Working through all of them is, however, tricky.

This is where coaching comes into play.  I can work with you to get you to become so familiar with these tools that you use them automatically on your way to getting promoted.  Look at my services here or book a free no-obligation Teams chat here or call me on 077 7088 3207 instead.