I Wish I'd Known That Earlier in My Career: The Power of Positive Workplace Politics

Political savvy is a critical leadership skill and is always in demand.

Forget the negative connotations; reframe your thinking to a more constructive and positive definition of politics―building coalitions for the good of the organization. For anyone who wants to innovatively sell their ideas and move ahead in their career, work efficiently and maintain a work / life balance, it is vital to be fully engaged in the political arena within the organization. It's not just individuals who need to adopt and learn these skills. Organizations can do more to educate their employees on the benefits of being politically savvy, as retaining talented employees and developing ethical leaders is essential for the long-term health of any organization.

The good news is that it is never too late to become more savvy and taking a more intentional approach to develop and shape your career. Becoming savvy is not difficult to achieve, but it requires a willingness to step out of comfort zones and confront deep-seated fears and prejudices that may not even be recognizable!

Unlike other management-development skills, savvy can be practiced immediately. The book is NOT about encouraging people to start their own businesses, but rather how to stay in the company, understand how to work the system more strategically, better understand power bases and corporate conversation more thoroughly. The book examines:

• Power Shifts – Mergers, Restructuring, and Leadership Change
• Perception Management; who's saying what about you
• Performance Review; the role of politics and power
• Spoken Word: Culture, Gender and Misperception
• Subjugation Savvy; Control, Power and Sex

I Wish I'd Known This Earlier in My Career contains advice and guidance on how to manage these and much, much more....

If The White House Project has anything to do with it, millions of young women won't look back in retrospect to realize the lessons of this book after decades of believing the world is a meritocracy. Jane Horan has brilliantly captured one of the most important levers of leadership advancement―navigating the politics of any environment.
―Tiffany Dufu President, The White House Project

The world of work is a self-interested world, and that means politics is always a factor. Jane Horan does a stunning job clarifying whats going on and what you need to see and take seriously. Her point: Politics is―neither good nor bad until you interact with them. She wants to help you make them a positive. After reading the advice she gives, I suggest you let her.
―Professor Samuel A. Culbert Professor, UCLA Anderson School of Management, and Author (with Lawrence Rout) of Get Rid of the Performance Review: How Companies Can Stop Intimidating, Start Managing and Focus On What Really Matters

Using her many experiences, Jane Horan has managed in this book to re-frame the way we think about politics―a critical yet undervalued leadership skill"
―Philippe Gas President and Chief Executive Officer, Euro Disney SAS

Anyone working in an organization of more than one will benefit from this very readable book on "politics". Often a derogatory term, politics and the ability to understand and manage power is an important leadership skill essential to getting things done and reaching goals for any organization. Readers will enjoy the many case studies as they reflect on how they can improve their own interpersonal skills.
―Professor Steven J. DeKrey Senior Associate Dean and Director of Masters Programs, HKUST

This book reveals what it means to be savvy within an organization so that employees can build an authentic and thriving career plan. More importantly, it motivates people to better align and sell their innovative ideas. This should be a required text in MBA programs.
―Drew Boyd Executive Director, MS-Marketing Program, and Assistant Professor-Educator of Marketing and Innovation, Carl H. Lindner College of Business, University of Cincinnati

Jane Horan has written a book which, while being supremely practical, drives home a few hard truths! So often we miss out on real positive outcomes because we lack political savvy and in this brillian book the author demonstrates how we can transform ourselves.
―Dr. Kirpal Singh Director, Wee Kim Wee centre, Singapore Management University

Jane Horan is the founder of the Horan Group, a strategic consultancy that shapes savvy cross-cultural work environments. Jane works with Fortune 500 companies, NGO's and academic institutions in Asia, North America and Europe as an executive coach and facilitator in cross-cultural leadership, bias awareness and political savvy. She is a frequent speaker on Transformational Women Leaders, Organizational Politics, Innovation and presented at leadership conferences globally, including the Women's International Networking (WIN) Conference in Prague and Rome. Jane has lived in Asia for over two decades, and previously worked for Kraft, The Walt Disney Company and CNBC in Organizational, Leadership and Talent Development roles. She is an EdD candidate with Bristol University on Asian Women Leaders, holds a Masters Degree in Organization Design and Effectiveness from The Fielding Institute, California, and studied International Business Management and Chinese Language at the Monterey Institute, California/Hunan Technical University in Changsha, China. Jane has published articles in Business Week, 20-first, The Organisational Development Journal and interviewed by The Straits Times and The South China Morning Post. She has appeared on radio for the Booth Business School at the University of Chicago, HeadHunter Radio, and 938 Live Singapore. Jane holds board positions on PrimeTime, The Singapore Council of Women's Organization and The International Alliance for Women. She can be contacted at http://www.thehorangroup.com.