Be honest. When you hear the words “political savvy” what do you think?

Underhanded?

Conniving?

Backstabbing?

Relentlessly ambitious?

You’ve seen these people.

They always are maneuvering. On the take. Every decision they make is calculated.

Somehow they always seem to come out on top stepping over bloody bodies on their way to managerial glory.

Is this you?

If you have a shrine in your office dedicated to Frank Underwood, you might be doing it wrong.

For most of my career I used to think of office politics as something to dread. A necessary evil meant to keep me from becoming a victim of office sharks.

Whether you like it or not, politics exist in every environment. From the office to your school PTA or church committee, politics are part of how we humans interact with one another.

But…

You don’t have to be a jerk to be politically savvy.

Politically savvy people know how to mingle strategically and read every situation they are in.

They know that office politics are not a zero-sum game so they look for ways for everyone to win.

Most important, they are truly authentic.

In this post, I had the privilege of interviewing my colleague Bill Gentry, Ph.D. senior researcher and faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership. He’s co-authored a great handbook called Developing Political Savvy.

In addition to a few practical, easy-to-follow tips, you’ll learn from Bill that politics are neither good nor bad and that used correctly, you’ll be able to maximize your impact at work.

The #Giveaway.

I’m so passionate about this topic and its importance for career success that I am giving away TWO copies of Developing Political Savvy.

Only two simple steps to enter:

1. Follow me (@bossmomonline)  and Bill (@Lead_Better) on Twitter.
2. Leave me a comment below and tell me why you need this book or share a story where you used office politics effectively (and I mean for Good not Evil, dear reader!)

I’ll randomly select a winner this Saturday, September 27. Good luck and I look forward to hearing from you!