The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work

3min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

The Empowered Manager is a seminal book on organizational politics. The highlights that at least from me, as far as what I think are the things that caught my attention when I was reading the book and some of my notes are now all available for download in PDF version. If you know someone in your organization who would benefit from this, I'd certainly encourage you to pass it along.

Peter Block: The Empowered Manager Peter Block is an author, consultant, and citizen of Cincinnati, Ohio. His work is about empowerment, stewardship, chosen accountability, and the reconciliation of community. He is the author of several best-selling books, including Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used*, Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest*, and The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work*. Key Points We become “political” at the moment we attempt to translate our vision into action. Leadership is the capacity to initiate an alternative future. Most organizations are conflict-averse. Being “political” wasn’t always a bad thing. The meaning has been distorted. Pursue your interests but in a way that honors the interests of others. Power comes from a willingness to be vulnerable. When you’re vulnerable, all you’re doing is acknowledging what the world already knows. As soon as people start complaining, they’ve chosen helplessness. When we have strong negative reactions to people, it’s our projection. Types of people in the workplace: Allies = high agreement / high trust Opponents = high trust / low agreement Bedfellows = low trust / high agreement Adversaries = low trust / low agreement Fence Sitters = low trust / unknown agreement Resources Mentioned The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work* by Peter Block Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used* by Peter Block The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work* by Peter Block Book Notes Download my highlights from The Empowered Manager in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes How to Handle a Boss Who’s a Jerk, with Tom Henschel (episode 164) How to Tame Workplace Incivility, with Sharone Bar-David (episode 210) Find Courage to Speak When It Matters Most, with Allan McDonald (episode 229) How to Increase Your Conversational Intelligence, with Judith Glaser (episode 271) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.