Do Women and Organizational Politics Mix?
With Contributing Writer Sandra Carey
Women and organizational politics often mix like oil and water. One of my clients, a senior officer in a Fortune 500 company, told me “It feels like sucking up. I resent having to deal with politics.”
I hear this response from many people—especially from women. Just like my client, many change their minds when the learn the key principles of Political Savvy.
I have trained over 1,000 people in political savvy skills (one-third are women) and believe that understanding and mastering political savvy helps people connect and communicate strategically—not suck up. They become more effective influencers.
Why do many women perceive engaging in organizational politics as manipulative, self-serving, and demeaning? In this article, I examine this perception and reveal the positive impact of being politically savvy in business. You can be yourself, maintain your integrity, and leverage your relationship skills to garner support and recognition of your ideas—as you advance your career. That’s what Political Savvy is all about.
Letting Nature Take Hold
Today, the senior officer I mentioned above—the one who doesn’t like sucking up—integrated the Political Savvy techniques into her business practice and found more meaningful ways to communicate and influence, by identifying agendas that drive issues and projects, and acting strategically.
However, it took time to shift her thinking and approach, She had to change longstanding habits and behaviors—including a tendency to focus on the tasks, take on an inordinate share of the responsibilities, and to strive to please.
Before the training, my client believed she had nothing in common with her boss. Honestly, she did not respect how her boss conducted herself. The boss’s business persona, which appeared bottom-line oriented and impersonal, was actually business-focused and supportive of my client’s goals. My client neglected to acknowledge nuances in approach or to understand the agendas and strategies that defined her boss’ actions, shed light on intent and goals, and opened up ways to collaborate.
Once liberated of counterproductive behavior and thinking, she was able to deal more directly with her boss without compromising herself.
I believe that women are innately politically savvy. And there is plenty of research to back me up. Women don’t run from conflict and challenge. Instead, they seek solutions. They use diplomacy and efficiency as guiding principles. However, there are barriers that inhibit their natural affinity to influence. These barriers dilute their leadership potential.
Focusing on task or results
According to the Management Research Group (MRG), which conducted the largest study on leadership and gender, women focus on getting things done, instead of the larger, strategic vision. Women also have difficulty delegating, which causes them to take on unnecessary—often counterproductive—responsibilities and tasks.Building relationships that are comfortable and supportive over those that support their careers
The MRG study revealed that women place greater value on building relationships with people who are mutually supportive or make them feel comfortable (people they like or who share something in common) over those who will promote their careers (strategic alliances around business issues).Working in isolation as they advance
Girls are socialized to seek intimacy—to be good girls. Competition is a risky venture undertaken as a solo pursuit. Subtle shifts in alliances are threatening. Men experience competition as a team effort. Boys are socialized to thrive in competition and are encouraged to “play the game” at a young age.Having a perfectionist approach to competitive and challenging situations
Research shows that women tend toward perfectionism more than men. They want or expect everything to follow a correct, planned, or official path to get work done rather than through informal routes, which can blind them to others’ agendas.
I have seen countless clients with these mindsets.
For example, a CFO of a billion-dollar global financial institution wanted to convince her boss to hire her preferred candidate—who was not the boss’s first choice. Rather than gaining insight into what he wanted and why, she relied on their amenable relationship. She assumed he would value her view.
Here’s the flaw in her strategy: My client didn’t consider her boss’ agenda and motivation. If she understood his thinking and long-term outlook, she would have the information necessary to persuasively appeal to his logic and position her choice to serve his agenda, her needs, and the firm’s long-term goals.
Through my coaching practice and leading seminars throughout the world, I see this fatal flaw in nearly 90% of women in the workplace. They do not understand that working the informal channels—the network women tend to use for support—can help strengthen strategy, such as understanding that multiple agendas coexist and can be combined to produce desired results.
I have coached women who both ignore informal channels to promote their projects and also exaggerate the process by circumventing all others involved. Instead, they deal directly with the CEO or person in power to push their project.
This single-minded attack may yield the desired result but at a very high cost. The perpetrator becomes more and more isolated as the “I can do it” syndrome defines her style. She ignores the importance of working as part of a team. Often this approach leads some women to sublimate their identities and act “like a man.” They believe that their efficacy is linked to their ambition and blaze ahead, wearing blinders to the carnage they leave in their wake. They develop a reputation for being unapproachable, unsupportive of others, and unable to be a team player.
