Survival of the savvy high integrity political tactics for career and company success

Survival of the Savvy Endorsements “Survival of the Savvy is a critically important book for the new era of business! Leaders need to learn how to win in a world that is both ultra-competitive on the business side and ultra-sensitive to issues involving ethics.” —MARSHALL GOLDSMITH, COAUTHOR OF THE LEADER OF THE FUTURE “A refreshing view of the importance of corporate politics Survival of the Savvy isn’t about the nonsense of stamping out organizational politics it’s about facing reality and learning how to manage yourself and your team, from the CEO down.” —CAROL BARTZ, CHAIRMAN, CEO, AUTODESK “Ignore corporate politics and you may find yourself sleeping with the fishes Organization savvy is a topic that’s tough to get your arms around, but Survival of the Savvy is tops on my list for its practical and proven approach for navigating through today’s rough organizational waters.” —DEB HIMSEL, VICE PRESIDENT, ORGANIZATION EFFECTIVENESS, AVON PRODUCTS, INC “Survival of the Savvy assists CEOs to survey their organizations so that they can build relationship bench strength possessing integrity and ethical management while also building a great company culture committed to top performance and loyalty.” —AJIT GIL, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NEKTAR “Seldman and Brandon are just in time Survival of the Savvy gives us the elite intelligence and powerful tools to ensure personal success and improved business performance during turbulent corporate times This book is better than an MBA!” —DENNIS ZELENY, FORMER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT HUMAN RESOURCES, E.I DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY “This book offers indispensable insight into the positive power of politics in an organization If you can’t hire Brandon or Seldman as a personal coach, this book is the next best thing!” —WENDY BLOOM, SENIOR MANAGER, HUMAN CAPITAL AND LEADERSHIP, BEST BUY CO., INC “You can influence with political wisdom and integrity! Whether you’re a CEO, a teacher, or a new employee, you can continually tune your understanding of yourself and of your work environment Survival of the Savvy is an outstanding tool kit.” —JIM KENNEDY, DIRECTOR OF EQUITIES, T ROWE PRICE ASSOCIATES “Terrific book that captures the upside and downside of politics in an organization As you read each chapter, the ‘aha’s’ just keep on coming Brandon and Seldman have written a true winner, full of proven successful techniques that leaders at all levels will want to practice.” —DEB CAPOLARELLO, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT HUMAN RESOURCES, CHIEF TALENT OFFICER, METLIFE “This book delivers a powerful message on leadership Effective leaders learn early that adapting your leadership style to motivate others is one of the most effective skills any leader can possess Survival of the Savvy shows any individual how to step beyond the comfort zone to become a better leader, parent, or person.” —ERIC FOSS, PRESIDENT, PEPSI BOTTLING GROUP NORTH AMERICA “Survival of the Savvy is invaluable for all business leaders who are seeking to understand the connectivity of emotional intelligence, the application of ‘high-integrity’ politics in achieving business effectiveness and career success.” —RON PARKER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES, FRITO-LAY NORTH AMERICA “This book is essential for anyone who has ever tried to play a game without knowing the rules Survival of the Savvy offers proven practical strategies, techniques, and rules of the game for anyone who wants to be an MVP in the business world.” —JEAN M OTTE, FOUNDER AND CEO, WOMEN UNLIMITED, INC., AND AUTHOR OF CHANGING THE CORPORATE LANDSCAPE: A WOMAN’S GUIDE TO CULTIVATING LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE “Survival of the Savvy describes the political landscape inside of organizations If you want to deftly navigate the political whitewater in your organization, this is the book for you.” —JON PETERS, PRESIDENT, THE INSTITUTE FOR MANAGEMENT STUDIES “This is a book we all could have used when we were twenty-five years old It provides perspectives that make so much sense and can be readily applied to any workplace small or large, public or private Survival of the Savvy can improve almost anyone’s personal effectiveness with no compromise on ethics.” —PETE BASSI, CHAIRMAN, YUM RESTAURANTS INTERNATIONAL “Brandon and Seldman, for the first time, have presented practical strategies for using politics in a positive, ethical fashion If you work in any organization, whether it be a Fortune 500 company, your local PTA, or your AYSO soccer league, this book will provide invaluable insights to enable you to achieve results in a manner which you can be proud of.” —JOHN MCELROY, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND CORPORATE SERVICES, MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC “This book has provided me with a systemic understanding of the root cause of company politics and how as a leader one can coach the organization to be mature and effective about managing it As I have always believed, it takes a politically savvy leader to create an environment that is not excessively political I just learned a lot from this book on how to become one.” —SAM SU, PRESIDENT, GREATER CHINA, YUM GLOBAL RESTAURANTS “In the crowded field of leadership and business books, Brandon and Seldman have written a watershed resource that is vital for leaders and professionals Finally, a practical resource for understanding and effectively dealing with politics, ethics, deception, and effectively ‘doing the right thing’ at high levels of performance!” —EDWARD BETOF, ED.D., VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF LEARNING OFFICER, BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY “Survival of the Savvy is a career-saving ‘survival guide’ for today’s business leaders Brandon and Seldman have developed a pragmatic tool kit to help managers detect deception and to develop political astuteness in their work envi ronment.” —PETER C SMITH, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER, BURGER KING CORPORATION “An extremely insightful perspective on the political world that lies within corporations While many executives would like to think that their companies are apolitical, this is just not the case and those executives imperil their careers and their companies This book is like a pocket coach providing practical insights on how to navigate in the 21st Century Corporation.” —MANUEL N SOUSA, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE ENTERPRISES “Two street-smart psychologists with more than a half century’s combined experience in performance-improvement coaching and training show that you can be hurt by being overly political or by political blind spots and naïveté Rather than offer a ‘one size fits all’ prescription, they help you assess your political style, note your strengths and weaknesses, and then supplement your style with savvy strategies that deliver impact with integrity Who couldn’t use that?” —ROBERT H BOLTON, PH.D., AUTHOR OF PEOPLE SKILLS AND COAUTHOR OF PEOPLE STYLES AT WORK “The challenge of leadership is much more about how to get things done than it is what things should get done This book teaches you the how and demonstrates that politics and integrity are not mutually exclusive.” —MICHAEL FEINER, PROFESSOR, COLUMBIA GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS “After reading Survival of the Savvy no manager will dare say, ‘I’m not political.’ Instead, managers will embrace the need to understand what motivates individuals, will know how to detect and handle hidden agendas, and will be able to build a high-integrity culture.” —PETER D GIBBONS, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT SUPPLY CHAIN, ICI PAINT “In the post-Enron era, this is a true practical guide for individuals and leadership teams to navigate the rough waters of corporate integrity.” —JULIE STAUB, DIRECTOR, HUMAN RESOURCES, AUTONATION, INC FREE PRESS A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 Copyright © 2004 by Rick Brandon, Ph.D., and Martin Seldman, Ph.D All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its authors It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed in the publication It is sold with the understanding that the authors and publisher are not engaged in rendering any kind of personal professional services or advice in the book If expert assistance is desired, the service of a professional should be sought The authors and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use or application of any of the contents of this book FREE PRESS and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Brandon, Rick Survival of the savvy: high-integrity political tactics for career and company success / Rick Brandon, Marty Seldman p cm Includes index Office politics Organizational behavior Corporate culture.4 Integrity Business ethics I Seldman, Marty II Title HF5386.5.B73 2004 650.1'3—dc22 2004056301 ISBN-10: 0-7432-7429-6 Visit us on the World Wide Web http://www.SimonSays.com To our wives, Cheryl and Kelly—your blend of street smarts, integrity, and compassion inspires us each day token efforts by wake-up call for working between the ears in earning See Focus on feedback / learning; Organizational learning ee, Harper egal department, stereotype of eonard, George ess Political (LP) style See Power of Ideas (LP) style evinson, Art ghtning bolts ncoln, Abraham stening See also Empathic listening arguing vs nondefensively reflective obbying See Ethical lobbying oss focus ouganis, Greg owenstein, Roger oyalty Machiavelli, Niccolo Macro-organizational blind spots Management See also Leadership; Senior management feedback on buzz from open book Team Trust / Competence Grid and visitations by Managing by wandering around Managing the airwaves by blowing your cover with embedded impressions by getting there first reinvention and reshaping in through networking Manipulation reframing in teams Marginalizing Marx, Groucho McLuhan, Marshall McNealy, Scott Meetings, power image in Mental rehearsal Mentors Meritocracy-based decisions characteristics of on political style map risk of in teams ighty Aphrodite (film) Millstein, Ira Mirage Hotel Mission statements Mistakes See Focus on feedback / learning Moon, Warren Moral compass Morale More open agendas characteristics of on political style map risks of in teams More Political (MP) style See Power of Person (MP) style More private agendas characteristics of on political style map in teams Morgenstern, Michael Motivation management Murmur mentors Mutiny Mutual funds companies y Big Fat Greek Wedding (film) ame-dropping arcissism ASA ational Semiconductor ektar etworking decent boldness in exclusion from hardball and lobbying and by Overly Politicals