Small change: know your politics

First published on
Jul 04, 2023

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A golden rule of business: distrust any leader or organisation who says anything like “we’re a happy ship, we don’t have politics here”.

This predicts a seething mass of vipers will be waiting for you just below the surface of any significant interaction.

All organisations are innately political, for the simple reason that all organisations house a range of people whose agendas differ, even if (as we hope is the case) their overall aim is shared. As uncomfortable as this fact might be, denial of it serves no useful purpose. The only real question is whether your politics are healthy or unhealthy.

How can you ensure that your politics are healthy? Start by bringing light not heat. Practice discussing the different agendas that are at work in different situations — especially when change is afoot. Foster debate about these agendas. And, where necessary, encourage constructive dissent, in a spirit of mutual respect.

Something to consider: how can we improve the health of our politics?

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Phil grasped our business challenge with incredible speed and led us to rethink how we do business.”

SARAH MASON – CMO, COSMOS

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Phil offers the right balance of push and encouragement.”

VIV HSU – PARTNER, JBI

Small change: know your politics

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