Organisational politics can consume an enormous amount of a leader’s time, attention and energy, particularly when important work becomes caught between competing agendas, personalities and priorities.
When progress slows, leaders can find themselves spending more time responding to difficult stakeholders, correcting misinformation and defending decisions than moving the work forward. Deliberate leadership in these moments means being thoughtful about where you place your attention and recognising which relationships, conversations and actions will help create momentum.
Here are four approaches that can help you navigate organisational politics, protect your energy and stay focused on what you are there to achieve.
- Bring in the credibility you need
Leadershipdoesn’t require you to hold all the expertise yourself. Your role is to understand what capability the work requires and make sure the right people are around the table. When a project requires specialist knowledge, bringing in someone with deep subject matter credibility can strengthen confidence in the work, improve decision making and help you engage stakeholders who have questions about the direction or approach. Consider who needs to be around you to give the work the credibility, expertise and momentum it needs. Building the right team can accelerate progress and give others greater confidence in the direction you are taking. - Build your strategic ally network
Relationships are an important part of organisational influence, so take time to understand who supports the work, who has influence with key decision makers and who can help others understand its value. Invest deliberately in these relationships by involving people in important conversations, inviting them to see the work firsthand and creating opportunities for them to contribute to its success. Think about the people you need around you today as well as the relationships that will matter over the longer term. A strong network of allies gives you access to different perspectives, organisational intelligence,advocacy and support when the work becomes difficult. Your ability to get things done across an organisation is strengthened by the quality of the relationships you build along the way. - Don’t let the “Chihuahuas” at your heels drain your energy
Every organisation has a few “Chihuahuas,” the people who nip at your heels through constant challenges, unnecessary commentary, territorial behaviour or attempts to draw you into issues that don’t deserve your attention. The more attention you give them, the more energy they can consume. Responding, explaining,defending and correcting can take valuable leadership attention away from the outcomes you are trying to achieve. When you feel someone nipping at your heels, ask yourself: Does this require my attention? That simple question can help you decide whether something genuinely needs your involvement and how much of your time and energy it deserves. Deliberate leaders become increasingly discerning about where they invest their energy. Address the issues that affect the work, the team or the outcome, and keep moving when something is simply creating noise. The Chihuahuas will keep nipping at your heels, and you decide how much attention they receive. - Become a curious observerOrganisational politics can become personal when someone challenges your authority, questions your decisions, protects theirterritory or creates barriers to work you care about. A curious observer mindset can help you create enough emotional distance to understand more about what is happening. Imagine standing in an art gallery looking at an abstract painting. Spend some time observing what you see and becoming curious about what might sit behind it. What might be driving this behaviour? What is this person protecting? What are they concerned about? What does their response tell me about the broader organisational system? These questions direct your attention towards understanding the dynamics at play and give you more information to work with when deciding what to do next. Curiosity can also help preserve your energy because you can notice behaviour, consider what it tells you and decide how much attention it deserves.
Leading through organisational politics requires discipline around your attention, relationships and energy. Build the capability that strengthens the work, invest in the relationships that create momentum, stay focused when the Chihuahuas start nipping at your heels and remain curious about the dynamics unfolding around you. Your energy is one of your most valuable leadership resources, so be deliberate about where you spend it.
If you’re tackling politics that keep pulling your focus away from the work, or you need a fresh perspective on how to handle it, let’s chat. I’d love to hear what’s going on for you.
