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Part 4 • Leading
How do you get a mentor? Typically, mentors do the choosing. They spot someone lower in the organization with whom they identify and take that person on as a protégé. The more contacts you make with higher-ups, formally and informally, the greater chance you have of being singled out as someone’s protégé. Participating in company golf tournaments, going out for drinks with colleagues after work, and taking on visible projects are examples of activities that are likely to bring you to the attention of a potential mentor. 8. Develop powerful allies. It helps to have powerful people in your camp. In addition to a mentor, you can cultivate contacts with potentially influential people above you, at your level, and in the lower ranks. They can provide you with important information that might not be available through normal channels. In addition, decisions will at times be made by those with the greatest support. Sometimes, though not always, there is strength in numbers. Having powerful allies can provide you with a coalition of support if and when you need it. 9. Avoid tainted members. Almost every organization has some fringe members whose status is questionable. Their performance or loyalty is under close scrutiny. Such individuals, while they are under the microscope, are tainted. Carefully keep your distance from them. We all tend to judge others by the company they keep. Given the reality that effectiveness has a large subjective component, your own effectiveness might be called into question if you are perceived as being too closely associated with tainted people. 10. Support your boss. Your immediate future is in the hands of your current boss. Because your boss evaluates your performance, you typically will want to do whatever is necessary to have your boss on your side. You should make every effort to help your boss succeed and look good. Provide support if your boss is under siege, and spend the time to find out what criteria will be used to assess your effectiveness. Don’t undermine your boss. Don’t speak negatively of this person to others. If your boss is competent, visible, and in possession of a power base, he or she is likely to be moving up in the organization. By being perceived as supportive, you increase the likelihood of being pulled along too. At the worst, you’ll have established an ally higher up in the organization. What should you do, though, if your boss’s performance is poor and his or her power is low? Politically, it’s better to switch than to fight. Your credibility will be challenged if your boss is perceived as weak. Your performance evaluations, even if highly positive, are not likely to carry much weight. You’ll suffer from guilt by association. It is extremely difficult to distance yourself from your immediate boss without your boss perceiving you as a traitor. The most effective solution in such a situation, and the one that carries the least risk, is to lobby quietly for a transfer. If you have a mentor, use that person to lobby for you. Consistent with what we said earlier, couch your request for a transfer in terms of the organization’s best interests (i.e., a transfer will increase your experience, prepare you to assume greater responsibilities, and allow you to make bigger contributions to the organization).
Specific Political Strategies What specific strategies can you use to influence others and get them to support your objectives? When is one strategy preferable to another? Research has identified seven widely used options.14 1. Reasoning is the use of facts and data to make a logical or rational presentation of ideas. This strategy is most likely to be effective in a culture characterized by trust, openness, and logic and where the vested interests of other parties in your request are low.