However, it is possible for women to succeed in business without sublimating their identity or being overly aggressive to counter female stereotypes. A recent Stanford University Graduate School of Business study revealed that women who identify themselves with male traits in their business demeanor earned the lowest salaries over time compared with those who maintained their feminine persona.
The pursuit of perfection is riddled with a minefield of possible missteps. Through the Political Savvy program, my clients have discovered how to effortlessly side-step trouble spots and ease into their natural stride.
Steps to Savviness
Build on your strengths and natural abilities—politically savvy is an extension of what you already do.
Acknowledge that being savvy is a muscle to develop—a new habit to form.
See things as they are—don’t take things personally.
Consider adversaries as Collaborative Competitors™ who can improve your strategy and make you smarter.
Spend five minutes a day expanding your network at work.
Seek feedback from trusted friends and advisors.
Read Joel DeLuca’s book and take the course!
Play Your Best Game
How can women focus on the bigger picture? As a Political Savvy coach for over ten years, I have learned that the shift happens when women start to see the working world as a game they can play—and win—on their terms. They realize that the game can be fun and gratifying. It doesn’t have to be reduced to the notion of “sucking up” but enlarged to a wider perspective. This enables them to gain acceptance for their ideas and earn recognition for their talents and accomplishments. The game is played best with others—not in isolation, struggling to carry the load alone.
In my coaching practice, I encourage clients to enhance their political savvy skills by adopting my model of Collaborative Competition™, where you begin to see each challenge as an opportunity to learn something new, take smart risks, and improve your results. We’re all looking for a higher ROI.
In my book, Collaborative Competition™: A Woman’s Guide to Succeeding by Competing, I define a new approach for leaders in competitive fields, inspired by my amateur tennis career. This model works for everyone, men and women alike.
In it’s truest sense, competition is about a rivalry or match. The goal is to equal or excel your competitor rather than undermine them. The common trap many professionals fall into is to view competition as threatening and cutthroat; they focus on avoiding mistakes or threats to their identity.
In contrast, I believe that anyone can compete successfully and have a good time doing it.
It is a matter of finding your competitive sensibilities and calibrating your activities and strategies accordingly. My model of competition has valuable synergies with Political Savvy’s goal to communicate and influence more effectively. Collaborative Competition™ is like the Olympics or an exciting tennis match where competitors bring out the best in each other.
Athletes are at their best when they are challenged. For example, I used to play tennis with a man who was a former ping-pong champion in China. He played a methodical baseline game that had me running all over the court, working much too hard, and consistently losing. Rather than letting frustration get the better of me, I studied his style. I adopted new strategy, one I never considered. I used my competitive nature to gain an advantage from a losing situation. My opponent became a partner in my change and growth.
Catalyst, a leading nonprofit research organization, found that 55% of women (compared to 57% of men) aspire to CEO-level. Women have drive and talent. To succeed in their careers, they must refocus on what it means to be politically savvy and to compete effectively.
The secret for women is to incorporate their collaborative approach into a broader view. This increases engagement and support for others and provides greater freedom (and the desire) to compete, challenge, and have fun. In this scenario, everyone is performing better and enjoying themselves in the process.
When Sally Field won her second Oscar in 1985, her acceptance speech, “You like me. You really, really like me!” captured the headlines.
Thirty-five years later, people still joke about that speech. Why? Because she reduced her achievement to the notion of being liked. Many women base their business strategy on that concept. Add perfectionism, focus on tasks over the big picture, and competing in isolation, and you’ve got an exhausting and limiting strategy. You will not gain the desired results: promotion, compensation, recognition, and reputation.
Being politically savvy reveals agendas and possibilities. It widens and deepens networks. Ultimately, it offers opportunities to influence and excel. My clients will tell you that being politically and competitively savvy isn’t hard. It takes a little patience and acknowledgement that you already have the skills. You will learn to be your own best self. Success and leadership opportunities are certain to follow. And yes, you can be politically savvy and maintain your integrity.
Joel DeLuca’s book, Political Savvy, can be ordered on Amazon