Zusatztext This work will help employees navigate office politics in almost any kind of setting. Corporate consultants Brandon and Seldman offer practical advice! starting with the assumption that engaging in office politics is vital to one's career. Recommended for larger public libraries and all business management collections. LIBRARY JOURNAL! November 15! 2004 Informationen zum Autor Rick Brandon, Ph.D. and Marty Seldman, Ph.D. Klappentext Two of the most successful corporate consultants and coaches in the U.S.! Rick Brandon and Marty Seldman! offer proven methods to eliminate unethical behavior at work and use the power of "high-integrity" politics to achieve corporate and career success. Introduction: A Political Wake-Up Call A Corporate Survival of the Fittest A corporate survival-of-the-fittest situation does exist, especially in tough economic, competitive, and cost-conscious times. Nobody likes to admit that a company has destructive politics or gamesmanship, but good people can become "squirrelly" in any organization given today's pressures. Naïveté and lack of organizational savvy can threaten anyone's influence, organizational impact, career growth, team credibility, and company results. But we will show you how to overcome any potential political disadvantage by employing high-integrity political tactics and strategies. "High-Integrity" Politics? For most people, the words integrity and politics don't mix. When we hear the phrases "Politics as usual" or "He's really political," we think of undesirable behavior such as manipulation, backroom deals, self-serving hidden agendas, bad-mouthing, or compromising values to get things done. Such behavior definitely exists, and in twenty-five years of training and coaching thousands of executives, we've had "unspeakable horrors" whispered to us about the elephant in the room -- organizational politics. This elephant has crushed many well-intentioned and capable professionals and leaders. A major goal of this book is to help you better understand unethical behavior, detect it, and protect yourself and your company culture from it. But we invite you to consider this negative cluster of behaviors as only one type of politics. Here is a broader, more inclusive, and pragmatic definition we recommend. Organizational politics are informal, unofficial, and sometimes behind-the scenes efforts to sell ideas, influence an organization, increase power, or achieve other targeted objectives. Notice that this practical definition is value-free and has nothing to do with partisan politics. It is neither inherently good nor bad, neither vile nor virtuous. Two conditions determine whether organizational politics become constructive or destructive: 1. Whether the targeted objectives are for the company's interest or only self-interests; and 2. Whether the influence efforts used to achieve those objectives have integrity or not. If a high level of political prowess resides with individuals of questionable integrity who seek their own personal gain, ambition, or security, then organizational politics harm careers and companies. But political savvy and skill can also help ethical, competent people sell ideas and influence others for the good of organizations. Here's why we've found it more helpful to define politics in this value-free way: 1. "Don't Throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater." If you define politics in a narrow, negative way, you may overlook the value of political awareness and skill. If political astuteness is combined with the right values, it can be a win-win situation for you, your team, and your organization. 2. "Get Off That River in Egypt -- De-Nile!" Negative attitudes toward politics lead to avoidance and denial. At an individual level, this attitude means that you steer clear of the political arena and ...

Autorentext

Rick Brandon, Ph.D. and Marty Seldman, Ph.D.

Klappentext

Two of the most successful corporate consultants and coaches in the U.S., Rick Brandon and Marty Seldman, offer proven methods to eliminate unethical behavior at work and use the power of "high-integrity" politics to achieve corporate and career success.

Zusammenfassung
Based on the individual coaching of 1,200 executives, this book provides proven strategies that help leaders eliminate unethical behaviour within their organization; allow individuals to advance their ideas and careers while maintaining their integrity; and help managers and achieve team goals by building support for group objectives.

Leseprobe
Introduction: A Political Wake-Up Call

A Corporate Survival of the Fittest

A corporate survival-of-the-fittest situation does exist, especially in tough economic, competitive, and cost-conscious times. Nobody likes to admit that a company has destructive politics or gamesmanship, but good people can become "squirrelly" in any organization given today's pressures. Naïveté and lack of organizational savvy can threaten anyone's influence, organizational impact, career growth, team credibility, and company results. But we will show you how to overcome any potential political disadvantage by employing high-integrity political tactics and strategies.

"High-Integrity" Politics?

For most people, the words integrity and politics don't mix. When we hear the phrases "Politics as usual" or "He's really political," we think of undesirable behavior such as manipulation, backroom deals, self-serving hidden agendas, bad-mouthing, or compromising values to get things done. Such behavior definitely exists, and in twenty-five years of training and coaching thousands of executives, we've had "unspeakable horrors" whispered to us about the elephant in the room -- organizational politics. This elephant has crushed many well-intentioned and capable professionals and leaders.

A major goal of this book is to help you better understand unethical behavior, detect it, and protect yourself and your company culture from it. But we invite you to consider this negative cluster of behaviors as only one type of politics. Here is a broader, more inclusive, and pragmatic definition we recommend.

Organizational politics are informal, unofficial, and sometimes behind-the scenes efforts to sell ideas, influence an organization, increase power, or achieve other targeted objectives.

Notice that this practical definition is value-free and has nothing to do with partisan politics. It is neither inherently good nor bad, neither vile nor virtuous. Two conditions determine whether organizational politics become constructive or destructive:

1. Whether the targeted objectives are for the company's interest or only self-interests; and

2. Whether the influence efforts used to achieve those objectives have integrity or not.

   If a high level of political prowess resides with individuals of questionable integrity who seek their own personal gain, ambition, or security, then organizational politics harm careers and companies. But political savvy and skill can also help ethical, competent people sell ideas and influence others for the good of organizations. Here's why we've found it more helpful to define politics in this value-free way:

3. "Don't Throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater." If you define politics in a narrow, negative way, you may overlook the value of political awareness and skill. If political astuteness is combined with the right values, it can be a win-win situation for you, your team, and your organization.

4. "Get Off That River in Egypt -- De-Nile!" Negative attitudes toward politics lead to avoidance and denial. At an individual level, this attitude means that you steer clear of the political arena and believe politics shouldn't exist or matter in your career. At a company level, this attitude means that leaders underestimate the reality of overly political behavior and the rotting effect on careers, the company's reputa…