Survival of the Savvy: High-Integrity Political Tactics for Career and Company Success: Rick Brandon, Marty Seldman
From Publishers Weekly
In this guide to the often slippery realm of office politics, executive coaches Brandon and Seldman champion a politics of “moral means” to “noble ends.” However, some of their wisdom has a Machiavellian cast. They recommend avoiding open confrontation with more powerful managers, explain how to network strategically, cite movie godfather Vito Corleone on the importance of veiling your thoughts and detail procedures for getting to your boss with your side of the story before a rival can bad-mouth you. Much of their advice involves the basics of popularity and tact, like their “Balanced Response” technique for inoffensively quashing colleagues’ flawed or incomplete ideas. Image and self-presentation are covered, with bullet points on “power wardrobe,” posture, vocal style (”err on the side of speed and slightly revved-up volume”) and body language (a clenched jaw and dilated pupils give off bad vibes). Sample monologues provide models for the self-promotional, 30-second elevator speech to corporate bigwigs. If nothing else, employees can always “mention top management catchphrases” and “carry around the Wall Street Journal or Harvard Business Review to show general business acumen.” Aimed primarily at “under-political” people perennially steamrollered, ostracized or exploited by slicker operators, the book includes lots of “self-talk” mantras (”it’s ‘networking’ and ‘relationship-building,’ not ‘schmoozing’”) that readers can recite to overcome their reluctance to play the game. The authors have a good feel for the nitty-gritty of corporate conflict, misbehavior and skullduggery. Their portrait of a business world ruled by intrigue, “buzz” and “savvy” instead of competence is not reassuring, but this engagingly written and reasonably specific primer will help employees navigate it.
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Review
Even Darwin would have approved of this objective look at the precise intricacies of human behavior. — Fast Company, Reader’s Choice Winner, February 2005:
Outline[s] many ways the politically inept can develop the savvy political instincts we all need to feel valued at work. — Bookpage
Will help employees navigate office politics in almost any kind of setting. — Library Journal, November 15, 2004: