It's All Politics: Winning in a World Where Hard Work and Talent Aren't Enough - Hardcover

Reardon Ph.D., Kathleen Kelly

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385507577 ISBN 13: 9780385507578

Publisher: Crown Business, 2005

Synopsis

From It’s All Politics


Like business in general, politics is not a spectator sport. You cannot afford to be apolitical at work if you have any aspirations for advancement. The only way to avoid politics is to avoid people—by finding an out-of-the-way corner where you can do your job. Of course, it’s the same job you’ll likely be doing for the rest of your career.

In any job, when you reach a certain level of technical competence, politics is what makes all the difference with regard to success. At that point, it is indeed all politics. Everyday brilliant people take a backseat to their politically adept colleagues by failing to win crucial support for their ideas. Sometimes politics involves going around or bending rules, but more typically it’s about positioning your ideas in a favorable light, and knowing what to say, and how and when to say it....

Keep in mind that people benefit from perpetuating the image of politics as something you either know or you don’t. Ignore them. Political acumen is largely learned from observation. And then it’s a matter of practice, practice, practice. When a journalist suggested that golfing great Gary Player was very lucky, he replied: “It’s funny, but the more I practice, the luckier I get.” The same is true of politics.

An indispensable guide to mastering the ins and outs of office politics—the single most important factor in getting ahead in your career

As management professor and consultant Kathleen Reardon explains in her new book, It's All Politics, talent and hard work alone will not get you to the top. What separates the winners from the losers in corporate life is politics.

As Reardon explains, the most talented and accomplished employees often take a backseat to their politically adept coworkers, losing ground in the race to get ahead—sometimes even losing their jobs. Why? Because they’ve failed to manage the important relationships with the people who can best reward their creativity and intelligence. To determine whether you need a crash course in Office Politics 101, ask yourself the following questions:

Do I get credit for my ideas?
Do I know how to deal with a difficult colleague?
Do I get the plum assignments?
Do I have a mentor?
Do I say no gracefully and pick my battles wisely?
Am I in the loop?

Reardon has interviewed hundreds of employees, from successful veterans to aspiring hopefuls, examining why some people who work hard and effectively at their jobs fall behind, while those who are adept at “reading the office tea leaves” forge ahead. Being politically savvy doesn’t mean being unethical or devious. At heart, it’s about listening to and relating to others, and making choices that advance everyone’s goals. Like it or not, when it comes to work, it’s all politics. And politics is all about knowing what to say, when to say it, and who to say it to.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

As management professor and consultant Kathleen Reardon explains in her new book It's All Politics, talent and hard work alone will not get you to the top. What separates the winners from the also-rans in corporate life is politics.

As Reardon explains, more talented people and accomplished employess often take a back seat in the corporate world to their politically adept coworkers, losing ground in the race to get ahead—sometimes even losing their jobs. Why? Because they've failed to manage the important relationships that will help their creativity and intelligence to be noticed. Ask yourself: Do you need a crash course in Office Politics 101:

- Do I get credit for my ideas ?
- Do I know how to deal with a difficult colleague?
- Do I get the plum assignments?
- Am I in the loop?

Reardon has interviewed hundreds of employees, from successful veterans to aspiring hopefuls, examining why some people who work hard and effectively at their jobs fall behind, while those who are adept at "reading the office tea leaves" forge ahead. Being politically savvy doesn't mean being unethical or devious. At heart, it's about listening to and relating to others, and making choices that advance everyone's goals. Like it or not, when it comes to work, it's all politics. And politics is all about knowing what to say, when to say it, and who to say it to.

About the Author

KATHLEEN KELLEY REARDON's newest book, the mystery thriller SHADOW CAMPUS, is her debut novel.  She has published 10 books and has been a featured political blogger for Huffington Post since 2006; is Professor Emerita at USC Marshall School of Business, and was named the UConn alumni association 2013 Humanitarian of the Year. She has appeared on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News and Good Morning America, and her research and writing have been the subject of hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and broadcast news segments. Her first book, PERSUASION IN PRACTICE, (now in a revised edition), was described by Public Opinion Quarterly as "a landmark contribution to the field" of research and theory in persuasion. Her first trade book, THEY DON'T GET IT, DO THEY?, was based on her initial Harvard Business Review article "The Memo Every Woman Keeps in Her Desk," an HBR reprint best seller. Her latest HBR article is "Courage as a Skill."She published THE SECRET HANDSHAKE in 2000, an Amazon business and nonfiction bestseller that provides a rare and perceptive inside look at the politics of business; IT'S ALL POLITICS, which provides a deeper analysis of workplace politics; THE SKILLED NEGOTIATOR, and more recently COMEBACKS AT WORK: USING CONVERSATION TO MASTER CONFRONTATION. Her breakthrough Guide to International Business Gift Giving was used for many years by the White House Office of Protocol and protocol chiefs for nations and businesses worldwide. Dr. Reardon was earlier a professor of Communication Sciences at UCONN. She earned her Ph.D., at UMass Amherst with distinction and won the NCA national dissertation award. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi and Mortar Board. She has consulted for many individuals, and companies large and small around the world on topics related to communication, persuasion, negotiation and politics at work.

About this edition

• Publisher: Crown Business
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0385507577
• ISBN 13: 9780385507578
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256