A client recently called me, ‘Are you home? I’m coming over!” I detect .. let's see ... anger, panic, sadness in his voice.

I tidy up my living space, the doorbell rings and I see him at my front porch – standing there with his veins visible on his neck and throat.

He starts yelling gibberish, and I see a nosy neighbor glance at my front door. “It’s fine”, I mouth the words while I give her a reassuring look.

Ok, back to the client. This is what he says to me, now audibly shouting:

“He betrayed me, I was shocked! Pretty much stabbed me in the back, how could he do that?”

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I want him to calm down, but obviously, I don’t tell him to calm down! Rookie coaching mistake.

I hold his hand, sit him down, and squeeze his shoulders. I let him fester for a minute, while I bring him his favorite drink: hot chocolate. He takes a sip, and looks at me through tears in his eyes.

“What happened?” I ask, in my most soothing, calm voice.

He takes another sip, and looks at me with puppy eyes, while I try not to laugh out loud at this dark brown chocolate milk-tache on his upper lip. He wipes his tears and speaks, for the first time, in a softer tone:

“ He said he’d put my name forward for the promotion, he knows I really REALLY wanted that promotion, but, changed his mind at the last minute. I just found out. I feel so deflated.”

Ok. Full disclosure. The client in question is ... my son.

He was talking about the Lower Primary Student Council Rep elections.

“Welcome to the world of politics, my little big boy!”, I say, secretly relieved, in my most merry voice.

I stroke his hair, plant a peck on his hot, red cheek, place my arm around him, and say:

“It’s games people play to get what they want. Power. Prestige. Wealth. Everyone does it.”

“Well, I hate politics and I NEVER want to be a grown-up. SO THERE!” He declares in his brash 6-year-old I’ve-seen-it-all style.

“Ha! Like it or not, you’re already exposed to politics since you were in kindergarten and wanted a turn at the swings. After waiting a full 20 minutes, you convinced those kids who were hogging the swings to have your way. Those swings, ah! Everyone wants to swing on those swings.” I explained.

Except that the coveted swings are the Executive Committee in a corporation, I mutter to myself.

Half listening to me, he finishes his hot chocolate, finds a forgotten Lego box beneath the dining table, and disappears for the next 2 hours.

And me? He makes me think. About what? Politics of course.

From the Greek word ‘polis’ as in, affairs of the state.

In modern Wikipedia language: exercising 

 affecting one's daily life, such as the way an office or household is managed, or how one person or group exercises influence over another. Informal Politics is typically understood as everyday politics, hence the idea that "politics is everywhere".

So, my grown-up clients (!) talk about office politics a lot. And 100% of the time, it’s a bad thing. It’s something ‘other people do.’

“Us? Me? I’m clean as a whistle”, they declare, as confident as my 6-year-old.

“Really ??!” I remind them. “Remember kindergarten?”

Let’s agree on something here. Politics, whether at work or at home, is as unavoidable as death and taxes. Hence we might as well become friends with politics. I even have a name for this friend: Ofpol, (as in, 

No one really likes poor little Paul, but I’m going to change that. Let’s un-demonise Paul, in a way that will make us all relate to our past actions and acknowledge our old friendship, in a way that will make you sit up and say: Ah Paul! Yes, yes, we go way back!

This, along with my 5 tips on how to be good friends with Paul:

 ‘Tooting your own horn, in a classy, deserving, not over the top way.’

 During recruitment, remember how you sold yourself as the best person for the job? Or when you got that client/project/manager to agree with you by blowing your own trumpet? Not to forget performance appraisals. Same story. 

 tooted your own horn, don’t forget the household: who reminded whom the other day about who emptied the dishwasher the last time? Congratulations, you’re good!

Cultivate deep relationships with those in the middle of all the action:

 When it comes to stakeholder management, you’ve dug deeper, you know it, I know it. You’ve looked past the formal organization charts to find out who’s 

Maybe the CEO’s executive assistant holds the real power! Once you have carved out your circle of influence and who’s in it, you don’t waste any chances to help them out and impress them, so they think oh-so highly of you. 

 cultivated deep relationships with those in the thick of it without an ulterior motive, remember that one time you pulled in a favor to get that trusted colleague in Recruitment to see your old college roommate’s job application first? 

: office politics shouldn’t transform you from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. When you are yourself, you won’t be known as someone who is ‘political’. 

