Thinking Like the CEO of Your own Career: Building Relationships and Political Savvy

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Thinking Like the CEO of Your own
CareerBuilding Relationships and Political
Savvy
5/28/08 Janet Bickel Career and Leadership
Development Coach

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Diagnose Yourself

• Am I comfortable attracting attention to myself?
• Do I effectively present my ideas?
• Do I make important contributions in meetings?
• Do influential people know about my work?
• Am I continuously expanding my circle of
  colleagues?
• Am I increasing my capacities for handling
  conflicts and discussing difficult subjects?

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Dont assume your work speaks for itself

• Timidity is like waiting to be asked on a date
• Recognition attracts new opportunities
• Use every opportunity to spread the credit and
  strengthen alliances
• Articulate how your productivity and success
  benefit your institution and profession
• Use stories, examples, your head and heart
• Summon the power of your unique personality
• Practice and seek feedback!

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Speaking up about Your Accomplishments (PARs)

• Problem/Opportunity
• What needed to be fixed?
• What were the opportunities and challenges?
• Action What did you do?
• Result/Benefit What difference did you make?
• NB Try to tell the STORY of your accomplishment

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Practice Time

• Introduce yourself to someone near you whose work
  you dont know much about.
• Take turns briefly describing your work using a
  PAR.

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Hes assertive Hes authoritative Hes good at
details Hes open He follows through Hes
decisive Hes confident Hes passionate Theyre
networking Theyre debating
Shes pushy Shes bossy Shes picky Shes
unsure She doesnt know when to quit Shes
vindictive Shes conceited Shes a control
freak Theyre chitchatting Theyre catfighting
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Are you Uncomfortable withOrganizational
Politics?

• Id rather work alone than depend on others.
• Im careful not to step on anybodys toes.
• If someone disagrees with me, I cant stop
  thinking about it.
• I assume Ill get what I deserve.
• I dont understand how decisions get made around
  here.

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Source Kathleen Kelley Reardon, The Secret
Handshake Mastering the Politics of the Business
Inner Circle, NY Doubleday, 2000.
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CONFLICT IS NATURAL

• Conflict is a natural consequence of competition
  and diversity, bringing into the open different
  goals and ways of thinking.
• Conflicts challenge us to clarify our priorities
  and values.
• Why do we expect others to change just because we
  cant easily meet our goals with them?

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CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLES
R E L A T I O N A L C O N C E R N
Collaborate
Accommodate
Compromise
Avoid
Compete
Concern for self-interest
Source Thomas-Kilman Conflict Mode Instrument
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Effective Collaborations/Groups

• build understanding of complex issues
• increase probability of sustainable improvements
• stimulate new avenues of investigation,
• appealing to funders and attracting outstanding
  faculty
• depend on communications skills and constructive
  handling of differences

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Increasing your Political Savvy

• Learn about the systems you work in and what is
  valued
• Study people get better at predicting behaviors
• Recognize when youre relying on assumptions and
  snap judgments--ask more questions
• Focus on what you can do something about
• Do not internalize negative politics
• Build communication and collaboration skills

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Communication begins with Listening

• Listen with curiosity
• value differences as an oppy to learn
• increases chances of hearing what people are not
  saying
• accurately attuning to others saves time

ONE MOUTH
TWO EARS
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• Generative Listening
• What could make that possible?
• What could that allow us to do?
• What goals could that idea advance?
• What do you see that I dont?
• Say more

• Automatic Listening
• Right/Wrong
• Win/Lose
• Agree/Disagree
• Good/Bad
• Either/Or

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Sensing
Thoughts
Feelings
Act
Wants
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In Buzz Group

• Think back to a conflict, difficult conversation
  or potential collaboration that you did not
  handle well.
• 1) Did any characteristics of yours get in your
  way?
• 2) What approaches/strategies might have worked
  better?

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• How do you relate to
• authority figures?
• idealize?
• resent?
• avoid?
• over-depend on?
• automatically defer to?
• superhuman effort to please?
• compete with?
• persuasively stand up to when necessary?
• effectively partner with?

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• Managing Up
• develop a pattern of interaction with your boss
  that produces the best results
• let your boss know about your work
• Seek to understand her
• Big picture ie, goals, priorities, pressures
• Limitations and blindspots
• Preferences re communications
• NB You dont need to like your boss

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• From your bosss point of view
• What will you do for me tomorrow?
• Do you communicate effectively?
• How do you show respect?
• Do you keep the boss informed?
• Use bosss time well?
• Do you express appreciation?
• Solicit and use feedback?
• Bring solutions to problems?
• How do you handle disagreements?

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Persuasion

• What constitutes persuasive data? Research
• Expert opinion/support
• Comparisons, analogies, examples
• A new twist
• Most likely to be influenced by appeal to what
• others think or do (appropriateness)?
• is in line with her self-image (consistency)?
• will achieve goals/results (effectiveness)?

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• Disagreements with your Boss
• Did conflict or tension arise from
• Different measures of performance?
• Different values or sets of stakeholders?
• Your failure to produce?
• Your failure to negotiate?
• Your boss is a bully/
• manipulator/passive-aggressive
• ??

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Avoiding Career Derailers
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Top Derailers of Leaders/Managers

• Lacks emotional intelligence (EQ)
• Avoids risks, stays in comfort zone
• Isolation
• Overdependence on a boss/mentor
• Political naivete
• Seeking job security
• Unable to adapt to change
• Fails to build an effective team
• Source Center for Creative Leadership

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Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

• --To be aware of understand my own others
  emotions
• --To use my awareness to effectively manage
  myself in relationship
• In many performance areas, EQ matters TWICE as
  much as technical expertise or IQ
• The more complex the work, dependent on others to
  get the job done, and degree of stress, the more
  EQ matters

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• Underdeveloped EQ
• Relationships are often unsatisfying
• Easily disconnects from others or stays in
  unhealthy relationships
• Highly reactive
• Low capacity for chaos
• Rigid under stress
• Relationship healing is slow
• Low trust in self others

• Highly developed EQ
• Relationships are enjoyable
• Flexible
• Relationships are easily repaired
• Wide tolerance for differences
• Takes responsibility for self
• Good listener
• High trust of self others

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• Whats most likely to derail you or hold you
  back?

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Take Responsibility You are the CEO

• Build your communityinside and outside of your
  field
• Let people know about your work
• Spread the credit and strengthen alliances
• Notice your emotions, cultivate self-awareness
• Engage in generative listening
• Cultivate adaptability
• Seek feedback