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It's All Politics: Winning in a World Where Hard Work and Talent Aren't Enough

Average customer rating:

Not Much Substance
Insightful and powerful
make love not war
Useful, No-Nonsense Advice
It is all then it is none-Not Recommended

It's All Politics: Winning in a World Where Hard Work and Talent Aren't Enough
Kathleen Kelly Phd Reardon
Manufacturer: Currency
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385507577
Release Date: 2005-06-28

Book Description

From It’s All Politics

Like business in general, politics is not a spectator sport. You cannot afford to be apolitical at work if you have any aspirations for advancement. The only way to avoid politics is to avoid people—by finding an out-of-the-way corner where you can do your job. Of course, it’s the same job you’ll likely be doing for the rest of your career.

In any job, when you reach a certain level of technical competence, politics is what makes all the difference with regard to success. At that point, it is indeed all politics. Everyday brilliant people take a backseat to their politically adept colleagues by failing to win crucial support for their ideas. Sometimes politics involves going around or bending rules, but more typically it’s about positioning your ideas in a favorable light, and knowing what to say, and how and when to say it.…

Keep in mind that people benefit from perpetuating the image of politics as something you either know or you don’t. Ignore them. Political acumen is largely learned from observation. And then it’s a matter of practice, practice, practice. When a journalist suggested that golfing great Gary Player was very lucky, he replied: “It’s funny, but the more I practice, the luckier I get.” The same is true of politics.

An indispensable guide to mastering the ins and outs of office politics—the single most important factor in getting ahead in your career

As management professor and consultant Kathleen Reardon explains in her new book, It's All Politics, talent and hard work alone will not get you to the top. What separates the winners from the losers in corporate life is politics.

As Reardon explains, the most talented and accomplished employees often take a backseat to their politically adept coworkers, losing ground in the race to get ahead—sometimes even losing their jobs. Why? Because they’ve failed to manage the important relationships with the people who can best reward their creativity and intelligence. To determine whether you need a crash course in Office Politics 101, ask yourself the following questions:

Do I get credit for my ideas?
Do I know how to deal with a difficult colleague?
Do I get the plum assignments?
Do I have a mentor?
Do I say no gracefully and pick my battles wisely?
Am I in the loop?

Reardon has interviewed hundreds of employees, from successful veterans to aspiring hopefuls, examining why some people who work hard and effectively at their jobs fall behind, while those who are adept at “reading the office tea leaves” forge ahead. Being politically savvy doesn’t mean being unethical or devious. At heart, it’s about listening to and relating to others, and making choices that advance everyone’s goals. Like it or not, when it comes to work, it’s all politics. And politics is all about knowing what to say, when to say it, and who to say it to.

Customer Reviews:

Not Much Substance.......2007-01-09

This book has lots of platitudes and little substance. The author frequently refers to various seminars and coaching that she provides, which is distracting and self-serving. The book is poorly organized and doesn't have much concrete advice. Don't waste your time on it.

Insightful and powerful.......2007-01-04

This book is down to earth and practical which I find refreshing coming from a Ph.D. This is a fantastic book for providing insights into what you might not think about in the workplace - the politics swirliing all around you. I worked really hard and smart but I did not get ahead as fast as some of my peers - Oh, yeah, politics! How to understand them, whether you want to play them or not is essential!

make love not war.......2006-11-30

Being good in office politics, I often read new books on this subject. I've learnt that the best way to get people on one's side is to be honest, sincere an open to others. This woman teaches about being manipulative, playing status games, being rude and calls it "good political skills".
It's hardly believable.

Useful, No-Nonsense Advice.......2006-03-08

This is a clearly written, no-nonsense book about politics in a work environment. It is written with women in mind, because they are relatively new to many workplace environments, but its advice is excellent for men as well. Choose this book for a much higher than average ratio of good advice to filler!

It is all then it is none-Not Recommended.......2006-03-07

With the understanding of "hard work and talent aren't enough", I opened this book and quickly I was bored.

The title "it's all politics" is actually quite accurate in summarizing what the author writes--she attaches everything to the politics and doesn't go deeper in any.

Well, this is a strong indictment so I'd better share some advice the author presents in this book to convince you, especially when other people here give it quite good feedbacks.

The author highlights all her important points under the "Political Advantage" and this 237-page book lists fifteen such advantages. So let's start with"Political advantage #1" in Page12.

#1-"Political intuition is not uncanny clairvoyance but rather uncanny attentiveness to what others say and how they act". I agree 120%. So what? Pardon me. Are we trying to write a term paper on office politics or just wanting to get some tips? I want learn that uncanny whatever. Tell me how!

#2--"developing empathy... start with an interest in people" (Page 33)Again, I know any book related interpersonal relationship will cover empathy. So what? Have you learned something new from these two "advantages" so far? I haven't.

Someone may whisper that I just present a portion of the #2. OK. Here is the whole advantage #4.

#4--"Of all the skills important to the development of political intelligence or ingenuity, the ability to see things as others do is paramount"(Page 58) Does this remind you "empathy" again? I actually looked up the word in dictionary. Empathy means "Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives.". So the #4 is really just a part of #2!

You may say "OK, I got your point but why other people like this book?" I don't know. What I can do is to share with you another advantage.

In Page 115--"Political advantage #7: Becoming a skilled interpreter of meanings at a number of levels is hard work. Yet that is exactly what it take to move up from benchwarmer to star".

I have no more to say.

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