Instead, you’ll be known as The WYSIWEG dude/gal: What You See Is What You Get. 

 been your authentic self and have had to cover that up with a professional demeanor (poor you, that sounds exhausting!), remember that one time at the office Christmas get-together when you danced like no one was watching? You know you had fun and you loved how everyone appreciated your nerdy robot twerks.

Avoid the office villains like the plague:

 The Machiavelli, The Broadcaster, The Bean Counter. For more information on more of these, refer to the aptly titled 

 had any villainous creatures at work, to you I say: Puh-lease! I once worked in a Convent in South America, and even they had more than their fair share! Made things so much more interesting!

 whether it’s Mr. Reliable / Ms. Gets Things Done / Ms. Always does the Right Thing or whatever have you. You have a brand and that brand has a reputation, whether you like it or not. 

 have a brand, please ask your closest colleagues to tell you what people say about you when you’re not in the room. Bingo.

Now, if you’re still not convinced, let me leave you with just one thought:

There are rules for getting ahead in your career. Written and unwritten.

We all usually know the written rules. Performance KPI's, etc. One of the top unwritten rules is: 

Politically savviness is rewarded, I’ve seen it repeatedly over 15 years, in all cultures, industries, and functions. Rewarded with better positions, better pay, better perks.

As for my son’s friend, well, he probably didn’t promise he’d vote for him. He probably just changed his mind when he saw someone else winning and decided to change sides. Does that make him a bad person? I don’t think so, that’s his prerogative. As for my son: this taught him two valuable life lessons:

a) How to be flexible in your approach when the current one isn’t working

b) How to speak more compellingly in public

If you’ve read this far, let me re-introduce you to your old friend: Paul, short for Office Politics. It’s nice to see you again, pal!

Now over to you: What are your best tips to navigate office politics? Share away, please!

Your Survival Guide to Workplace Politics

In today’s uncertain world, there’s no greater asset than trust. 

It is easily lost and increasingly difficult to build which poses a great challenge to our businesses, our communities, and our futures.

, trust in CEOs is at an all-time low, with 56% of people surveyed suspecting business leaders may be ‘purposely trying to mislead’.

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a new era for the virtual workforce that’s focused on building trust and connectivity. So, how do good leaders build trust during times of uncertainty?

Building trust starts with recognizing that leadership is a privilege and not a right and it comes with huge responsibility.

The most sustainable forms of trust go beyond the spin and are held in the value sets and behaviors, not only of leaders but in the people they lead. 

In a time when there is a lot of information and misinformation coming from different sources, people need any clarity we can provide when discussing the current state and next possible steps.

Part of the privilege of leadership is to become a leader that is worth following, but how do we do this?  

 found that frank, honest conversations help reinforce trust between leaders and followers in times of change and it is for an obvious reason - they don’t want to be left in the dark. 

In the virtual world, vulnerability has become business as usual with the lines between our professional and personal lives more blurred than ever. Many of us are taking meetings in our living rooms whilst also juggling childcare responsibilities making authenticity automatic.

Even in bad times, good leaders acknowledge and embrace the situation rather than shy away from it. Covid has shown us that you have to show people that even though you don’t necessarily have all the answers, you’re willing to forge on and have a go.

For organizations investing in building trusted relationships in this way, it can be a market differentiator. When the pandemic first hit last year, the Aurecon leadership team was acutely aware of what people were going through because we shared our experiences openly.

Getting first-hand experiences of how people were feeling gave us an insight into how critical it was to address everyone’s worries first before anything else. People can’t move if they’re frozen in fear.

In standing with our people, we acknowledged and embraced the uncertainty together, and while we didn’t have all the answers at the time, we tried to navigate all this ‘new normal’ together.  It is what guided us on where and how we needed to steer the ship.

In this complex world, leadership is no longer about the individual. Gone are the hierarchical days of leadership because you can’t lead a team if you’re not a team player.

The value in collective leadership is that you have a whole group of people going in the same direction, living the same values it creates and demonstrating consistency, this builds trust.

Ensuring that the leadership team is visible and communicating openly means that everyone is in the loop about critical updates in the business.

By bringing our people along on the journey, they were able to help us shape our response to the crisis, and in the end, people were able to adapt better and felt more certain about the future.

Our world has changed, and our leadership must change with it. COVID-19 showed us that leaders must continually cultivate new skills, no matter what level they are in an organization.

The way we communicate, for example, needs to change as we continue to work remotely. Leaders need to translate everything into digital. There’s a big difference between talking to people through a screen and being with them in a room.

We have to profoundly understand the things we communicate, what it means for us, for our people, the whole business, and our communities.

