A character in a novel I just finished said, "For the average policeman, 'politics' was a dirty word. It was something those above were always involved in and best avoided. If in the course of your work, you ran into it, you shied away." And further, "What Seymour had come to see, though, over the last few days, was that politics was not always something to be avoided. It was not always something you could or should avoid. It was too important."

Absolutely!

Many leaders struggle with organizational politics, too. Some, like Seymour, the character quoted above, recognize it's too important to avoid or ignore. And they decide how to play the game openly and with integrity. Others, unfortunately, learn the consequences of avoiding or ignoring politics, to their detriment.

My son, Chris, had wondered why his career hadn't advanced as fast as he wanted. After we talked about the importance of politics, of learning to read the cues as to where the power resides in his organization and what he could do to influence those who wielded the power, he decided to become better at internal politics.

For Chris, the primary focus was to ensure that he become better known by those who held the reins of power. He undertook a series of steps to achieve that end, including: asking his bosses for more opportunities to prove his worth to the business; seeking opportunities to have more direct contact with senior leaders; learning to read the power sources in the business to know who the critical players really were and taking steps to ensure they knew who he was; taking on assignments and changing jobs to expand his knowledge and skills so as to be more valuable to the business; and clarifying and communicating repeatedly, concisely, and subtly his value to the business in terms that mattered to the senior leaders in the firm.

Chris was recently promoted, enabling him to make a greater contribution to the business. A measure of his effectiveness in influencing those in power came during the discussion among the senior members of the firm who, when his name was proposed for a new high-visibility, high-impact job, all knew who he was and were universally in favor of him taking it on.

Contrast that with Danielle, who joined a new firm after several successes in other organizations in the same industry. She believed that her performance would be sufficient to ensure her success in the firm.

She couldn't have been more wrong. What did she do, or not do?

Danielle focused most of her efforts, when she took over her group, on understanding its people, its processes, its clients, and its projects. Not a bad thing, in and of itself, but she spent very little time talking to and building relationships with the senior members of the organization.

Danielle misread the politics in her business. She had heard, from several other newcomers, how difficult it was to break into the network of old-timers in the business. She concluded that the seemingly endless conversations these people had were an aspect of the firm's culture and old-timers network, nothing more. She didn't see that it was also a way of developing consensus and thereby improving the final decision by having more input from more people more often. She also didn't see that it helped her to build relationships across the firm.

When the company was restructured, she was left with no advocates among the senior leadership to fight for her. Despite the results she'd produced and progress she'd made with her client, no one stood up for her. She was eased out of positions of importance and soon after that she left the firm, realizing that her future was not what she had originally hoped it would be. Danielle made two tragic mistakes - she misread the politics and she decided not to play.

Do you believe, as many managers do, as well as Seymour, the character quoted earlier initially did, that politics is a dirty word and should be avoided at all costs?

Do you believe that politics is a necessary and important factor in organizations that enables leaders to get things done by building allies and advocates who support what you want to do?

Do you believe that those who play politics are manipulating the system and likely to use any and all means, fair and foul, to advance their careers with no concern for, nor interest in, the welfare of others or the goals of the business?

Do you believe that politics can be played with integrity and honor, openly acknowledging the role of others and seeking to understand and address their concerns and interests?

Your answers to these questions will go a long way in determining your effectiveness in getting things done and your ability to advance in the business.

John Ruskin said, "Pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes."

So true. Especially, as Lord Acton asserted when it is combined with power, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Leaders are particularly susceptible to hubris and arrogance, which leads them to make errors in judgment due to their power and their pride.

What steps have you taken to ensure that you don't let power and pride lead to your Waterloo?

Plato said, "The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life."

In many ways, the same can be said for leaders - the preparation, experience, and training aspiring leaders have gained clearly affects how well and how fast they develop as leaders. Unfortunately, far too many organizations fall short - they don't provide aspiring leaders with the start they need to be the leader they have the potential to become.

What can you do to help your organization build the support needed for those who aspire to be leaders? The efforts you take to provide that support may make all the difference in the careers of others and the future of the business.

Email archie@archietinelli.com