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Political Savvy. An Essential Skill for All Employees. Julie Robbins Phil Griner. August 9, 2012. “Politics is the art of getting things done” Harry Truman. What is Political Savvy?.
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Political Savvy An Essential Skill for All Employees Julie Robbins Phil Griner August 9, 2012
“Politics is the art of getting things done” Harry Truman
What is Political Savvy? • Totality of skills for successfully navigating political dynamics of an organization to accomplish one’s goals • Ethically building a critical mass of support for an idea you care about • Awareness of the culture and relationships within an organization
Why is Political Savvy Important? • Political savvy is necessary to: • Manage office politics and get things done • Protect oneself from other’s political tactics • Avoid political blunders • Position oneself for the future Technical skill alone is no longer enough to survive in today’s workplace
Who Needs to Be Politically Savvy? Political savvy has little to do with one’s place in the hierarchy…anyone can have political savvy regardless of position in the company ~ Joel DeLuca, Author of Politically Savvy • Leaders • Managers • Employees at all levels
What is Your Political Style? Politics viewed as Action Orientation From “Political Savvy” by Joel DeLuca
What are the Characteristics of a Politically Savvy Person? • Uses intuition • Has focus and orientation towards goals • Uses relationship knowledge • Discusses controversial issues in non-offensive way • Manages impressions • Obtains support for one’s ideas • Knows when to follow chain of command • Acts friendly and social with co-workers • Supports boss • Avoids gossip • Uses organizational grapevine wisely
Exercise: What Does it Mean to be Politically Savvy at the IRS? • Split into three equal groups • Review the scenario on the note card and discuss/decide how a politically savvy person would act and respond (each group has a different scenario) • 3 minutes to discuss and 3 minutes per group to report out and discuss