I know you hate office politics, but avoiding it could cost you your career.

Keeping your head down and doing the work isn't enough to get ahead.

Welcome to Own Your Ambition, the weekly newsletter designed to give professional women the tools they need to be successful. As a former CEO who made it to the C Suite from an entry level, I know first hand what it takes for women to realize their ambition and reach their career goals.

The topic of this newsletter is a sensitive one, often an emotional one, for women in the workplace. I have done extensive research and many interviews on this subject for my book, The Politics of Promotion, and I know most women hate engaging in office politics. And they hate anyone in the workplace who is overtly political for their personal gain.

I get it. It seems unfair and it’s frustrating to see others spending their time kissing ass and getting ahead when you’re working hard and are overlooked.

But as I explain in this article, avoiding office politics can sabotage your career. I know from personal experience. And reframing political savvy will help you realize it’s not only a necessary tool, but one that you can use to subtly build the influence you need.

It’s a familiar scenario. I get a phone call from a woman seeking advice because she’s tired of being overlooked and passed over for promotions. She feels stuck and powerless.

Since I started my coaching practice in 2007, I’ve heard countless stories of frustration from ambitious professional women who have a strong work ethic and excellent performance but can’t figure out what more they need to do to get promoted.

“Why can’t I get ahead?”

“It must be sexism.”

“It must be my manager who doesn’t advocate for me.”

“It must be the culture.”

“I must be too young.”

“Am I too old?”

Certainly, there are many workplace obstacles for women and valid reasons to explain why women aren’t getting ahead.

But here’s the reality: We still haven’t accepted the fact that it takes more than our hard work and great performance to get promoted. It also takes political savvy.

And the more you continue to believe in a meritocracy, the longer you will stay stuck.

As much as you’d like to think that there’s a level playing field and everyone will be judged by the same standards, you have to face reality, and let go of the old meritocracy myth. Relying on that belief only perpetuates your inability to advance.

I learned the hard way.

Early in my career, I successfully worked my way up after eight years from any entry level to be an AVP at a national healthcare company. I was extremely successful. I started multiple business lines that dramatically increased gross revenue. I managed a $50 million territory and 18 direct reports with operational efficiency. I won all the awards in both sales and operations year after year. I was a rock star.

I believed my success came from staying focused on my work and developing my team.

When a new merger was announced, I wasn’t worried. I had survived and thrived with past organizational changes. But what I didn’t realize was that this one was different.

There were significant changes as a result of this merger. I now had a new boss, brought in from the outside the company, who was buddies with the CEO, and an active and passionate member of the ‘boy’s club’.

I thought there was some good news. A new organizational chart created a previously missing VP level position. I was excited. That position was a possible promotion for me as previously I had no where to advance. I immediately threw my hat in the ring. There was no one more qualified than I in my region.

But here was my big mistake. I failed to build a relationship with my new manager who I considered a misogynistic jerk. In fact, I avoided him as much as possible. He was an asshole, and I thought, a waste of my time.

Because of my disdain for this man, I didn’t have much of a relationship with him.

I didn’t know how the decision about filling the VP role would be made.

I naively thought my track record would speak for itself (ha ha).

And you probably guessed what happened. They brought in a man from another territory to take the VP role, and then offered me a lateral position that required relocating (which I declined to accept. No, thank you!).

I was blindsided. I was pissed. I was the most qualified. It’s not fair!

However, and this is a BIG however, I wasn’t politically savvy.

What is political savvy and why does the very mention of politics cause us to disengage?

Political savvy is paying attention to the world around you; your workplace culture, the rules and unwritten rules, as well as who has power and influence over your career. It’s an understanding of how decisions are made as well as knowing who are the decision makers. It’s about understanding the workplace dynamics that dictate the culture and inform you about what it takes to get ahead as a woman in your company, in your department.

People with political savvy develop a radar system that alerts them as to what’s happening around them. They are able to influence successfully within and outside of their direct area of responsibility, understand the underlying issues and context, the personalities involved, and get things done in this labyrinth.

And political savvy brings with it the acceptance that in the workplace, things aren’t always fair. There are winners and losers, and political savvy, political will and skill, gives you the ‘know how’ to be a winner.

Without this awareness, you are trying to advance your career in a vacuum thereby only increasing your chances of getting passed over. That’s the reality of career advancement. You need great performance as well as the political will and skill.

Why don’t women engage in office politics.

I interviewed many women when writing my book, The Politics of Promotion, to get a better idea of why they avoid office politics. It became immediately clear that it is a very emotional topic. Women are angry and frustrated about being passed over time and time again for less competent colleagues who play the game.

“I think it’s manipulative.”

“It’s a waste of my time.”

“I am who I am and have a great deal of hard work behind me without playing games. (Seems like that belief was my downfall.)”

For the most part, the women I interviewed felt excluded from the power networks and yet, didn’t want to engage. They were clearly frustrated, felt left out and left behind but didn’t have a clear plan to move forward. They viewed their colleagues who successfully worked the system as manipulative game players.

In fact, you might agree that some of your colleagues are political animals who spend more time “kissing ass” than doing their work. But that discounts the many who are masterful at building the right relationships and influence. Often their political skill is subtle and extremely effective. They are the ones winning promotions.

And you, with your head down focused on your work, are setting yourself up to be blindsided as I was.

Yes, ignoring office politics could easily be the downfall of many ambitious woman.

I advise my clients that learning to be politically savvy is an important part of your job. Therefore, you make time to pay attention and understand the workplace dynamics and power structure. You make it your priority to figure out what it takes to get ahead as a woman, perhaps a woman of color, where you work, within your department, with your manager.

Your willingness to accept the importance of workplace politics for your career advancement opens the door for you to learn how best to navigate the political landscape. It prepares you to learn the political skill necessary to thrive in your organization. Every organization has its own unique political environment. To succeed, you must pay attention.

The good news is that political savvy is a skill, not a trait. You can learn to be more politically astute over time with the use of keen observation and listening skills.

What’s involved in learning this?

I’ve identified four stages of development and in each of these stages, there are specific characteristics and milestones to help you figure out where you are in this process and where you need to go to further develop your skills.

Stage One: Naïve Nancy

· Unaware of the rules of the game

· 100% work focused

· Learns through positive/negative experiences

Stage Two: Great Work Greta

· Reputation as competent

· Knows the importance of relationships

· Focuses on career development

· Limited networking

Stage Three: Strategic Sarah

· Learning delegation and management skills

· Builds strategic relationships

· Seeks mentors/sponsors/coach

· Talks about her accomplishments

Stage Four: Political Pam

· Uses personal influence

· Mentors others

· Maintains credibility/visibility

· Leads and inspires others

In summary, if you are ambitious, if you want to move your career forward and you can’t figure out why you are continually passed over despite your excellent work, here’s a wake-up call. Being political savvy is a necessary part of your job.

What stage best represents where you are now and what do you need to do to move to the next stage of political savvy?

Do you avoid office politics? It’s time to make time to pay attention before it’s too late!

Pick up a copy of The Politics of Promotion: How High Achieving Women Get Ahead and Stay Ahead, for a practical toolkit on how to navigate the complexities of the workplace.