The Politics of Promotion: How High-Achieving Women Get Ahead and Stay Ahead

by Bonnie Marcus

The scenario is all too familiar: a qualified, motivated professional woman does everything she can think of to secure a coveted promotion. After years of investing her time and energy in the company, she is ready to advance. Later, she is shocked and dismayed to find that, not only was she passed over, but the successful candidate had fewer qualifications and little to no familiarity with the practical side of the business. What happened?

The Politics of Promotion focuses on the single most important—and most frequently neglected—ingredient of advancement in the professional world. Many ambitious women were taught that they could succeed on the basis of their qualifications alone. While that would be true in an ideal world, the world we live in falls short. The reality of business is that the people we know are just as important as, if not more important than, the skills we possess. In The Politics of Promotion, the rules of this complex game are revealed so that readers can begin to build the connections they need to get ahead.

PLAYING POLITICS IN THE WORKPLACE IS NOT ABOUT GOSSIP, BACKSTABBING, OR OPPORTUNISM.

Savvy women in business know how to network and with whom. They also understand how decisions are made in their organizations, and they have learned to use these political factors to their advantage. The Politics of Promotion provides clear instructions for women who want to align themselves with important stakeholders and build relationships with influential advocates, so that the next promotion doesn’t slip away.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Leadership, Self Help, Professional Development, Management, Personal Development

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 23, 2015

About the author

Award winning entrepreneur, Forbes contributing writer, and executive coach, Bonnie Marcus, M.Ed., assists professional women to successfully navigate the workplace and position and promote themselves to advance their careers.

With 20+ years of sales and management experience, Bonnie’s extensive business background includes CEO of a ServiceMaster company and VP of Sales at Medical Staffing Network and two others national companies in the healthcare and software industries. She has held executive positions in startup companies and Fortune 500 companies.

Bonnie started her corporate career at an entry-level position and worked her way up to the top of a national company. Her passion is now to help other women embrace their talent and ambition and step into their full potential and workplace power. Bonnie shares her message globally through speaking engagements, live and virtual workshops, blogging, and her popular podcast, Badass Women at Any Age.

Bonnie’s book, The Politics of Promotion: How High Achieving Women Get Ahead and Stay Ahead, provides a roadmap for women to navigate the complexities of the workplace and position themselves for success. Not Done Yet! How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Their Workplace Power, will be published March 2021.

A certified coach, Bonnie has been honored by Global Gurus as one of the world’s top 30 coaches in 2015-2020. She has been acknowledged as one of the top 100 keynote speakers in 2018 by Databird Research Journal.

Bonnie received a BA from Connecticut College and a M.Ed. from New York University.

Bonnie’s website is www.BonnieMarcusLeadership.com. She can be reached by email at Bonnie@BonnieMarcusLeadership.com and on Twitter and Instagram @selfpromote. Read her articles on Forbes at www.forbes.com/sites/bonniemarcus. Her podcast, Badass Women at Any Age is available on Apple Podcasts.

Reviews

[Lisa Kosak · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Workplaces are highly political environments where decisions about who gets ahead, who gets more compensation, and who gets access to scarce resources are not based on performance alone. Our naive assumption that our performance will guarantee a successful career is a dangerous one" - Bonnie Marcus

Does this quote resonate with you? Have you been burned or blindsided in your career? Unexpectedly and out of the blue? I have and it hurts. Women in particular learn at a young age that if we work hard and do all the right "things" that we will come out on top and win. Hard work, dedication, focus, and brains just aren't enough to bring success. It's "playing the game", "schmoozing", "networking" that are the keys.

If you have been frustrated and burned in your growth in your career you really need some guidance. I discovered a guide to help you form a new outlook on your growth. Bonnie Marcus's new book The Politics Of Promotion How High-Achieving Women Get Ahead and Stay Ahead is your protection for growing and not "getting burned"

Whether we like it or not, politics are everywhere. We can't escape them and if you can't beat them you will need to join them. For far too long women have been blindsided in the workplace by politics. We are left out of the boys club and feel that if we perform, our work will be noticed and rewarded. We lack confidence and won't toot our own horn. We fail to see signs of unrest because we have blinders on. We are left out of power decisions and meetings. In short we have a "political skills deficiency". You can work your tail off and do everything perfectly and it may not be enough. Others will pass you by and be promoted. Your career and salary will be stagnant. Whether you like it or not, you need to embrace politics to not only protect yourself from getting burned but to grow in your career and help your team to do so as well.

