SECTION IV LEAD-ACROSS PRINCIPLE 4

Lead-Across Principle #4

AVOID OFFICE POLITICS

A politician arrived late for a speaking engagement where he was scheduled as the keynote speaker. Usually he did his homework on the area and the organization, but because of his busy schedule, he had not been able to do it. He was rushed in as the attendees were finishing their dessert and taken immediately to the podium without having the chance to speak to anyone.
When he was introduced to the crowd, there was nothing he could do but dive in. With the bright lights shining in his eyes, he immediately launched into one of the main issues of the campaign and spoke at length. When he paused for a moment, the gentleman who had introduced him whispered that the group to whom he was speaking was on the opposite side of the issue.
Without missing a beat, the politician said, “My friends. Now that I have explained the opposition’s position in great detail, I will tell you the truth.”
Some people seeking public office may be able to get away with such tactics—though usually it backfires on them—but people in a working environment where their peers know them certainly cannot. Playing politics at work is a surefire way to alienate your peers.
I would define “playing politics” as changing who you appear to be or what you normally do to gain an advantage with whoever currently has power. Among those who run for public office, that often means changing their position on issues depending on which group they’re speaking to. In work environments, it may mean sucking up to the boss, constantly changing positions to get on the winning side, or using people for personal gain without regard for how it affects them. Political people are fickle and opportunistic, doing what’s expedient in the moment to win, regardless of what’s best for their peers, their employees, or the organization.
TWO WAYS TO GET AHEAD
There seem to be two main paths for people to get ahead in organizations. One way is to try to get ahead by doing the work. The other is to try to get ahead by working an angle. It’s the difference between production and politics.
PEOPLE WHO RELY ON PRODUCTION PEOPLE WHO RELY ON POLITICS
Depend on how they grow Depend on who they know
Focus on what they do Focus on what they say
Become better than they appear Appear better than they are
Provide substance Take shortcuts
Do what's necessary Do what's popular
Work to control their own destiny Let others control their destiny
Grow into the next level Hope to be given the next level
Base decisions on principles Base decisions on opinions
The bottom line is that people who might be described as “political” are ruled by their desire to get ahead instead of a desire for excellence, productivity, teamwork, or consistency. Whatever values and skills they have are secondary to their ambition. And while they sometimes appear to get ahead, their gains are always temporary. In the long run, integrity, consistency, and productivity always pay off—in better teamwork and a clear conscience.
If you have played politics at work in the past, perhaps you saw others do it and you thought that was what you had to do to advance in your career. Or maybe you didn’t have confidence in yourself because you weren’t growing, and your skills were not advancing. You may not have done it maliciously, but whatever the reason, if you have played politics, you can be certain that you have betrayed the trust of some of your coworkers. And you will probably have to go to those people to apologize and seek reconciliation. That may be hard, but if you desire to lead across, you will need to do it to regain credibility with your peers.
If you are not a political person by nature, I still recommend that you exercise caution. Some working environments seem to draw people toward behavior that will ultimately damage peer-to-peer relationships. To avoid such difficulties, do the following:
1. AVOID GOSSIP
It’s been said that great people talk about ideas, average people talk about themselves, and small people talk about others. That’s what gossip does. It makes people small. There really is no upside to gossip. It diminishes the person being talked about. It diminishes the person who is saying unkind things about others, and it even diminishes the listener. That’s why you should avoid not only spreading gossip but also being a recipient of it. If you stop people from unloading gossip on you, it will make you feel better about the person who’s being talked about, as well as about yourself. Besides, whoever gossips to you will gossip about you.
British prime minister Winston Churchill said, “When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber.” 360-Degree Leaders are like eagles: they soar; they inspire; they fly high. And they don’t talk just to hear themselves. They don’t vent about someone to others to make themselves feel better. If they have a problem with a person, they go to that individual and address the issue directly—never through a third party. They praise publicly and criticize privately. And they never say anything about others that they wouldn’t want them to hear—because they probably will.
Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about themselves, and small people talk about others.

2. STAY AWAY FROM PETTY ARGUMENTS
In most places where people work, there are past grudges, ongoing feuds, and petty arguments that run like currents through the organization. Wise leaders in the middle of an organization avoid getting sucked into these easily, even if they think they can resolve them. As the saying goes, a bulldog can beat a skunk in a fight anytime, but he knows it’s just not worth it. That’s also the attitude of 360-Degree Leaders.
Recently I received an e-mail from Marvin “Skip” Schoenhals, chairman and president of Wilmington Savings Fund Society, whom I had met while I was speaking at a CEO forum in Dallas, Texas. When I met Skip, he told me a little bit about himself, and I asked him to write me and share more of his story. He wrote about how he once lived in Owosso, Michigan, and served on the seven-member city council. Skip said he had a knack for seeing the big picture and synthesizing many points of view. He wrote:

I was often able to summarize issues quickly and move the group to a higher, less detailed level of discussion. As a result, fellow council members increasingly sought my opinion on various matters coming before the council.
While I recognized that this was happening, I never attempted to capitalize on it. I was willing to speak my mind, but I would in the end defer to the mayor. Further, I would also pick my spots. Sometimes even if I thought that the council was not on the right big-picture item, I didn’t always jump in. I let some issues go, even though I did not agree with them. I realized I gained credibility by not having an opinion on everything.