Power of Ideas style and reminders for reprogramming safety through schmoozing in ewsletters ew York Stock Exchange ew York Times iceness icklaus, Jack ooyi, Indra orms, informal orth Star goals ow, Discover Your Strengths (Buckingham) bjectives fficial power ldman, Gary lympics Seoul Special One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Kesey) pen book management pinionated language pportunities, missed pportunity focus rganizational learning rganizational politics See Politics rganizational Savvy Continuum See also Political styles political style map and Power of Savvy style on risks along teams on vocabulary use on rganizational Savvy Skills Assessment rwell, George ut-in-the-open sabotage ut-of-the-loop sabotage verly Politicals (OPs) See also Borderline Overly Politicals; Political style map verly Politicals (OPs) (Continued) deception by ego issues and heads-up to high-integrity politics and lobbying and overcoming risks Power of Savvy style and risk factors for self-promotion by in teams traffic lights for vocabulary use and andora’s box, opening atronizing behavior ay for performance ay inequity eace Corps eck, Gregory edestal toppling eer reviews eopleMedia eople Styles at Work (Bolton) epsi Bottling Group epsiCo erception See also Focus on image / perception corporate buzz and of power base erformance management erls, Fritz ersonal impact ersonnel development erspective, sense of eters, Tom igs at the Trough (Huffington) nto (automobile) Pirate of the Year” (song) anned spontaneity olitical awareness, four pillars of olitical climate and timing olitical-favors bank account olitical health leadership and of teams olitical imbalance, correcting olitical landscape analysis olitical Savvy (DeLuca) olitical signals, misreading olitical style maps difficulties in guidelines for for influencing others managing weaknesses with for self-protection olitical style risks fatal flaws and overcoming ower of Savvy style and traffic lights for olitical styles See also ower of Ideas (LP) style; ower of Person (MP) style; ower of Savvy style; Style Strengths Finder changes in, 66–67 lobbying and of teams olitics See also High-integrity politics company reputation for corrupt cost of negative defined excess of individual as a front-burner issue, inner game of leadership and navigating the waters of piercing the emotion veil of reframing visualizing positive orter, Cole osition power characteristics of on political style map risks of in teams owell, Colin ower See also Position power; rivate power pockets; Substance power agendas of corruption by high-integrity politics and lobbying and networks and connections in official piercing the emotional veil of ower of Ideas style and reframing reprogramming sabotage and shifts in speaking truth to unofficial influence unwritten rule system of ower base ower dynamics in hardball reading ower image at meetings personal impact in power base in reprogramming words in ower of Ideas (LP) style ee also olitical style map dimensions of tal flaw in gh-integrity politics and bbying and anaging the airwaves and ower of Savvy style compared with risks in self-promotion by on Style Strengths Finder surviving despite risks traffic lights for ower of Ideas (LP) style (Continued) vocabulary use and ower of Person (MP) style See also Political style map Balanced Response technique and dimensions of fatal flaw of high-integrity politics and lobbying and Power of Savvy style compared with risks in on Style Strengths Finder traffic lights for ower of Savvy style blocks to adopting payoffs of ower trips ower zone resent, focusing on ressure rinciple-Centered Leadership (Covey) riorities, corporate ritchard, Michael rivate power pockets cost of signals of survival of taking action against weeding out roblem, avoiding use of rofessional / career growth rofit and loss (P&L) rofit at Any Cost: Why Business Ethics Makes Sense (Fleming) rojects, winner and loser See also Assignments romotions corporate buzz and getting overlooked for inequity in ower of Ideas style and ublicity, negative ublic speaking, fear of ut-aside responses ut-down responses ut-up-with responses uzo, Mario, ather, Dan ational Emotive counseling ationalization eading eagan, Ronald eed, John eflective listening eframing manipulation politics and power e-imagine (Peters) einemund, Steve elationship-based decisions characteristics of political health and on political style map in teams eports eprogramming power and politics eputation (rap) eputation radio esourcescutting ower of Ideas style and espect esults / ideas speak for themselves characteristics of on political style map in teams eward / punishment paradigm, reversing idge Associates ittenmeyer, Ron ituals odman, Dennis oosevelt, Eleanor oosevelt, Franklin D.Roosevelt, Theodore, 139 Rose, Matt, ules, unwritten umors See also Gossip unyon, Damon abotage See also Conversational aikido behind-the-scenes many faces of out-in-the-open out-of-the-loop political-favors account harmed by rampant acts of samurai self-promotion vs silent in teams ales department, stereotype of amurai saboteurs arbanes-Oxley Act arcasm aturday Night Live (TV program) aturn avant style traits candal chaeffer, Leonard chmoozing corecard confusion over for the next job cott-Morgan, Peter eabiscuit ears Auto Centers eating ecurities and Exchange Commission ecurities Women’s Network ee agenda einfeld, Jerry elf-assessment tools elf-awareness elf-deception elf-discounting