Improving your political skill
Self-assessment
Improving your political skill
Social awareness
Do I…
Focus primarily on my
needs and myself?
Try to understand motives
of others’ actions?
Struggle with knowing how
to present myself to
others?
Consistently strive to make
positive impressions on
others?
Or
Hate small talk and find it
hard to carry on
conversations on topics
that are not of immediate
interest or relevance to
me?
‘Naturally’ know the right
things to say to influence
others in many situations?
Improving your political skill
Interpersonal Influence
Do I…
Find it difficult to develop
rapport with others?
Put people at ease?
Struggle with
communicating with
others?
Interact easily and
effectively with coworkers?
Have difficulty getting to
know others?
Or
Have a knack for getting
others to like me?
Improving your political skill
Networking
Do I…
Keep to myself and spend
most of my time on jobrelated tasks?
Primarily spend time with a
close group of co-workers
with whom I feel
comfortable?
Almost exclusively rely on
formal processes for
securing resources and
getting things done?
Deliberately spend time
networking with people at
work?
Invest in building
Or relationships w/ diverse &
influential people at work?
Often leverage my networks
and relationships to secure
resources & get things
done?
Improving your political skill
Sincerity
Do I…
Only show interest in
others when I need
something from them?
Take time to regularly show
genuine interest in people
at work?
Come across as
manipulative because I
say and do what is needed
to get what I want?
Act sincerely around
others?
Have a tendency to be
secretive & to keep people
on a strict need to know
basis?
Or
Communicate openly and
transparently with others?
What next?
1. Is there a particular situation you would like to change
at the moment? Which political skill would be most
useful? Why? Which might be risky? Why?
2. For which political skill do you have the greatest
development need?
3. Which do you feel most comfortable working on first?
4. Which political skill do you personally value the most
and why?
Improving your political skill
Think about this, too
Image building
“The attempt to communicate the appearance of
acceptability, success and/or potential for success.”
It’s not this:
But this:
“Speak in statements instead of apologetic
questions. No one wants to go to a doctor
who says, “I’m going to be your surgeon? I’m
here to talk to you about your procedure? I
was first in my class at Johns Hopkins, so?”
Make statements, with your actions and your
voice.”
Image building
You
Five words you want to define
your image/reputation.
What next?
Explore other research, resources and support for building
your image. For example:
Valuable advice on increasing your self-esteem:
https://mind.org.uk/media/715750/how-to-increase-yourself-esteem-2013.pdf
Building your personal brand:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2012/02/14/thefirst-step-to-building-your-personal-brand/#73ade33c6201
And here’s a guide to hacking impostor syndrome:
http://lifehacker.com/overcoming-impostor-syndromewhat-to-do-when-you-feel-1651827849