5 Ways Sales Managers Can Master Office Politics

By Heather Baldwin

Think of the term “office politics,” and what comes to mind? Backstabbing? Favoritism? Manipulation?

Rarely do people have positive associations with politics. However, as a sales manager, mastering organizational politics is crucial because it enables you to impact results, morale, and corporate culture. Politics help you procure needed resources for your team, protect your constituents, and ensure your people get the recognition and benefits they deserve.

“As a leader, you represent a group, and you no longer represent just yourself,” explains Donna Dennis, a leadership-development professional and author of Preparing for Leadership: What It Takes to Take the Lead. “Therefore, your political skills become an important component of your job.”

Many would argue that political skills can’t be learned; and that you’re either born with an innate ability to work the system or not. But Dennis counters that political skills, like any other skill, can be learned. How? Here, she says, are five ways you can manage office politics.

  1. Observe. Identify people who are adept at managing office politics and observe what they do. How do they handle sticky situations? How do they get their teams the resources they need, especially when those resources are tight? How do they handle criticism from the CEO? Figure out what they’re doing and emulate their approach. Consider taking it a step further and asking someone whose political skills you admire if he or she would be willing to mentor you in this area.
  2. Strengthen your core. Spend some time evaluating your strengths and weaknesses in the area of office politics and how you relate to and treat others in your organization. At the same time, be very clear about your own integrity and core values. “One manager says that being honest and demonstrating integrity and respect in all he does is core to his leadership approach,” says Dennis. “It makes decision making easy when you have a view on how you will play politics.” Or to quote from an old country song, “You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.”
  3. Polish your image. What kind of impression do you make on others? If you don’t know, find out – and then work to improve it. Ask others how you come across during meetings and at times when you are attempting to influence, and listen closely to what they tell you without defending or dismissing. Increase your awareness of how others are responding to you. Why? “People who have a positive impression get more things done through the organization than those who are not liked or who leave negative impressions,” says Dennis.
  4. Think ahead. Anticipate how your ideas will be received. Think about the audience, the situation, and the message, and then frame your response accordingly. In some corporate cultures, open discourse is valued and lively debates are encouraged. In others, that same approach can be viewed as overbearing and insensitive. Know what you’re dealing with, and think ahead about how to best communicate your message.
  5. Avoid the minefields. Beware of the harmful politics of others, warns Dennis. Stay clear of all those practices that give office politics a bad name: gossip, backstabbing, manipulation, and so on. Always take the high road by staying focused on what you want to achieve, who can help you get there, and what you need to do to achieve your goals – always, of course, with the utmost integrity and respect for others.

So ditch all those negative associations you have with office politics and start viewing politics as an important tool to achieving your goals. “Politics allows a leader to impact the corporate culture, the direct reports, and even the bottom line; so as a manager, it is important to learn to manage politics,” concludes Dennis.

Want to learn more? Visit www.leadership-solutions.info.