Episode Details

At some point in your career, you will find yourself in a position where you have to deal with office politics. Office politics aren't bad in and of themselves, but it is important to understand how they work and what your place is within them.

First, we should put some clarity around what I mean by the phrase "office politics". They are really just the unwritten rules and informal structure of the organization.

The key to navigating the political landscape is to understand the various roles and who holds them. From situation to situation, there may be different people playing each role, but understanding who plays them in your current situation will make it easier for you to do what you need.

Decision Makers - someone who has final say on critical decisions. For bigger decisions, this is usually a manager or executive. But for smaller items, this could be a team member or a team with approval authority over a specific process.

Gatekeeper - someone who controls access to a key person or resource. The gatekeeper for an executive might be their executive assistant from a time scheduling perspective, but it is often a trusted manager when it comes to processes and decisions. You may need to make your case to the gatekeeper before the decision is brought to the leader. In the case of a process, there may be someone responsible for managing the agenda for approvals that you must convince to prioritize your request for a decision.

Connector - someone who has connections across multiple departments. The connector can be invaluable, especially when you are new to an organization, because they can provide introductions to decision makers and gatekeepers.

Influencer - someone who's opinion is revered by many in the organization, often including key decision makers. The difference between a connector and an influencer is that an influencer may hold sway with others just based on reputation without actually having a personal relationship with the people involved. Whereas a connector has the relationship but may not have the expertise needed to provide the influence.

Observer - someone who understands who are the current political players. An observer knows who the players are but may not be able to introduce or influence them.

Champion - someone who advocates for others within the organization. Having a leader that acts as your advocate can speed up the decision making process through the additional authority that they bring.

Beyond understanding the roles of the people who can help you, th