Positive Politics

How to Exert Influence Without Losing Your Soul or Shooting Yourself in the Foot

Class Summary

(based on last 3 sessions)

When you think of politics in the workplace, what is the first thing that comes to mind?  For most people it is the negative stereotype of ham-handed power plays, sellouts, and backstabbing.  But politics doesn’t have to be that way.

In this half-day program, you’ll learn a different approach, a proven approach based on more positive techniques.

COM174 3.5 Combinable 0.35
One 4-hour session

Any employee from any level of the organization who would like to acquire and use power ethically.

  • Exert power and influence in ethical, honorable ways.
  • Increase the chance of getting your way without damaging relationships or being thrown out of the game.
  • Become a more valuable team member.
  • Increase job satisfaction and career options.

By the end of this program, you will be able to:

  • Define the term “workplace politics.”
  • Identify workplace decisions that motivate “political” responses.
  • Distinguish between positive and negative workplace politics.
  • Identify your preferred interaction style.
  • Explain how to “flex” your preferred interaction style to increase the likelihood of successful communication.
  • Discuss how to ethically obtain and use “power” to influence workplace change.
  • Describe how to reduce resistance to your ideas by fence sitters, opponents, fellow travelers, and adversaries.
  • Create a Workplace Change PlanTM that reflects positive political strategies.
  • Politics
    • Politics defined
    • Decisions that motivate political responses
    • Distinguishing between positive and negative political behaviors
  • Principles
  • Proficiency
    • Style preferences: Interaction style and learning style
    • Style flexing for improved communication
  • Power
    • The six types of power
    • Power: how to get it and use it — ethically
  • Create a Workplace Change PlanTM that reflects positive political strategies
    • Analyze the situation
    • Build support by reducing resistance
    • Prepare an action plan
    • Implement
    • Evaluate the results