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

The Political Bottom Line

Status is not the same as influence, and although this has never been the case, it is more important to understand this difference today. The organization has changed and so have the rules about status and what it can achieve. High status is still hot stuff but it can only take us so far. With high status, we are more likely making tougher decisions. The more difficult part is influencing people to accept those decisions and act on them. High status is given to us with the job—but we have to earn, learn, and develop influence; so let’s get going.

The status trap provides us with the opportunity to develop our influencing ability outside of our status, and this has never been more important. What makes us influential can appear complex and mysterious, but nevertheless, it can be analyzed. Once we focus on our influence criteria, we can then develop new strategies that suit our existing style. And we must consider the influence criteria of our stakeholders to ensure that our messages connect with them. It is not enough to have high status; influence is a more valuable commodity for the successful—and having it means never being caught in the status trap.