A re-organization in the company resulted in my position reporting to someone new; someone with whom I did not have a relationship and who had a reputation as being difficult. I kept my distance from him. He was part of the “boy’s club” that ran the company.
With the re-organization, a VP position became available. I let him know that I was interested. It was a natural step up given my experience. Many of my direct reports called him to lobby on my behalf. I truly believed that my achievement in the AVP role would land me the job, no question.
But that assumption was a big mistake! The newly appointed SVP had his own agenda for the territory and the business. Because I had no relationship with him, I didn’t know what was involved in the decision making process. What I thought was a shoe-in, ended up being a “blindside”. I did not get the promotion.
High potential women are more confident than ever. Recent studies by Catalyst show that we are getting better about letting others know of our achievements and asking for promotions. But if we continue to avoid the politics, we will continue to set ourselves up to fail.
The workplace is a political environment where decisions about who gets ahead, who gets access to scarce resources and plum assignments are made behind closed doors, doors that are often closed to women. Informal networks, sometimes referred to as the “boys club”, have the power and influence over career decisions. Because women don’t have access to these networks and don’t have access to critical information about how decisions are being made, they risk being blindsided. They simply don’t know the rules of the game.
Here’s what I learned from my own blindside experience:
- Engage don’t shy away from the politics in the workplace. Because women tend to rely on the traditional ways to get information in the organization, we often know too little too late. Men use their informal networks to find out the most current information. They have no problem engaging in the politics, trading favors, and working the system to their advantage.
- Develop a strong network with the key stakeholders who have influence and power within the organization. Spend dedicated time networking within the organization and letting others know your accomplishments and ambition. Without promotion and networking, we fall below the leadership radar.
- Promotions do not come from hard work and talent alone. Even with an exemplary track record, you can be blindsided because you don’t know how decisions are being made and don’t have relationships with the key stakeholders and influencers. We assume that people know about our achievements and this assumption can set you up to fail. Create credibility and visibility for yourself across the organization so that key people understand your value proposition.
- Mentors and sponsors can clear the way for career advancement and lobby on your behalf. Who can help champion you in the organization, help you get the high profile assignments? Research clearly shows that sponsorship creates career traction. Only 48% of women executives credit personal connections for their most recent promotion. While 83% of men can directly attribute their promotion from sponsorship and/or networking. In fact, women don’t think using personal connections to get ahead is the right thing to do and that holds them back from leveraging relationships that will help them advance.
Have you ever been blindsided at work? If so, please write a comment with your experience. We can all learn from other.
