Course description
Demystifying Political Savvy - In House
Workplace politics is a fact of life with some people believing that the ability to act and think politically feels more like a necessary evil. They typically believe that not “playing the game” will hurt their progression and career opportunities. Others describe politics in their organization anywhere from bullying, favoritism right up to back stabbing all in the name of self-interest. Because there is no clear, understood way of doing things people tend to make their own interpretation of what is right and wrong. This is often the main reason politics is associated with zero-sum game mentality where people work the system to their own advantage and to the disadvantage of others.
This workshop tackles the topic of politics not as good or bad, but rather more like the air we breathe in the organization. How you view and respond to politics in your organization can have a significant bearing on how well you do your job and how you feel about your organization and coworkers. Once people consider, understand and accept politics as neutral and a natural part of everyday occurrences in the workplace, they can build their capability to work successfully in this environment. This capability is commonly referred to as political savvy.
The goal of this workshop is to demystify the topic of office politics by providing participants with a proven motive and method framework for making sense of today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and unquestionably ambiguous environment. Participants will receive a refresher in what good looks like for constructive conflict resolution and conducting effective crucial conversations. Practical experience will be included with tools and techniques for responding constructively to challenges with bosses, colleagues and the organization in general. Participants will be expected to identify critical stop, start and continue behaviors necessary for sustained growth in this critical soft skill.
Upcoming start dates
Who should attend?
Prerequisite
This course has no prerequisite.
Training content
Introduction and Context
- Workshop Ground Rules
- Learning Objectives
- Learning Roadmap
- Prioritized Participant Learning Objectives
The Role of Soft Skills
- Communication as the Lubricant
- Your Brain at Work
- Mindfulness and Key Self Leadership Abilities
- VUCA Either Energizer or Paralyzer
- Guiding Principles for Responding to Resistance
- Specific Tactics:
Accepting that Human Design is Complex
- Personality, Culture and Human Nature
- Language of Social Interaction SCARF
- NORM Cultural Model
- OCEAN Personality Model
- Key Take Away Summary and Required Action Stop, Start, Continue
- Participant Priority Learning Objectives Checkpoint
Making Peace with Politics
- Difference Between Influence and Power
- Role of Competing Interests
- Popular Beliefs about Organizational Politics
- Integration of Political, Organizational and Interpersonal Savvy
- What Good and Not So Good Looks Like
- Why Some Companies are More Political than Others
- Key Take Away Summary and Required Action Stop, Start, Continue
Understanding Current Political Orientation
- Individual Survey 1 Political Savvy
- Motives and Methods at Work
- Survey Debrief:
- Group Exercise Comments and Observations What, So What, Now What
- Key Take Away Summary and Required Action Stop, Start, Continue
Deciding What Needs to Change and How
- Political Savvy Competency Model and Checklist Application
- Summary of Key Political Savvy Behaviors and Improvement Opportunities
- Individual and Team Commitment to Required Stop, Start and Continue Behaviors
Summary and Close
- Key Take Away Summary
- Progress Report on Participant Learning Objectives and Personal Game Plans
- Call to action and next steps
Appendix
- Job Aids
- Templates
- Additional Resources
- Background Material
Certification / Credits
Learning Objectives
Participants will gain the ability to be able to:
- Confront the reality that organizations are politically complex requiring political, organizational and interpersonal savvy everything is connected!
- Make the necessary adjustments in your leadership, management and communication capabilities at the mindset, skill set and tool set levels communication is the lubricant!
- Make the connection between proficiency in the political domain and foundational levels of ethics, values, integrity and trust at your personal level work on yourself first!
- Build your capability to manage conflict constructively by understanding that being politically sensitive includes being people sensitive soft skills especially mindfulness have a hard impact!
- Develop the willingness and capability to build relationships with difficult people, form alliances, and work through tough but productive conversations adopting a growth mindset!
- Make the connection with specific practical examples of office and team politics involving your boss, your colleagues and your organization profiled in this workshop realizing you’re not alone!
- Identify and commit to personal behaviors and attitudes that need to be stopped, started or tweaked because of this workshop implement personal change that works!
Contact this provider
Procept Associates Ltd.
Since 1963, Procept (and its subsidiaries) have trained over 1 million people from over 17,000 organizations. We focus on developing competencies in project management, change management, agile management, leadership, business analysis, IT and data management, as well as soft skill...