Working With Powerful People

Being able to work well with powerful people is a critical work skill. If you can do it, you'll shine as a potential future star. If you can't, your career will quickly stall.

To be good at working with powerful people, you need to recognize that, although you may be in a subordinate role, you can, and must, take action.

When you shift the burden of responsibility onto yourself, you gain the sense of control you need to make these relationships work.

Treating Powerful People as Stakeholders

Having got yourself into the right mindset, the first step is to identify who these people are in your work life, what they want and need from you, and what you want and need from them. In other words, you need to apply the tools and techniques of formal stakeholder management that are most often associated with project management.

The following steps are explained in more detail (in a project management context) in our articles on stakeholder analysis and stakeholder management:

1. Identify Your Powerful Stakeholders

Identify the people in your life who have or could have an influence over your work and your career (both positive and negative). Concentrate on those inside your organization, but include any key external individuals, too, such as the account manager in a long-term customer organization.

2. Map Your Stakeholders

Mark these people on a Power/Interest Grid (download our free template), treating the "Low Power" boxes as "Lower Power" in this situation.

3. Understand Your Stakeholders

Use the following questions to understand your relationship with the people in the "Manage closely," "Keep satisfied," and "Keep informed" quadrants:

• What are their key work interests and issues?
• What do they want from you?
• What do you have to offer them?
• What can they do for you by using their power?
• Is their current attitude towards you supportive, neutral, critical, or do they even block your efforts?
• Do you need this attitude to change?

4. Identify Actions

Finally, identify what you need to do to develop (if necessary) and maintain a relationship with them that will satisfy both your needs and theirs. Consider the following techniques and strategies, particularly for those in the "Manage closely" group:

Reverse Recognition

You know how you respond to recognition, and you've seen how your team members and peers are motivated by appreciative remarks. Do the same for people in power.

• Compliment them on a job well done.
• Say thanks when you are given extra support.
• Acknowledge when they go to bat for you.
• But don't confuse this with "sucking up." To be effective, praise and recognition must be sincere and genuine. Don't overdo it!

Develop a Relationship

Establish a strong relationship with your boss and the people senior to him or her. Build trust and establish rapport through the following types of activities:

• Interact on a daily basis, even if it is just to say "hi."
• Get to know them as people – what do they like, dislike, do well, etc.
• Learn about their family (don't push beyond what your boss is comfortable revealing to you).
• Remember special dates like his/her birthday or anniversary date with the company.
• Consider asking them to go for lunch or coffee, but not to talk about work.

Communicate Confidently and Assertively

When you know what you want and are able to demand it in ways that respect the rights of others, you quite often get what you need. To do this takes self-confidence and a strong belief in the value of yourself and others.

• Approach powerful people directly and confidently – stand up for yourself in a positive, assertive manner (see our article on assertiveness).
• Don't take negative comments or setbacks personally.
• Continue to work on your self-confidence. Feeling better about yourself enables you to interact more assertively with powerful people.

Work Smarter

Powerful people in business tend to appreciate effectiveness and productivity. Learn to work in ways that are designed for optimum results.

• If you can avoid it, never say "can't" – but make sure you can deliver, even if what you submit is a renegotiated deliverable. See our article Dealing With Unreasonable Requests for tips.
• Respect their time – powerful people are in high demand, so you need to present your ideas quickly and succinctly.
• Learn to read between the lines. Powerful people sometimes don't explain things fully – they expect you to "get" what they are saying. Find a source of information that will bring you up to speed.
• Deliver results – when you are given a task, get it done.
• Work independently when appropriate.
• Use the Job Analysis tool to make sure that you're working toward the correct objectives.
• Work as productively and intelligently as you can (see our time
  management articles).
• Prioritize your tasks, and make sure you agree this prioritization with your boss.

"Manage" Upward

Everyone above you on the organization chart is someone who can affect your career. The strategies you use to "manage" your direct boss should be used with his or her superiors, too. The more contacts you make, the more sources of potential support you have for achieving your career goals.

This is where techniques like stakeholder analysis and stakeholder management can be incredibly powerful (but take care to respect correct channels of communication when you do this.)