Politics
This is certainly the hardest topic to provide guidance on, partly because people often don't want to hear about or understand the nature of politics and how to play the game. I have learnt the following over the course of my career:
• Those that don't want to play politics lose out. It's very noble to say, I don't want to play those games, but at the end of the day if you want to get on you have to be prepared to play the politics game. However, there should also be a health warning which states that 'playing politics can seriously damage your career'. You should tread very carefully.
• Competence versus confidence. As a very rough guide I would say that where you get top in your career depends upon equal measures of competence and confidence. If you are really competent but not confident you will under-achieve but be damn good at your job. If you are confident but not competent you will be over-promoted and eventually found out. Sales figures will be low, IT developments badly managed, research poor and so on. On a number of occasions I have seen people shoot through the ranks on the back of confidence, with many others around them seduced by the confident air shown at meetings, presentations and the like. However, once it becomes apparent that they are not actually competent their world starts to fall apart. The thing to learn from this is that you should ensure that you are both competent and confident. Pick up the tools of the trade outlined in this book to build up your levels of confidence. Work on and be honest in your self-analysis to ensure that you remain competent throughout your career. One great year can seemingly make you, but one bad year will certainly hurt you.
• Getting your way. To be successful in business it is essential to get your way a lot of the time. Certainly not all the time but for the majority of it. So, with this in mind, ensure that you work hard on your persuasive and negotiation skills to maximize the chance of decisions going the way that works for you.
• Know which battles to fight. A very wise boss of mine once taught me to only fight the battles that I can win. This sounds so obvious when laid out before you but we all know how easy it is to take on someone or something and get beaten up in the process. If it's likely that you will lose the fight pick another battle. Don't feel shy about asking other people what they believe your chances are. [Tip: think about where the ultimate responsibility lies. You may beat your oppo