Skip went on to tell about how in a year’s time, he became the informal leader of the council and then later the mayor.
It is a sign of maturity when someone knows what’s petty and what’s not—when to jump in, and when to sit back and listen. If you desire to become effective as a 360-Degree Leader, you will need to cultivate that kind of ability.
3. STAND UP FOR WHAT’S RIGHT, NOT JUST FOR WHAT’S POPULAR
While I believe that wise leaders often sit back and listen, I also believe that leaders must stand up for what’s right, even when such a stand will be unpopular. How do you do that? How do you know when to stand up and when not to, especially in a culture where many people see truth as subjective? My answer is that you use the Golden Rule: in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.1
In Ethics 101, I explained that a form of the Golden Rule is accepted by nearly every culture in the world. Besides Christianity, the religions that have some version of the Golden Rule include Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastriansim, Confucianism, Baha’i, and Jainism, among others. When someone is being treated in a way that you would not want to be treated, then it’s time to stand up.
4. LOOK AT ALL SIDES OF THE ISSUE
I love this piece of business advice: before you have an argument with your boss, take a good look at both sides—his side and the outside. While seeing things from multiple points of view with your peers may not have as important stakes as seeing things from your boss’s point of view, there is still great value in seeing issues from as many sides as possible. It always pays to avoid being dogmatic or stuck in one box in your thinking.
One of the advantages of leading from the middle of an organization is that you have the opportunity to see things from perspectives that many others don’t. Leaders at the top of the organization often have a difficult time seeing anything other than the big picture or the bottom line. Those on the bottom are equally limited, often seeing only the issues of their area. But leaders in the middle have a better perspective. They see how any given issue impacts them, but they are also able to look up and down. They are close to the people in the trenches and can see things from their point of view, and they are close enough to the top to see at least some of the big picture. 360-Degree Leaders make the most of this perspective to lead not only up and down, but also across.
Before you have an argument with your boss, take a good look at both sides—his side and the outside.

5. DON’T PROTECT YOUR TURF
Politics is often about power. Political leaders protect whatever is theirs because they don’t want to lose power. If they lose power, then they might not win. And as I already mentioned, winning is their primary motivation. People who want to win at all costs fight and scrap to keep everything that belongs to them. They fight for their budget. They fight for office space. They guard their ideas. They hoard their supplies. If it belongs to them, they protect it.
People who want to lead across take a broader view. They look at what’s best for the team. If they have to give up some space to help the organization, they do it. If it makes more sense for another leader to accomplish a task they’ve done in the past—and if some of the dollars from their budget also go to that leader—they deal with it. What matters is the team.
6. SAY WHAT YOU MEAN, AND MEAN WHAT YOU SAY
Like every other kind of leadership, becoming a 360-Degree Leader is about building trust with people. When asked what he considered the most essential qualification for a politician, Winston Churchill said, “It’s the ability to foretell what will happen tomorrow, next month, and next year—and to explain afterward why it did not happen.” Churchill understood the dynamics of politics as well as anyone in the twentieth century. Political leaders find themselves under tremendous pressure. Maybe that’s why some of them crack under it and tell people what they want to hear rather than what the politicians really believe. And those who do crack create a negative reputation that all politicians have to labor under.
If you want to develop trust with others, you must be more than competent. You must also be credible and consistent. The way to achieve those qualities is to make sure that what you say, what you do, and what you say you do all match. If you do that, the people who work with you will know they can depend on you.

I don’t mean to cast a negative light on everyone involved in politics. I’ve known many candidates for public office who displayed the highest integrity and truly wanted to serve the people. But the word politician, which once conjured positive images, brings to mind negative ones for most people.
Instead of trying to be a politician, strive to be a statesman. Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary states:

These terms differ particularly in their connotations; Politician suggests the schemes and devices of a person who engages in (esp. small) politics for party ends or for one’s own advantage; a dishonest politician. Statesman suggests the eminent ability, foresight, and unselfish patriotic devotion of a person dealing with (esp. important or great) affairs of state: a distinguished statesman.2

Becoming a statesman for your organization is an excellent idea. If you continually keep the big picture in mind, remain unselfish in your efforts, and try to be a diplomat with your peers, you will distinguish yourself, gain credibility, and improve your effectiveness and that of the team. And you will also increase your influence.