328: How to Deal with Opponents and Adversaries, with Peter Block

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)

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