Political Dilemmas at Work: How to Maintain Your Integrity and Further Your Career

The Political Bottom Line

Understand people’s need to protect themselves during times of change and accept that they will be less candid as a result, unless you constantly work at keeping the channel open. Remember, it is easier to be a “good news” person, so accept that people will feel the pressure to emphasize the upside and get fuzzy with the downside. The opportunity that the emperor wears Prada dilemma presents to us is the chance to challenge our levels of approachability and sociability with others. If we only meet good news people and are becoming increasingly detached, then that is our warning sign. Now is the time to change our approach. Nobody wants to get shot as a messenger of bad news, so acknowledge and reward people who continue to be candid at times when trust and truth are threatened. Theirs might be the one voice that we most need to hear to avoid becoming the emperor who wears Prada.