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Political Savvy
November 04, 2014
An Essential Skill for All Employees
Jose Lopez Katheryn Houston
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Political Savvy An Essential Skill for All Employees Jose Lopez - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Political Savvy An Essential Skill for All Employees Jose Lopez - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Political Savvy An Essential Skill for All Employees Jose Lopez Katheryn Houston November 04, 2014 Politics is the art of getting things done Harry Truman 2 What is Political Savvy? Totality of skills for successfully navigating
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What is Political Savvy?
- Totality of skills for successfully navigating political
dynamics of an organization to accomplish one’s goals
- Ethically building a critical mass of support for an idea
you care about
- Awareness of the culture and relationships within an
- rganization
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Why is Political Savvy Important?
- Political savvy is necessary to:
- Manage office politics and get things done
- Protect oneself from other’s political tactics
- Avoid political blunders
- Position oneself for the future
Technical skill alone is no longer enough to survive in today’s workplace
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Who Needs to Be Politically Savvy?
Political savvy has little to do with one’s place in the hierarchy…anyone can have political savvy regardless of position in the company ~ Joel DeLuca, Author of Politically Savvy
- Leaders
- Managers
- Employees at all levels
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What is Your Political Style?
Negative Neutral Positive
Initiates Machiavellian Responsible Leader
- Manipulator
- Looks out for #1
- Obligation
- Comes with
territory
- Play Maker
- Impact player
Predicts Protector Speculator Advisor
- File Builder
- Defensive
Grapeviner Counselor
Responds Cynic Fatalist Spectator
- I told you so
- Gossip
Que Sera Sera
- Fan
- Encourager
Politics viewed as Action Orientation
From “Political Savvy” by Joel DeLuca
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What are the Characteristics of a Politically Savvy Person?
- Uses intuition
- Has focus and orientation towards goals
- Uses relationship knowledge
- Discusses controversial issues in non-offensive way
- Manages impressions
- Obtains support for one’s ideas
- Knows when to follow chain of command
- Acts friendly and social with co-workers
- Supports boss
- Avoids gossip
- Uses organizational grapevine wisely
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Exercise: What Does it Mean to be Politically Savvy at the IRS?
- Split into three equal groups
- Review the scenario on the note card and
discuss/decide how a politically savvy person would act and respond (each group has a different scenario)
- 3 minutes to discuss and 3 minutes per group to
report out and discuss
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How do I Become Politically Savvy?
Choose to become an active, ethical player
- Put the organization first
- Understand your own political style
- Believe strongly in your change initiative
- Play above-board
- Avoid the moral and rational blocks
Work the human system
- Understand the culture
- Identify the key players
- Gauge power and influence
- Assess relationships
- Develop a strategy
- Build momentum
- Determine appropriate involvement level
for each player
- Employ interpersonal diplomacy
- Anticipate and handle dissenters