HBR Guide to Office Politics (HBR Guide Series)

ther times you deliberately and strategically form alliances to fulfill a need. For example, if your company’s hottest area of growth and development is outside your area of expertise, you might look for opportunities to form alliances with people in that group who are involved in interesting projects as a way of orienting yourself with the work they’re doing.

And Ron benefited from their alliance, too. “I always put him forth as someone to be depended on, someone to be consulted,” Heathfield says. “I learned so much from Ron about creating relationships and adding value.” When you’re thoughtful about picking and maintaining the right set of allies, the relationships can pay dividends for years—for both of you.

element. I want to add value, but I can’t do it without knowing more than I do.’” Ron introduced her to skilled tradespeople and immersed her in the life of the plant in a way that earned her respect from the union workers, who otherwise might have been wary of her intentions. “He had the tool and die guys invite me to their meetings. And then each group invited me.” Little by little, Heathfield earned not only Ron’s respect but also the respect of all the union workers in the plant. She was eventually invited to

Decades ago, when Susan Heathfield was first hired in a human resources position at General Motors, she knew she had been dropped into the deep end of the pool. Her previous experience had been in education, so entering the siloed world of union/management politics required finesse. But she quickly identified a key union line manager. “I went directly to him and said, ‘Ron, I’m completely out of my

It’s beneficial to review and refresh—or prune—your alliances. Keep any that have immediate or foreseeable benefits for you, and let others fade. “Either politely distance yourself,”

suggests Johnson. It’s like a Hollywood model of movie-making: Gather the best people around you to make something great. But when filming wraps, and the movie has been promoted and had its run, you can and should look for other groups to work with.

Even if your ally doesn’t make a catastrophic mistake, most alliances won’t be useful forever. “Don’t align yourself too strongly or too permanently with anyone,”

provided him with wonderful career opportunities, he came to see that she also used him to push around other staff who got in her way. For example, she would convince him that certain people were problems in the workplace, so Dmitry would then complain to other peers and superiors about her targets—and in one case his words helped push someone out of a job. Once the junior banker realized how destructive his ally was, he looked for opportunities to get out of that work group.

sometimes your review will indicate that it’s time to rethink who’s in your cabinet.

What happens when your ally begins acting in ways that you don’t admire? Or when getting to know the person yields unflattering information? When an ally does questionable things, your career—and your reputation—can come into question, too. Dmitry, now a consultant and author, recalls the heady thrill of being singled out as an ally of a rising, powerful investment banker early in his career. But even though his boss

Know when to cut ties
Your pool of allies needs not only frequent tending but also regular assessment. And