Nov 28 2007
Drama & Politics
One of the things I had said from day one to others in my organization, “Drama can’t be avoided, it’s how we deal with it that makes us great”. Sure politics will happen, but having a high emotional IQ an dealing with drama and politics in a calm logical fashion is the difference between good and great. Politics especially in leadership is pleasing people and it takes a strong leader to try to please people but not to extent that it hurts the organization.
Policy can’t please everyone, power inevitably corrupts, and politics can’t be avoided. Politics is the act of pleasing your peers and the people you lead. Policy is the creation of rules or guidelines on how you go about using your power. Power in the end eventually corrupts. Good leaders have vision, the problem is that sometimes your vision conflicts with what people want. A wise person once told me that somtimes you can’t just give people what they want, you have to give people what they don’t even know they want.
You have to push your political adjenda if you feel your vision is right. Make people understand your vision and push your adjenda, hopefully with enough fighting things will go your way and people will be pleased. Some people who can’t handle this conflict give up (flight) or worse give in to the people’s whining (assimilation). I think the best thing to do is have good council who help you stay grounded and let you know when your vision gets the best of you. Sometimes your vision is wrong and the people are in the right.