Political Savvy: Systematic Approaches to Leadership Behind the Scenes

by Joel R. Deluca

Book Overview

While most people are wary or organization politics, politically savvy leaders know how to manage them. They take initiative, and they forge consensus. Ultimately, they help others maximize their... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0966763602
• ISBN13: 9780966763607
• Release Date: June 1999
• Publisher: Evergreen Business Group
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Savvy has to be ethical

I have just retired after 32 years in a major Fortune 10 company and I have to commend Joel DeLuca on the excellence of his book. I think the tools he provides are of outstanding practical value and highly useable on a day to day basis. But I think his emphasis on the ethical nature of savvy work is critical. His description of Machs or Machiavellis who seek power only for its own sake to advance themselves, is extremely realistic, convincing and a challenge to principle people to take back organization politics from the pecking order obsessives and make organizations own awowed purpose a central guiding light. I loved the story of the Elephant trap dug for a Mack who usually stole the glory for everyone else's hard work....more elephant trap stories please....the Mack only fell in the pit, if she behaved unethically....cheered me up enormously.

Nice Guys Finish First

At last, a thoroughly researched, user-friendly, step- by- step guide to becoming a political savvy manager. Political savvy, according to the author, is the art of "ethically building a critical mass of support for an idea you care about." Other books describe and explain the problems created by political behavior at work. This one tells executives what to do, starting tomorrow morning, to overcome these problems and make constructive change happen." It's the book Machavelli might have written if his Prince had been an ethical straight-shooter committed to doing good works. A "must read" for every principled executive with a positive agenda, an open mind, some analytic skills, and enough self-discipline to think first and act later. According to Dr. Deluca, political savvy is a learnable skill. Learning is a two-step process. The first is to adopt a "savvy" attitude. Consciously decide that you want to become an able, ethical player. Don't be afraid to lead. The second is to learn and practice some time-tested rules for "working the human system" to bring about positive change. The first part of the book deals with step one--attitude adjustment. Deluca contends that "the savvy attitude is the single most important ingredient in becoming politically savvy." Two "blind spots" block many otherwise highly motivated executives from meeting this test. One is the `moral block; the other is "the rational block"The moral block is the widely-held belief that there is something inherently wrong with "playing politics" at work. De Luca explains why this belief is unfounded. He points out that political behavior can be bad or good, depending on why and how it's used. Influencing the organization is what most managers are hired to do. Executives with savvy attitudes explicitly recognize this responsibility. They put the organization's interest first, operate above-board, and make every effort to avoid anything that smacks of manipulation. The rational block is the widely held belief that a sound technical argument supported by facts and logic should carry the day. Clinging to this belief in the face of mountains of contrary evidence is unproductive. It is established science that different people perceive the world differently. One well-intended manager's perfectly rational proposal may appear to another as a politically motivated fairy tale." Equally, important, different people have different personal and professional agendas. Recognizing differences and molding individual agendas to better align them with company priorities is an essential management task. The remainder of the book describes and explains how savvy managers "work the human system" to gain support for the ideas they care about. It begins with a easy-to-follow case study that clears up any residual ambiguity about what it means to become politically savvy and showcases the basic tools and skills used by master players. The following chapters build on this material. They descri

Political Savvy - An Employee's Best Friend

Mr. DeLuca has written a wonderfully insightful manual for success in the work place. A lightning fast and enjoyable read, this book will soften the battle scarred heart of even the most jaded and cynical Dilbert fans. The topic is the politics of the workplace, which is undoubtedly the leading cause of employee dissatisfaction everywhere. Joel DeLuca provides a wonderful case for recognizing human nature, and making a positive change in one's outlook to cherish the irrationality of the human organization that presently causes so much frustration and angst for the vast majority. I believe this book will be most beneficial to those who are experienced with, and distrustful of, organizational politics. I could tell you that I wish I read this book years ago, but I'm not sure that it would have had the same impact on my life had I not already seen office politics at its worst. This book provides some practical relief from the pressure of organizational politics, as well as a toolkit to help the reader participate in the workings in a proactive and benevolent way. This book is the culmination of a very sincere scientific investigation, presented in a manner that is not overly academic. Enjoy.

Political Savvy will help you ride the corporate rapids

Deluca helps us see the political landscape of organizational life very clearly and positively. The key for all of us to understand, which Deluca points out expertly in this book, is that "political" is not a four-letter word - and is not necessarily synonomous with "devious", "selfish" or "deceitful"! It's O.K to want to have influence - most of us do! The key is what is your motivation and how you go about it. Most of us have good intentions that our organizations would applaud, but we are appallingly lacking in the ability to carry through. Political Savvy is a wonderful lesson in understanding that organizations are inhabited by people - and with a little strategizing and planning, we have the ability to influence them - and, therefore,become "impact players" in our organizations!

Superb practical guide to organizational politics!

In its first edition this has been by far one of the most popular books with my MBA students. DeLuca presents useful and practical approaches to becoming and ethical political player in organizations. Too long the subject has been viewed as dirty, taboo. DeLuca brings politics out of the closet and gives readers practical tools for understanding their own political styles and how to work ethically and effectively with others. I eagerly await the second edition.