"Political Strategy" 2/21/92, my talk at AT&T Bell Labs, in a special Speakers Forum, on 1992 February 21

[Thirumala Raya Halemane]

"Political Strategy" 2/21/92, my talk at AT&T Bell Labs, in a special Speakers Forum, on 1992 February 21 

In the 8 images here, we see, "Political Strategy" 2/21/92, my talk at AT&T Bell Labs, in a special Speakers Forum, on 1992 February 21

and here below is an attempt to type out their contents

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Political Strategy       2/21/92

Alternate titles, in the spirit of other talks presented at

this Forum; "Physics of Politics", "Harder Than The Hardest Job"

Almost everywhere in the world, politics is a bad word, a dirty word, 

It has negative implications, is used for partisan and selfish purposes.

But it should not be so. Politics is the art and science and technology of dealing 

with people, in organizations, or in society. 

It ought to be a good word, with positive implications, practiced to 

achieve positive results for the organization and the people.

So, we will talk about non-destructive, non-partisan, positive, evolutionary political strategy. 

Politics involves ideas and objectives, language and communication, 

authority and responsibility, accountability and recognition, 

.

Strategies are used to maneuver around,,under, over, 

and through resistive and negative blocks and, barriers, 

Maneuvering is accomplished by adjusting the thinking, behavior, language, 

and means of communication to the task at hand.

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Rules of Strategy

1. Be mentally prepared.

2. Acquire necessary skills and knowledge.

3. Get necessary help and expertise & give the same.

4. Understand and respect people and their roles.

5. Be adaptive and respective of people in their roles.

     and decision making processes (team work).

6. Use visibility and privacy appropriately.

7. Create conditions or let conditions develop themselves so that resistance dissolves by itself, 

     Pointing fingers will often develop further resistance / grudge. 

8. Do not dictate, let people decide themselves to act - pull instead of push

9. Do not make it a "us" versus "them" issue. Treat it as a "we" versus "objective / problem" issue

.  i,e., separate the problem from the people, and let all the people work together on the problem.

10. Seek decisions that will be good both in the short term and the long term, and for all the parties concerned.

11. Practice the politics of inclusion, not of exclusion.

12. Make friends, not enemies.

13. Build on other people's works, and not destroy or ignore them.

14. Give credit to other people appropriately, but do not overdo it.

15. Never take credit away from others.

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16. Build collaborations, not confrontations.

17. Do not control, do influence.

18. Move up by raising others with you, not by pushing them down.

19. Count emotion and psychology as parameters  

        - all parameters have to be included into any equation

20. Escalate only if necessary, and keep the emphasis on the issues, not on the personalities.

21. Use other parallel processes to influence the process being worked.

22. Build backup strategies and defensive positions.

23. Go public when there is a need to increase accountability or to get visibility 

24. Use stepped approach for big tasks.

25. Earn your respect and reputation, - good work gets good reputation.

26. Trust people, but guard against detraction, deviousness, manipulation.

27. Let people save face, do not rub it in.

28. Apologize for your faults and do better next time.

29. Do not practice false flattery - people will distrust you.

30. Play fair and hard, but you do not have to win all the time - lose gracefully.

31. Be gentle, not just polite.

32. Accommodate, and be reasonable, yet have strict standards.

33. When people listen, tell them what they need to hear, show them what they need to see.

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34. Be honest and straightforward, yet tactful.

35. Practice what you preach.

36. Breakdown issues to component sub issues.

37. Breakdown tasks to component subtasks, self-governing if possible.

38. Breakdown decisions to component decisions.

39. Get input from multiple sources, if necessary.

40. Evolution requires room for people to adapt and to make changes.

41. Work is good, change is good. Enjoy both.

42. Understand the strengths and weaknesses in yourself, and in other people.

43. Never fall prey to stereotypical perceptions 

        - every individual is different and has had a unique background,

44. Make decisions when needed, using needed data.

45. Change decisions as appropriate, if new data or new analysis warrants it.

46. Rely more on substance and less on image.

47. Be there to guard the interests of those who you represent, even when no one else is there.

49. Choose timing for your actions carefully, and strategically.

49. Guard against dissipation of energy in a wasteful way

        - knocking your head against a wall for too long may break the wall, but may also end up

           in breaking your head or your head may get stuck in the wall. Is it acceptable to you ?

50. Understand people's weaknesses, but do not take advantage  of them.

51. Lead by example and by persuasion, and by giving good, reasonable, practical advice.

52. Know the value of repetition, and the problems of too much repetition. 

        - say the same thing in different ways, if necessary

53. Care for people, and let people care for you.

54. Hit at the root cause, not the symptoms.

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Finally,

Politics is not supposed to be a dirty game. 

It is the responsibility for the greater good. 

It requires intelligence and ingenuity.

It requires strength and character. 

It requires gentleness and care.

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STEPPED APPROACH

illustration drawing showing a staircase going up from bottom towards top step with marked Vision or Objective at the top

and it involves doing repeatedly

Step Up, Rest, Let others catch up.

Repeat.

Repeat.

..

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WHY STRATEGY ?

illustration drawing showing a Maze of different kinds of obstacles, with Start written at bottom left and Goal at top right

go thru

go over

go under

go sideways

(as various possible moves)

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[Thirumala Raya Halemane]