Positive Political Power

Mike Donoghue is a member of a multinational information technology corporation where he collaborates on the communications guidelines and customer relationship strategies affecting the interactions with internal and external clients. He has analyzed, defined, designed and overseen processes for various engagements including product usability and customer satisfaction, best practice enterprise standardization, relationship/branding structures, and distribution effectiveness and direction. He has also established corporate library solutions to provide frameworks for sales, marketing, training, and support divisions.

  Communications Management   Knowledge Management   Lessons Learned   Talent Management  

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”
- Plato

Politics have a way of becoming ugly and bringing strong disagreement between individuals. As a standard policy, many people believe that in order to maintain a pleasant conversation, politics should be generally avoided (along with religion). Right or wrong, man is nevertheless considered a “political animal” that uses his/her influence and leadership to guide and mold principles and determine actions. Sounds a lot like project management, doesn’t it?

While many consider politics to bring out the worst in people and try to shy away from or ignore internal and external politics, they are a reality in the corporate world (never mind the national and international forum). Ideally, politics can be a force put to use for the common good. People who try to work hard and keep their heads down when it comes to politics may think they are steering clear of the disagreements and difficulties they can pose. However, the avoidance of these controversial situations is comparable to condoning the circumstances and creates repercussions, even by virtue of the action of trying to do nothing.

Certainly, politics can have harmful effects--and a degree of protection may require negotiation and compromise between parties, which …

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