You need to develop "political will" which is a willingness to embrace politics and see office politics as "collaborative competition" Work place politics doesn't need to be a dirty job. We need to re frame politics and see it as a way to be subtle and behind the scenes in building strong relationships of trust and influence. Politics doesn't have to be self serving. It can be used to serve others. This notion is what really hooked me in Bonnie's book.

Bonnie effectively shows us how women can't afford to ignore the political landscape. She clearly lays out the consequences of remaining out of the ring. We need to jump in and play because no one can protect us better than ourselves. We need to let others know about our achievements. We need to be at the table with our male counterparts. That means being aware of what is going on around us and building relationships to further our growth. We also need to protect ourselves as we stumble through office politics. Bonnie introduces us to the 4 stages of being politically savvy. Each stage represents a level of political growth and awareness. To help you to find where you are, Bonnie offers a political skills assessment. Hint: you don't want to be a "Naive Nancy"!

Once you have an understanding of where you stand in the political landscape Bonnie reveals her Political Toolkit to help foster your political skills and maintain your place at the table.

Here's the Political Toolkit to bring with you to work every day:

• Mirror: You need to do some honest self reflection to really find what your personal value proposition is. Toot your own horn and self promote. No one else will!
• Magnifying Glass: Look closely at your work environment and really observe all of the dynamics and players. Look beyond your organization chart. Who has the power? Who really makes decisions? Watch the power, the rules, and monitor the culture.
• Pass Go and Collect $200 Card: This is all about strategic networking and is your "card". It will position you to win as well as protect you. Networking is valuable for gathering information as well as building relationships. You never know when you will need to play your card.
• The Get Out of Jail Free Card: This card is a sponsor. You really need to seek out a sponsor in your organization that will protect and promote you to others. The sponsor paves the way for opportunities. They help you find opportunities and are vested in you.
• The GPS: The GPS is executive coaching. You need some help to find your way through landmines and to continue to strive for success. A coach is your partner and will give you continuous advice as you grow. They help with goal focus and keep you accountable. The coach is your key to remaining consistent and on track. You will be lost without one.

Bonnie's toolkit really help me to understand what I need to do to remain relevant and continue down my path to growth. It's not enough to achieve success though. You need to keep your tools sharp and utilize them regularly to stay relevant and grow. Once you reach your "top" it's very easy to become complacent and before you know it you may become an "outsider". This is when you really have to get those tools out and get busy.

I really enjoyed The Politics Of Promotion and highly recommend it to women at all stages of their career. Bonnie clearly shares the realities of what most of us have experienced such as losing a promotion, making a lower salary, stunted career growth. She easily won me over to recognizing that I am stunting my own growth by ignoring office politics. Moreover, I am only opening myself up to getting "burned" by pretending that I don't need to play.

Bonnie inspired me to jump into the ring of politics by detailing how becoming politically savvy can not only benefit me but others. Those who build strong relationships, build trust, are authentic and genuine leaders in this area can really have an impact and move others with them. I have always thought of office politics as a dirty game but this book changed all that.

I thoroughly enjoyed the real life "political" stories of successful women that The Politics Of Promotion shares with us. It's reassuring and uplifting to hear about some strong successful women who were fired or passed up for opportunities because they remained on the "outside' of office politics. Marcus effectively brings us on a journey that illustrates how "playing the game" can be an empowering and growing ride. Politics isn't just about you - it's about everyone. As a leader you can't afford to stand back and watch success pass you or your people by. Protect yourself and your teams by building relationships and using your toolkit every day!

The Politics of Promotion How High-Achieving Women Get Ahead and Stay Ahead needs to be in every woman's toolbox for success. In order to build you need tools. In order to grow you need support. Check out Bonnie Marcus's book at Amazon and don't get "burned"!

[April Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reading of this book coincided with some weird things happening at work and for that I am glad.

Bonnie Marcus wonderfully writes out how an awareness of the work place dynamic is a very powerful tool. When watched and understood, great things happen when the right intention is used.

There were parts in her narrative that my brain wanted to just moved on because the point was already made clear to me but still this was a read I would recommend to any women think about her career and any man who wants to help us all to lean in.

[Jung]

Learn to maneuver the politics of promotion.

You know how Fortune magazine ranks the 500 most successful companies and executives every year? If you expect it to reveal anything close to a 50/50 split between men and women in top positions, think again! Currently, women hold only 5.2 percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions. If you see this statistic as something that just has to change, you’re not alone.

This book offers valuable insights into the politics of promotion, a particularly useful tool for women. They’ll provide essential pointers on the importance of knowing and understanding the internal politics and culture of your organization, and not least on how to proceed in order to get the promotion you so badly want.

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Job advancement is highly political – even more so if you’re a woman.

You perform well at work. Your projects all receive high praise from your boss. Yet, when your next promotion opportunity comes along, you’re left empty handed. Why?

Workplaces are highly political environments, not meritocracies. Advancement in the business world requires not only skill and competence, but also political savvy.

Politically savvy people know how to subtly work the system. They are conscious of their surroundings, and can easily identify which stakeholders and relationships are important for their success, using this knowledge strategically in order to get ahead.

It all starts with building good relationships with those in power, that is, the ones who have influence over the decisions that will affect your career trajectory.

Without this political savvy, you can deliver great results time and time again and still be passed over for promotion. It could be that your colleague, who, despite being less competent, still got the promotion you think you deserved, simply bonded with the people who had influence over the decision of who to promote.

The need to bond with important stakeholders is clear enough. But that’s easier said than done for women in the workplace, as company culture and politics today are still biased against them.

Even if a company has made it clear in its guidelines that all employees are to be treated equally, women still face challenges when it comes to building workplace relationships.

For example, a woman in a team mostly comprising men probably won’t get invited to weekend fishing trips or Monday night ball games. It won’t necessarily be out of malice, but simply because she is a woman, and her colleagues assume that she wouldn’t be interested in these activities or wouldn’t fit in.

But if she’s excluded from theses outings, she’s also excluded from the important conversations and bonding opportunities that come with them. As a woman, you have to be creative in forging bonds with the men in these networks, even though they might not make an effort to do the same.

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Women need to be aware of the value they create and promote themselves by talking about it.

Picture that colleague of yours who is always talking about his achievements at work, and you can’t help but feel that he’s bragging. But is he really? Or is he preparing his promotion by promoting himself?

Performance in the workplace doesn’t speak for itself. Not everyone sees or has the context to understand your work, so you need to actively cultivate your reputation across an organization by talking about it.

If you assume that performance speaks for itself, then the chances of career stagnation increase. In fact, research shows that women who know how to talk about their accomplishments and achievements receive both more promotions and higher compensation. In contrast, those who keep it to themselves are more likely to get neither.

Imagine that your company finally closes a massive deal after seemingly endless negotiations with another company. These hard-fought negotiations were brought to a close thanks to your convincing argumentation.

After the meeting, what should you do? You should make sure to meet with your boss and tell them about the successful negotiations! Don’t just assume that they know a deal was made, and that it was your savvy that finally made it happen.

But sometimes your contributions aren’t so cut and dry. In order to be able to promote yourself, you also need to be aware of your value proposition, in other words, the ways in which your work contributes to positive business outcomes.

It’s important to know your value proposition, because you can only really promote yourself once you know what you bring to the table.

To figure out your value proposition, write down some situations at work in which you were recently involved. Next, ask yourself how you specifically contributed to the success of these situations. This will give you insight into the skills and competencies that you can promote as part of your reputation.

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Understand the decision-making process and the culture of your organization.

Most people believe the path to promotion involves keeping your head down and powering through your tasks – but this is absolutely incorrect. Rather, promotion depends on keeping your head up and looking around your company.

The first step toward promotion is understanding how decisions are made and detecting the hidden rules that influence the decision-making process.

Decisions in organizations are almost never made by a single person, but instead by many people. You need to find out which people have the most influence on the decisions that affect you – like promotions – and build good relationships with them.

One way to figure this out is through simple observation. Ask yourself questions like who the management consults with before making important decisions.

You should also be aware of unspoken rules. Though your organization’s official policy might be to “hire and promote the best people for the job,” it’s likely that there are other rules, such as tenure, that affect your promotion.

So don’t worry if you aren’t promoted right away. Just develop an awareness of these informal rules in order to understand the organization and your position in it.

But hidden rules go beyond the promotion process. There are also unspoken rules in the company culture – the personality of your company that defines the codes of behavior that are accepted, rewarded or viewed as favorable.

If you want your career at a particular company to prosper, you have to behave in accordance with their company culture.

This will vary greatly depending on where you work. Company A, for instance, might have an unspoken rule that the one who barks the loudest gets to speak. In this environment, you have to interrupt others to make your point and thrive.

This same strategy might not work for company B, where patience and listening are more highly valued.

At this point, you’ve learned some of the things that you can do immediately to start preparing for promotion. The final chapter will examine the kinds of people that can help you along the way.

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Building a strategic network with powerful people is important for your career advancement.

Imagine that your colleague just got promoted to a position that you didn’t even know was vacant. How did that happen? In all likelihood, her network provided her with the right information at the right time.

You can do the same by building a strategic network, a group of people who support, protect and promote you.

Your strategic network doesn’t just help you get promoted. It also provides you with valuable information about the workplace, the people in it and its hidden rules.

For example, if you are applying to a new position, take some time before your interview to consult a trusted colleague within your strategic network about the hiring manager and their decision-making process. This way, you’ll have a better idea of who to talk to and how to best leverage your value proposition.

In order to build an effective strategic network, you first have to define your career goals. After all, without these goals, how will you know who can help you achieve them?

These goals should be divided into short-term and long-term career goals. Knowing these goals, you can better analyze the position you want to achieve, as well as the people who might help you get there.

One way to keep track of who can help you, and where, is to list all your important professional relationships on a track sheet, evaluate their level of influence and the quality of your current relationship to them.

Imagine, for instance, that you currently occupy an entry-level position in your company’s marketing department. Your goal, however, is to become a team leader in the sales department.

To reach this goal, start by identifying who the current team leader in the sales department reports to, who the decision makers in the hiring process are and which members of the sales team can support you in the hiring process. Connect with all of them, and you’ll be on the right track!

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The fastest way to the top is to connect with someone who uses their strategic network to your advantage.

Imagine that you’re looking for a new job. But, instead of making endless phone calls and writing your applications yourself, someone else tells you all about positions that aren’t even listed yet, and then goes ahead and recommends you for them. Sounds like a dream, right?

It’s not a dream. In fact, if you find the right sponsor, this could be your reality.

A sponsor is someone from within your organization – an influential person who is higher up on the ladder than you currently are and who wants to see you succeed.

Sponsors are different from mentors in that they help you on multiple levels: not only do they offer you their sage advice, they also actively make things happen for you.

If your goal is to hold a top position in the marketing department, your mentor might advise you to build a relationship with the marketing manager. Your sponsor would do the same, but would then actually introduce you to said marketing manager.

So how do you go about finding the right sponsor? That depends on you and your career goals, but one thing’s for certain: the right sponsor might not be the one you like the most, but rather the one with the most power.

For instance, while you might admire a top-level manager for their inclusive leadership, their decisions are always undermined by those who push decisions through without worrying about inclusion. This inclusive manager might be likeable, but he has less power, and thus less value for you as a sponsor.

Instead, consider other contacts with a greater level of influence, and make dedicated time in your schedule to bond with them.

But why would anyone be interested in being your sponsor? Well, sponsorship is always mutually beneficial if it’s done right. By helping you, your sponsor can expand her impact and reach across the organization.

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Coaches are especially important for support and practical advice.

We all need help and guidance sometimes. And just like a personal trainer raises your chances of reaching your health and fitness goals, a professional coach can help you reach your career aspirations.

As you learned previously, knowing and setting goals is critical for your career development. Your coach can not only help you to define these goals, but can also provide you with the strategic focus necessary to achieve them, along with the accountability necessary to keep you on the right track.

Imagine that your goal is to become a manager. As you now know, reaching that goal is dependent upon your ability to create or improve your strategic network.

After meeting with your coach and discussing your goal, you decide that the best approach is to spend an hour each week networking with important people in your organization. As time goes by, however, you become overwhelmed by your day-to-day work and stop networking.

Here, your coach steps in, holds you accountable for straying from your plan and encourages you to keep networking!

Finally, your coach can teach you important skills that will help you climb the career ladder.

For example, once you’ve landed a leadership position, you might realize that your leadership skills are lacking; you don’t know how to trust your subordinates to complete tasks as well as you could. You know that if you don’t let go, you’ll be overwhelmed by tasks that your subordinates should be doing anyway and demoralize them in the process.

Luckily, your coach can teach you the leadership skills that will allow you to trust your team and let go of the desire to control everything.

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Women face more obstacles than men in the workplace, and overcoming these obstacles isn’t as easy as just doing a better job. Rather, women need to be politically savvy by understanding workplace dynamics, and identifying the people who can help and support them in reaching their career goals.

Actionable advice:

Always ask yourself: How can I add extra value to my work?

Your value isn’t just your ability to complete tasks. It’s also the knowledge and attitude you bring to the workplace. By taking the time to do things like sharing interesting articles on topics that are relevant and important for your company or department, you add extra value and people notice that you care and contribute.

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Suggested further reading: Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

Through a combination of entertaining anecdotes, solid data and practical advice, Lean In examines the prevalence of and reasons for gender inequality both at home and at work. It encourages women to lean into their careers by seizing opportunities and aspiring to leadership positions, as well calling on both men and women to acknowledge and remedy the current gender inequalities.

[Chelsea K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a plug to get executive coaching

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is all about developing political savvy and as the title suggests is geared toward women. It offers a thorough examination of how women can improve their chances of getting ahead and staying ahead. Women, as a whole, tend to think hard work will pay off, but Marcus shows with many real life examples how that kind of thinking doesn’t prove to be effective. Knowing the unspoken rules and who really has the power within an organization is key to being successful. Marcus in The Politics of Promotion offers useful information and walks readers through a clear process to gain “political skill” for all who have the “political will.” I received an ARC for review.

[kt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up after hearing the author speak on political savvy on the podcast Grit in the Oyster and really liking her and what she had to say.
This is a book that could have been a pamphlet. Some good nuggets wrapped in a whole lotta fluff. Chapter 6 was basically a sales pitch for her coaching business (there was some pitching in other chapters, but this was an entire chapter dedicated to self-promotion).

[Michael Kocz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely worthy of a rare 5-star grade. This should be a must read for any talented individual who has experienced difficulty going up the corporate ladder. Though it was written from a woman's perceptive, men should not shy away from reading this book.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I can’t put a lot of these tools to work quite yet, I can put some. I will read this book again when I get further in my career.

[Brandie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of this was pretty obvious. I found only one section really relevant and useful for myself.

[Regina Martha Pittauli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a goal to be that 'high-achieving' woman for the next years of my life. This book helps me to prepare for how to achieve those!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me think differently about career growth. It helped me realize (1) the skills involved in “office politics” are misunderstood and (2) I have been a part of and done politics myself despite not being able to put a label to the behaviors. It is necessary for anyone who feels like they have mastered the mechanics of their job, and feels like they have hit some hard-to-define ceiling in terms of recognition, to continue progressing.

Regarding (1), it comes down to an awareness of others’ priorities. It’s otherwise impossible to do “impactful” work and achieve things that others will care about enough to support you.

[John Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonnie Marcus is one "Can-Do" woman ...

This book is a primer for women (and men) about how to navigate the modern workplace politics that no amount of education or training can prepare you to deal with. I wish two things: 1) I had read this book when I was a whippersnapper, and 2) I hope that men will read this book, even though it is primarly aimed at women, because the learning is applicable to either.

One strong point: Marcus clearly delineates the issue with strong women's words and behavior in the workplace being perceived by others differently than strong men's words and behavior. This is a perception problem that belongs not to the actor, but to the perceiver.

One minor quibble: sometimes it seemed that men were being portrayed as either on the inside keeping others out or rather clueless. Such a clear distinction between the genders with regard to behavior does not exist in my experience. I think most of us are just trying to get along and our behavior usually reflects what we have been exposed to on the journey ... until we learn a more effective way. Bonnie's book does this in fine fashion, with easy to read and short sections, woven into a strong roadway for the workplace.

All in all, a fine addition to the growing library of books which speak to one of the most underused assets in the corporate world - women leaders.

[Coleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started this book, I thought that every employed woman should read it! Then I thought that every woman who would work ever anytime anywhere should read it! As I went along, however, I realized that some women might not care about getting ahead and staying ahead. And the material could possibly be too involved for others. But still, my thoughts were for women to read this book. The ideas are good ones: mentors, coaching, sponsors, self-promotion and networking, to name just a few. The book is a worthwhile read which takes time to assimilate, but provides such good advice that women can learn much from the material.

I won this book from a Goodread's giveaway.

[Sandra Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend "The Politics of Promotion" written by Bonnie Marcus. It is filled with amazing examples and stories from real women, as well as pertinent statistics and facts. The author also shares insights and advice about workplace politics, networking, and the uneven playing field that women typically face. Every woman - and man - should read this book.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goodreads win. Will read and review once received.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any person. The author really explains the subject very well in this book. THe writing was very good. The information I read about were some things I never knew about. A decent read.

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a free copy from the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Program and think that it interesting. I would recommend it to everyone.

[Ina · Rating 2 out of 5]

20% of content, 80% of self-promotion and repetitive ideas.