Bill Clinton has it, Al Gore and Newt Gingrich do not. What is this
quality? It is political skill, and it may be one of the most critical competencies
for leaders to possess, since it will make the difference in their effectiveness.
With the high rate of leadership failures today attributed to poor
interpersonal or social competency, leaders need to develop astuteness in reading
and understanding people and using such knowledge to influence others in order
to achieve personal and organizational goals. They need to develop political skill.
How to we recognize politically skilled leaders? They possess four
competencies:
1. They have social astuteness. They are adept at reading people
and situations at work in order to be well positioned to situationally adapt their
behavior. Individuals possessing political skill are astute observers of others,
and are keenly aware of the moods and feelings of those around them. They comprehend
social interactions accurately and understand the behavior of others in social
settings. They also have strong sense of discernment and high self-awareness.
Socially astute individuals often are seen as clever and masterful in dealing
with others. They have an accurate understanding of social situations, their own
behavior, and the interactions that take place in these settings.
2. They have interpersonal influence. They use their savvy and astuteness to exercise influence over others to attain goals. They have a convincing personal
style that not only influences those around them, but also elicits the desired
responses from others. They adapt appropriately and calibrate their behavior to
meet the situational requirements. Interpersonal influence requires the flexibility
to adapt your behavior to different targets of influence in different conditions
in order to achieve your goals.
3. They have networking ability. This allows them to build vast networks which they cultivate over time, amassing an amazing amount of social capital that
they can draw upon to maximize their effectiveness. Individuals with political
skill develop and use diverse networks of people. Individuals in these networks
tend to hold resources seen as valuable and necessary for successful performance.
Using their astuteness and subtle style, politically skilled individuals easily
develop friendships and build strong, beneficial alliances and coalitions. Finally,
individuals high in networking ability ensure that they are well positioned to
create and take advantage of opportunities. They are often highly skilled negotiators
and dealmakers, and are adept at conflict management.
Politically skilled individuals enjoy a favorable impression among
those in their network, resulting in tangible benefits, such as gaining a favorable
reaction from others, enhancing their access to important information, and increasing
cooperation and trust from others. They know when to ask others for favors, and
they are willing to serve and do favors for others. In addition, they inspire
others to be committed to them. They possess high social capital that enhances
their reputation and their ability to be influential.
4. They reflect apparent sincerity in their interactions and intentions. They convey their efforts to influence others in ways that inspire confidence
and trust, and contribute to perceptions of genuineness and authenticity. Others
perceive them as having high levels of integrity, authenticity, sincerity, and
genuineness. They are, or at least appear to be, honest, open, and forthright.
This dimension of political skill strikes at the heart of influence,
because it hones in on the perceived intentions of the behavior. The perceived
intentions or motives of others alter the interpretation of the behavior. For
example, behavior is perceived as “positive” if the intentions are
seen as altruistic, and “negative,” if the intentions are perceived
as self-serving. Your influence attempts will be the most successful when you
possess no ulterior motive.
Because their actions are not interpreted as manipulative, individuals
high in sincerity inspire trust and confidence. Their motives do not appear self-serving.
Indeed, others would say that they appear as “straight shooters,”
who are exactly what they claim to be.
Former NYC mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani is an example of someone who
is politically skilled and is perceived by others to be sincere and genuine. This
perception inspires the trust and confidence needed for effective influence.
We live and operate in a world of perceptions and impressions, and
the ability to convey the right impressions, and thus be influential in interpersonal
interactions, is vital to your effectiveness. Furthermore, you must come across
as genuine and a real, authentic person in your efforts. Indeed, the downfall
of many leaders is that they appear to be insincere, disingenuous, and out to
promote their own self-interest, even at the expense of others. Therefore, we’ve
witnessed increased cynicism toward leaders, as many leaders have used their position
and influence to promote their own cause, as they manipulate images and impressions
for their own benefit.
Social astuteness and interpersonal influence allow people to orchestrate
impressions, and position themselves well to create and take advantage of networking
opportunities, particularly when they do so with a style that is genuine and sincere.
Politically-skilled leaders inspire trust and confidence in followers
and orchestrate the efforts and contributions of followers in strategically coordinated
and effective ways. They position themselves and their followers effectively in
order to create and take advantage of opportunities through networks and social
capital. This set of political competencies just might represent the most important
set of skills one can possess in contributing to job and career effectiveness. PE
