Chapter 10

Understanding Politics without “Playing Politics”

Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies.

—Groucho Marx

One of the reasons Denise didn’t want to become a leader was “politics.” She wanted to earn her way on her merits and not have to suck up to people along the way. That had been her viewpoint her entire life—until a mentor helped her put politics in the right perspective. Now she understands there is a difference between playing political games and recognizing the relationships and interactions that can help get things done. With ...

Get The Long-Distance Leader now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.