language elf-fulfilling prophecy elf-ful people elfishness elf-less people elf-promotion characteristics of the Elevator Speech in with a handprint as organizational learning, on political style map Power of Ideas style and Power of Person style and reprogramming for selling vs selling out in in teams elf-Talk in conversational aikido corporate buzz and GIGO rule in increased awareness via keeping perspective with for present-focus reframing with reprogramming with on self-promotion visualization and Sell, Tell, Yell” technique enior management agendas of biases of conviction language and private power pockets and entence stem templates erenity Prayer even Habits of Highly Effective People, The (Covey) exual harassment harks howdowns egel, Laurie lo-structured teams x Sigma program 60 Minutes (TV program) kills development ober selling occer game test oft skills oundview outhwest Airlines peaking out peaking truth to power peaking voice pecifics, asking for pirituality ponsors pontaneity, planned ports competitions, corporate affing alling for time atus eamrolling einberg, Leigh einem, Gloria ereotypes ewardship ock market analysts one, Oliver ow agenda rategic change initiatives rategic flexibility rategic reorganization rategize about agendas rengths revolution yle Risk Tracker yle Strengths Finder ubstance power characteristics of on political style map in teams uggestion boxes un Microsystems un Tzu urvey agenda utton, Willie wanson, Bob ystems / information technology , stereotype of aglines alking from to (Tannen) annen, Deborah argeted objectives eam brands eams accusations of undermining correcting political imbalance in debriefing mechanisms for executive formalized programs for forums for isolated leadership in political health of on political style map political styles of promoting learner attitude in silo-structured vision and eam Trust / Competence Grid constructing options for each quadrant eases elephone calls, unreturned ell-oriented language emptation entative language eresa, Mother esting for deception as sabotage exas Instruments hank-you notes hieves in High Places (High-tower) 360-degree feedback hree Mile Island disaster obacco companies o Kill a Mockingbird (film) op dog—underdog game opics of conversation op Talent own hall meetings raffic lights, for political style risks ripping up ruman, Harry rust See also Team Trust / Competence Grid ruth See also Honesty urf, respecting See also Vocabulary urf wars urns of phrases and expressions utu, Desmond wain, Mark yco International ylenol tainting crisis ltimate Athlete, The (Leonard) nderestimated employees nderground politics nder Politicals (UPs) See also Borderline Under Politicals; Political style map ego issues and lobbying and overcoming risks Power of Savvy style and risk factors for sabotage by self-promotion by in teams traffic lights for nofficial influence power nwritten rules nwritten Rules of the Game, The (Scott-Morgan) ague language alues, core alues vision torch erbal discipline ision isualization ocabulary See also Balanced Response technique; Words ambivalent language apologetic language ask-oriented language autocratic or threatening language in conversational aikido critical or abusive language firm global, inferential harsh lobbying and, opinionated language, self-discounting language, tell-oriented language, tentative language, vague language, weak, Walker Information Walking the talk all Street (film) all Street Journal Warwick, Dionne Waterman, R H Watkins, Sherron Watson, Thomas J Weapons of mass destruction We Are the World” (song) Weather, organizational We language Welch, Jack Well-meaning worriers WellPoint Wells Fargo Bank Whistle blowing Wigand, Jeffrey William Morris Agency Withholding information Women glass ceiling and grooming for politics and self-promotion by vocabulary and Women on Wall Street WOMEN Unlimited Wonder, Stevie Wooden, John Woolf, George (“Iceman”) Words See also ocabulary impact of mastery of Working between the ears Workload Work-shop perspective Workshops WorldCom orth magazine Wounding the king Wynn, Steve About the Authors RICK BRANDON, PH.D., has trained tens of thousands of people in workshops and speeches and has thirty years of performance improvement experience He has consulted, trained, and presented at companies worldwide, from start-up e-commerce to blue-chip companies He owns Brandon Partners, offering workshops on corporate politics and managerial motivation through his flag-ship programs, Organizational Savvy and the Motivational Tool Kit Brandon earned a Ph.D in counseling at the University of Arizona MARTY SELDMAN ’S thirty-five-year career includes expertise in group dynamics, clinical psychology, cross-cultural studies, training, and executive coaching He is one of the country’s most experienced coaches, working one-on-one with more than thirteen hundred executives since 1986 Seldman currently resides with his wife and daughter in Montclair, New Jersey ... deception, and effectively ‘doing the right thing’ at high levels of performance!” —EDWARD BETOF, ED.D., VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF LEARNING OFFICER, BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY Survival of the Savvy. .. application of any of the contents of this book FREE PRESS and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Brandon, Rick Survival of the savvy: high- integrity. .. 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