The Politics of Projects

The Politics of Projects

Geoff Choo

January 13, 2003

Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles.--Ambrose Bierce

For better or for worse, office politics is the art of getting things done: It's what makes most organizations run. Without it, most businesses will just grind to a halt as personal agendas don't get fulfilled, interests don't get satisfied and people don't get what they want. If you want to play successfully in the high-stakes project management game, you have to understand that politics isn't just about playing dirty. You can play clean and still win.

Do you have what it takes to play the political game the right way?

Do you know what matters most to your organization?
The successful project politico understands what really matters to your organization. You may be smart and have loads of good ideas, but it's not what you bring to the game that counts--it's what you do with what you bring. If you want to influence how things work in your company, your personal agenda has to be aligned with the overall mission and values of the company.

This isn't a case of idealistic thinking; it's just a matter of good business sense. It will be easier to "sell" your radical ideas if people can see that what you want to do will add to the company's bottom line, and will eventually benefit everyone in terms of a bigger year-end bonus, or something along those lines.

So, you have to ask yourself if you know why your organization is in business, how does it do it's business and what really matters to the company--do profits matter more than market share or top-of-mind? Or are eyeballs more important than what the customer thinks? Whatever it is, do you fully understand what part you play in the success of your company?

Do you know how your organization really works?
Working successfully within the organization requires organization savvy--knowing how the company really works and whom to trust and whom not. There are two kinds of org charts in any organization: the official one based on title and rank, and the real one with the people who really count--the ones with the real influence and power to do things, or stop things from getting done.

John may be the director of the department, but if you want to get things done, you have to get the blessing of Margaret the executive secretary, Mario the mail office boss and Janet, who runs the company's websites. You need friends in high places to support your initiatives, but more importantly, you also need the ones in the low places, the ones who operate where the rubber meets the road, because that is where the work gets done, and where people will either embrace or reject what you're trying to accomplish.

Here's how to develop organizational savvy, starting right from today: Become a student of the organization and try to understand why things get done the way they get done. Keep your eyes open as you go about your daily routine. Don't take things for granted, but pay attention to the dynamics of how things work or don't. Find out who you need to please to make things happen and who you need to squeeze. Learn to see things from their points of view. Learn what approaches work and what doesn't when dealing with the players in your organization.

Do you work your network?
Software development is getting harder than ever before. Technology is changing too quickly and getting too complex for you to have all the knowledge to get your job done. Smart project managers know how to turn to others for help, because networking may be the only way that you can get your work done. But networking isn't just a matter of saying "hi" at the coffee machine. You need to cultivate a deeper relationship by being easy to work with and understanding that the economics of networking means you have to give more than you take. Here's how to master the networking game.

Begin by figuring out what you don't know but need to know. Then figure out who can supply that knowledge and what you can give them back in exchange. But don't just think only about yourself. You also have to actively find out who needs help and what you can do for these people. You may not have the knowledge to help these people out directly, but you can make the effort to point them in the right direction of someone who can. If you keep building up your network one person at a time and one day at a time, you'll have something solid in no time at all.

Don't call on someone you need help from and simply demand his or her assistance. The law of reciprocity in networking states that everyone expects to get before they give. If you want people to trade with you, you have to show them that you have something worth trading for, like expertise and precious resources. If you want your developer to burn three weekends in a row to deliver your project on time, then you must match her sacrifice with something much bigger or better, like a more powerful workstation or more interesting work.

But don't expect to make a fair trade right away. Networking takes time and patience to build up your "credits," and you have to be ready to give out a lot of favors before asking for anything in return.

Do you know how to show and tell?
Politics is like marketing--or some would say that it is marketing: You need to use the right message with the right audience at the right time. But how you say the message is also as important as the message itself. What's the point of having a good message if no one hears it, or worst, hears the wrong message because you screwed it up? Here's how you can excel at show and tell.

Figure out the message that moves the people you're speaking to. This means understanding the audience and finding out what they will listen to and what will inspire them. The secret is to take a hopelessly complicated set of problems and reduce it to simple metaphors that anyone can understand. The message also has to make sense to your audience. For one person, it might be more money, for another, it might be less overtime. You need to deliver the message in a way that works for that audience, be it bullet points and a slide show, an e-mail memo or just a quick recap in the elevator.

Learn to use the grapevine to spread your message. If real information moved through the company as fast as gossip did, we'd all be much better off. You can't affect what people do unless you influence what they listen to. And the most powerful communication channel you can use is the unofficial one.

But don't overdo it. You don't want to bore people to death by over-communicating your messages. When people hear the same thing over and over again, the first instinct is to tune it out. You need to be able to time your message properly and deliver them only when you'll get the maximum effect.

Can you lead without leading?
You may have the formal authority to  lead, but if don't have the moral authority to lead--if people don't respect your moral right to lead--you still won't be able to accomplish much. Project politicos know that real leadership isn't about big visions, big ambitions and big egos. It's the small stuff that counts, like knowing what you're talking about, knowing how to take the team forward by building momentum--and keeping the energy high, especially during the difficult times.

The most important thing is taking care of everyone who's involved in the project. You may not have the power to give out bonuses, promotions or raises, but what you have is the ability to organize people and coordinate efforts to get things done. And you have this because you lead without leading.

The non-leader understands that what really counts is making your people realize their objectives and fulfill their ambitions. Begin by understanding the people who are following you: Why are they following you, what do they have to gain and how can you help them on their journey.

Then focus on the small things to kick start and keep the momentum going in the organization, like making sure that meeting rooms have been booked, coffee and pastries have been prepared, people have all the software tools they need and things don't fall through the cracks. Leaders need to have a big vision, but having the ability to get things done is more important.

Remember, politics isn't about winning at all costs. It's about building relationships to reconcile the push and pull of conflicting interests and getting results at the same time.

Geoff Choo is an independent technology consultant and a freelance business and technology writer. People call him when they need someone to fuss over all the small details and turn vague ideas into finished products. In a previous life, he worked for IconMedialab in Milan. You can get in touch with Geoff at geoff@netstatistica.com.

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