Denise Brouillette

You hear from one source that there's a reduction in force (RIF) coming and he knows, but isn't saying, which senior people are on the list. How does he know that? Insider information because he's politically well-connected to several people who are making those decisions. Year hear from another source that a senior director in finance has been dropped from the invitation list to the global finance meeting in London because (and this is part speculation) she said a few things that made her VP look like an idiot in a meeting last week. Politics? I think yes.

Work is a political place. You can't escape it even if you think you can, and everyone's involved in it to one degree or another, even when they think they're not. In order to survive then, you need to be politically aware. Here are five politically-intelligent moves to keep in mind.

Politically-Intelligent Move #1. Begin with the end in mind. In other words, be clear about what you're going for and why you want it. Whether you're crafting a long-range vision for your career, a short-range vision for what you plan to accomplish in your current role, or an immediate vision for what you want to achieve in the moment such as an Intended Outcome for a conversation, be sure you have a vision and a plan for getting yourself there. Because if you don't know where you're headed, you could end up anywhere. And if "anywhere" is not where you ultimately want to be, beginning with the end in mind can help you stay on course. One caveat: be sure that the end you have in mind for yourself isn't in conflict with the end important and powerful people in the organization have in mind for themselves or for someone they favor politically over you.

• First is to understand the power structure. The simplest way to do that is to track a few important decisions from start to finish. Check out who played what role in those decisions -- this begins to tell you who holds the power and what power they hold.
• Second, notice what makes people successful in the environment you're in, and it differs with each new boss, new job, new company. To do that you should look for what behaviors are rewarded, who doles out the rewards, and what the rewards are -- from big to small. Big rewards usually go to the people and the results that are most highly prized. What is it that these people are doing that you are not?
• The Third way you can size up the political landscape … and this is one that we often don't look for… is to notice who gets dinged, why, and by whom? These are the behaviors you should avoid.

Politically-Intelligent Move #3 is to get aligned and connected. Alliances are the people you join up with to get the results you're expected to deliver on, and connections are those who can help remove barriers, get your work noticed and get you in front of key decision-makers. Those you should consider aligning and connecting with are people who have positional, political and resource power, for it is through them that you can increase your own power in your department or organization.

Political-Intelligent Move #4 is to always be strategic about managing up. No one gets anywhere if they don't manage up well.

Politically-Intelligent Move #5 is to identify and manage your enemies. An enemy is anyone who might cause harm to your career, either consciously or not. Often these adversaries seem to swoop in out of nowhere and take you by surprise. People who fit this description could be (but are not limited to) team members who aren't pulling their share and therefore could adversely affect your work products, people delaying getting something important done for you, people who are taking credit for your work, a boss who's not giving you challenging assignments or visibility (and who may be taking credit for your work), and those who are actively sabotaging you in the organization. You will need to develop plans and strategies for dealing with the several types of people who are not on your side whom you may encounter over the course of your career.