Can Authenticity and Political Skill Actually Get Along?

I have a desire to be authentic.  I don’t always succeed, but it’s almost always on my radar.  I recently read an article in Harvard Business Review (HBR July / August 2010 – Idea Watch) on the topic of political skill.  This article talked about the value of political skill and how, when used effectively, it can bring favor to your cause through your influence.

More On Political Skill:

According to Gerald Ferris, Sherry Davidson, and Pamela Perrewe, in their book Political Skill at Work: Impact on Work Effectiveness, political skill is “a style of interaction that allows you to read situations, interpret them, and exhibit just the right kind of behavior to induce others to do what you want — and do it willingly, as if it were their idea.”

My initial reaction after reading the HBR article was to completely discount political skill and view it as in direct conflict with authenticity.  And why not?  After all, the article associated words like flattery and ingratiation with political skill.  When we think of politics, don’t we think of self-serving agendas?  Aren’t we often less trusting of politicians?  Still after dissecting the term, political skill merely represents our ability to influence others to favor our position, opinion, or bias.

Political skill isn’t flattery or ingratiation at all.  Political skill doesn’t have to do with sucking up to the boss to get ahead.  But there are people who are better than others in their ability influence others toward a position or opinion.  People who do this effectively get ahead.

As you engage and improve your political skill, consider the following:

1. TONE – Try not to be flagrant with your flattery. A little subtlety goes a long way to build trust in your communications. Don’t overwhelm your audience by your verboseness. Passion is one thing – a good thing – audaciousness is not.  Avoid being the loud and obnoxious used-car salesperson.
2. TIMING – Consider the timing of your talk.  Be calculated as you communicate.  Be careful not to interrupt others in order to get your point across – at least not here in the United States.  Evaluate your audience to make sure they are ready and able to truly engage in what you are about to say.  Make sure you’ve got their attention before trying to compete for it.  If you’re constantly trying to compete for the floor, you might appear desperate.
3. TARGET – Make sure your words are relevant.  You’ll quickly lose credibility when you bring up topics that are completely irrelevant to the current conversation.  People who are off target and irrelevant often find themselves randomly rambling, hoping something they say will stick with the group.  Your communications should be well-crafted toward the needs of your audience and the topic at hand.  Those effective in political skill know how to insert their ideas in a relevant manner into almost any conversation.

When you consider your tone, your timing, and your target, you’ll likely avoid the flattery and suck-up perceptions that so many associate with political skill.

Tags: authenticity, corporate, culture, Leadership, political, skill

The Missing Half of Leadership Training

It is unsettling to me that companies are still looking to capture the perfect leadership competency model. The expectation is that the right skills can be developed for the right situation. Many people are operating under the belief that the right skills help leaders execute the plan. But, there are contradictions for every situation. A move that was logical yesterday, might be illogical today as a result of rapid change. Consistent business practices are only valuable in a consistent business climate, which is virtually nonexistent today.

For today’s leaders, mindset development must come before skill-set development. For instance, it is hard to become a better listener without developing curiosity first. Learning to look people in the eye, fight distractions, and ask appropriate questions are important, but they are simply mechanical skills. Being open to new ideas and processes, and remaining inclusive of others lets you really hear what’s being said – and put it to good use. This is what I mean by mindset. Mechanics can be applied and developed universally. Mindset is individual. Mindset is the true separator of talent, not technique.

Our leaders do not know how to manage the paradox between the need to be strong-willed and sensitive to the needs of the team. They struggle with balancing command and control and remaining collaborative. They struggle balancing between having the right answers and forming the right questions. Today’s leaders do not know how to manage the paradox that exists in protecting organizational heritage and tenets while driving change, or making the tough call while trying to create an inclusive working environment.

Leadership development must look beyond simple skill-set development and focus more on helping leaders navigate the paradoxes by helping them form the proper leadership mindset.

10 ways to know if you’re teaching mindset in your organization:

1. Are you teaching mechanics or principles? Teaching mindset is principle based. If you understand the principles, you’ll embrace the mechanics.
2. Are judgment and paradox involved in what’s being taught? Teaching mindset prioritizes judgment and introduces paradox. Judgment helps leaders navigate through change and develop adaptability.
3. Are debate and collaboration part of the learning process? Teaching mindset opens up valuable debate. Diverse opinions matter for teaching mindset.
4. Does your teaching emphasize compliance or progress – acknowledging that these aren’t mutually exclusive? Teaching mindset will emphasize progress as the priority. Progress is the reason for compliance, but progress sometimes requires a leader to improvise.
5. Is there a social component to your teaching where participants are asked to react according to their observations of others? Social interactions and reactions are important for mindset development.
6. Is your teaching pushing transactional or transformational outcomes? Teaching mindset helps leaders move beyond transactional thinking and bring valuable ideas and innovations to the table.
7. Do you emphasize personal values over conformity in your teaching? Teaching mindset invites participants to bring their own personal values to the training, allowing diverse ideas and solutions to emerge.
8. Is your teaching focused only on the present circumstances or are future needs and opportunities contemplated? Teaching mindset asks participants to anticipate future needs and opportunities as well as deliver results in the business today.
9. Do you value imagination in your teaching and training? Teaching mindset asks participants to be imaginative. Teaching mindset shouldn’t answer every question for participants.
10. Does your teaching encourage rote repetition or routine versus creativity? Teaching mindset demands significant creative thinking.

Five concepts to teach mindset:

1. Teach systems thinking.
2. Teach creative thinking.
3. Teach principles and values.
4. Teach judgment for paradox.
5. Teach transformational ideation. i

Leaders cannot be successful with skills alone. Organizations that recognize the importance of developing an innovative and adaptable mindset in their leaders are the ones that will experience the greatest success in the face of ever-increasing change.

Onward!

Tags: development, Leadership, mindset, skill, skills, skillset, Training