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

The Political Bottom Line

Overinvesting in a single stakeholder—however powerful—is a politically dangerous strategy and one that is likely to be easily damaged. There is no substitute for networking and building an informal infrastructure of political allies, and the more that we recruit people like insurance, the more we spread the risk. While it is safe and comfortable to fall back on a powerful stakeholder who fights our battles and protects us from the rough and tumble of organizational politics, this eventually becomes a self-defeating strategy that prevents us from building up our own political skills.

Experiencing a home alone dilemma is frustrating and painful, but it can be viewed as a motivating force. It provides us with the opportunity to stand back and review our stakeholders and take a fresh look at where we can invest in building new relationships. Remember, success is impossible to achieve on our own, so we need to get out there and get networking. There are no more excuses for finding ourselves home alone.