Politics is a Symptom

Where you see politics in your workplace, resist the temptation to blame your co-workers. Yes, there are some people who are naturally very political. They foster power struggles, intrigues, backstabbing, and information/asset hoarding. But most of the politics you see at work are symptoms of larger problems. These problems are

1. a lack of a clear, commonly understood, and compelling direction,
2. a lack of win-win relationships throughout the organization based on trust, clarity of roles, and accountability,
3. a lack of effective habits of execution, and
4. a lack of leadership habits and tools to create the 1-3 above.

If your organization shows symptoms of politics, which of these 4 areas do you have the most influence over right now? Let’s start there.

To your continued success,

Mike