Head of Cloud Software & Services| Ericsson EMEAVictoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
Depending on the situation, Project Management professionals need to learn politics and diplomacy to navigate a complex project environment. Sometimes, it may be necessary to get the work going, while it may be misinterpreted sometimes.
Please share your thoughts.......... Saving Changes...
The moment you have more than two people involved with a piece of work, you'll have politics. PMs cannot steer clear of politics without being ineffective - the key is to focus on what's best for the organization and to use guardrails such as PMI's Code of Ethics to avoid crossing the line into "bad" politics.
Kiron
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1 reply by TAIWO POPOOLA
May 25, 2025 10:08 AM
TAIWO POPOOLA
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Thank you Kiron Bondale for your perspective. It is very critical to avoid crossing the line into "bad" politics.
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Aymen RagguemIT Senior Project Manager| GenApiBis2, 50 Development Street Ettahrir, Tunis 2042, Tunisia
Politics often involve power dynamics and decision-making. A PM who navigates these effectively can secure resources, stakeholder buy-in, and prioritize key initiatives.Avoiding politics entirely may lead to being sidelined in critical discussions...
Head of Cloud Software & Services| Ericsson EMEAVictoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
May 24, 2025 6:18 PM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
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Taiwo -
The moment you have more than two people involved with a piece of work, you'll have politics. PMs cannot steer clear of politics without being ineffective - the key is to focus on what's best for the organization and to use guardrails such as PMI's Code of Ethics to avoid crossing the line into "bad" politics.
Kiron
Thank you Kiron Bondale for your perspective. It is very critical to avoid crossing the line into "bad" politics. Saving Changes...
Absolutely — project managers must be politically astute, not politically manipulative.
Politics, when grounded in ethical influence, stakeholder empathy, and organizational awareness, is an essential leadership skill.
PMs operate in environments where power dynamics, conflicting interests, and hidden agendas are real — ignoring this doesn’t make it disappear, it just weakens our ability to lead effectively.
What matters is how we participate:
- With integrity,
- With strategic clarity,
- And with a commitment to project outcomes over personal gain.
In high-stakes projects, diplomacy is not optional — it’s a lever for alignment.
And in complex organizations, political navigation is often what separates managers from true leaders.
PMO Leader | Speaker & Mentor | Content Leader – PMOGA Latin America
Hub| Catholic University of UruguayMontevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
In project management, political and diplomatic skills are essential to navigate complex environments. It is not enough to have a good plan; it is also crucial to understand power dynamics, hidden interests and know when to move forward, pause or negotiate. Sometimes, getting the job underway may be necessary, but if the context is not considered, it can be interpreted as an imposition. True project leadership combines strategic action with interpersonal sensitivity. Saving Changes...
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