Leaders who want to drive effective change cannot afford to ignore office politics, much as they might want to. Far from being manipulative, political skill helps people build trust, read situations, and influence organisational outcomes constructively. Steve Macaulay and David Buchanan explain why it should be a core leadership capability.
For busy people, “office politics” can often feel like a barrier to skill and culture-building and just getting things done. However, developing political skill is not about encouraging scheming, it is about equipping leaders to be effective change agents. To ensure “good work” actually delivers results, leaders must master the informal systems of influence.
Political skill isn’t a “dark art” but a learnable competence
Political skill is the ability to understand others at work and use that knowledge to influence them in ways that enhance both personal and organisational objectives. According to research by Professor Gerald R. Ferris, politically skilled leaders are more effective, enjoy stronger networks, and achieve higher performance ratings. Political skill isn’t a “dark art” but a learnable competence.
Why you can’t stay above politics
Avoiding politics is not a virtue, it’s a liability. Leaders who disengage from the informal system lose access to information and influence. The consequences are predictable:
- Your voice is unheard. Good ideas fail to reach decision-makers
- You miss the real story. Hidden fears and rivalries remain unaddressed
- You lose influence. Others fill the vacuum and shape outcomes without you
Staying above politics means staying outside the room where the key decisions are made. The aim is to build your reputation for making things happen and getting things done.
Leaders must be aware of how their actions are interpreted. Building trust, demonstrating competence, and delivering results strengthens reputation and influence. However, the unskilled use of politics, which damages the reputations and careers of others, without organisational benefit, will destroy your reputation.
The building blocks of political skill
Political skill integrates several complementary capabilities, which need to be inserted into development programmes:
- Social astuteness
Reading people and situations accurately - Interpersonal influence
Adapting your communication style to persuade effectively - Networking ability
Building and maintaining alliances across the organisation - Apparent sincerity
Acting with authenticity and integrity so others trust your motives
Together, these enable leaders to act with insight and credibility.
A framework for developing political skill
Building political competence is not about adopting new tactics. It is about cultivating awareness, relationships, and judgement. The following framework offers a structured approach.
1. Foundation and self-awareness
- Seek feedback on how others perceive your influence and relationship-building skills
- Develop skills around influencing without authority and strategic relationship building
- Reflect on how you react to conflict or hidden agendas; self-awareness is the first step to effectiveness
2. Practice and mentoring
- Run a ‘pre-mortem’ before launching a project. Ask, ‘If this initiative fails six months from now, what political mistakes might we have made?’
- Shadow effective leaders and observe how they build consensus and manage dissent
- Find a mentor, experienced, respected leader who can model the skilled use of political behaviour
3. Embedding and accountability
- Make navigating organisational politics skilfully a core leadership competency
- Include measurable goals such as: ‘Secure two cross-functional co-sponsors for an annual initiative’
- Celebrate examples where collaboration across silos produced better results
Practical tools for leaders
Stakeholder heatmap
For each major project:
- List key stakeholders
- Assess their power (high/medium/low) and stance (supportive/neutral/blocking)
- Identify what each cares about most
- Plan tailored engagement actions
Co-sponsor strategy
Before proposing a major idea, secure a partner from another department, ideally one with budget or operational influence. Shared sponsorship signals credibility and reduces internal resistance.
Reputation checklist
Before acting, ask:
- Who benefits?
- Who could be harmed?
- Would this decision stand up to external scrutiny?
- Does it support long-term organisational health or only short-term gain?
- Will this strengthen or weaken my reputation as a mover and shaker?
Questions every leader should ask
- Who has real power and influence? Go beyond job titles. Identify informal opinion leaders
- What are their priorities? Understand what each stakeholder needs to gain for a proposal to be a win
- How can I build support early? Introduce ideas to a wider group before formal approval stages
- How do I frame solutions? Connect initiatives to key business outcomes such as efficiency, risk reduction, and growth
- What lies behind resistance? Look past surface disagreements to uncover misaligned goals or fears
Examples of politics in action
| Scenario | Pitfall or success | L&D lesson |
| The stalled project | A technical lead failed to engage stakeholders early on and buy-in collapsed | Technical expertise is insufficient without a map of influence |
| The quiet networker | An HR manager built cross-functional allies before a successful restructure | Networking is strategic risk management, not vanity |
| The reputation builder | A respected manager’s “no-drama” integrity and ability for getting things done led to a promotion she didn’t even apply for | Political skill often accelerates career growth through trust |
For L&D professionals, political skill must be a core pillar of the leadership development agenda. It is the difference between a leader who shapes the future and one who is merely swept along by it.
Steve Macaulay is an Associate at Cranfield Executive Development. He can be contacted at: s.macaulay@cranfield.ac.uk
David Buchanan is Emeritus Professor of Organisational Behaviour at Cranfield University School of Management. He can be contacted at: david.buchanan@cranfield.ac.uk