Providing a vision, simplifying systems, and being part of exciting projects has always been central to my leadership at Aurecon. These days finding ways to be a positive force for the future whilst recognizing our people and witnessing their courage and drive inspires me.

Trust ultimately, relies on a leader’s character. Showing who we are every day, why we are here, and what we stand for is the best place to start.

How Good Leaders Build Trust in Times of Uncertainty

Achieving success is not easy for anyone. No one evades the gauntlet of setbacks, crisis, tragedy, and challenge. 

Life will throw obstacles in your path daily, but it will be your ability to handle those obstacles that will determine your success. Importantly, your state of mind –  how you respond – is key to you getting what you want, and things going your way.

The Value of Belonging in the New World of Work

Take any person on the planet who has achieved success, and you will see that they have mental toughness. It doesn’t matter whether they are athletes, scientists, entrepreneurs, politicians, or parents, the truth is that anyone who has excelled at anything is mentally tough.

Mentally tough people are better able to manage the stress and pressure of life, they see challenges as opportunities, they persist no matter what, they pick themselves up and go again.

They are resilient, confident, humble, they feel in control and they are 100% committed to what they set out to achieve.

Don’t be thinking that mentally tough people are ‘special’. They are not. They were not born with mental toughness  – they developed it over years, by deliberately practicing and working on their resilience, determination, emotional control, and focus ….

It’s these things – the things you cannot see, photograph, or hold – that will make the most difference to the quality of your life, and what you’re able to achieve.

Think about it, if you were able to better manage the stress and pressure you relentlessly face, you’d be more likely to live a happy, enjoyable and successful life. If you crumble under the strain of it all, then you would have less fun, less happiness, and poorer health.

There are four main aspects to mental toughness:

: A mentally tough person feels in control of their life. They know where they are going, what they want to achieve, and how they’re going to get there. It’s horrible when you feel have no control, but you will have more influence over situations than you first realize. 

Of course, there are some things that will be out of your control, but don’t forget that you 

 control how you respond. 
There is also your emotional control to consider. You might be an emotional open book, or so tightly closed that no one knows what you are feeling or thinking. 

Mentally tough people are great at controlling their emotions, and you can also develop this skill.

 How often have you committed to doing something, but your intentions fall to the wayside? Your intentions of going to the gym every day, stopping drinking coffee, clearing out your wardrobes…you know the kind of thing.

If you haven’t been able to complete a task you set yourself, I would suggest it was because your commitment to completing that task wasn’t 100%. Give yourself just 1% wiggle room to change your mind or talk yourself out of it, and you probably will. 

Mentally tough people commit to tasks 100% and don’t stop until they have reached their goal. What would you commit to today, 100%?

  Imagine if you could see every challenge, setback, or obstacle you face as an opportunity, rather than a threat! Mentally tough people do just that. They flip, spin, twist and turn every setback to find the opportunity that lies within it. You can do this too, it just takes practice.

Most of us want more confidence. You can build your confidence by starting to truly believe in your own ability. Believe you can. So you’ll need to stop or quieten the voice in your head that puts you down and sells yourself short. Simply start by standing two inches taller every day, and speaking more slowly and you will feel your confidence starting to rise.

If you feel stressed, anxious or under pressure, you can start to combat it all today by simply taking some action. Never underestimate the power of taking action. Don’t sit on the sofa stewing in a negative mess. 

Find and use your source of inspiration. Focus on it until changes your physical state, and most importantly, get up. Physically stand up. When you stand up, it puts you in a physical stance of authority.

For businesses, investing in the mental toughness and mental wellness of their people is critical. Supporting the ability of people to manage the stresses and pressures they face daily is vital to the success of any business, and that can start by simply getting to know everyone a bit better. Actually, a lot better.

In order for people to feel safe to be open and honest, and safe to speak up, they have to be in an environment of psychological safety. 

People need to feel that they can talk openly without any danger of being treated any differently, or worst case lose their job. 

If you don’t get to know the people better how will you ever know who is secretly suffering a lack of confidence? Who is putting a brave face but really is crumbling under the strain? Who appears to be committed but is struggling to focus and maintain motivation?

Why Companies Need to Invest in the Mental Toughness of Their People

Organizations inevitably face the need to change as their customers evolve, transforming markets in unexpected ways. 

Yet such organizational change – often based on outdated ‘best practice’ (unfreeze-change-refreeze, anyone?!) – can be problematic for employees, causing discomfort at best, and outright mutiny at worst. 

While some organizations may seek input from employees, these efforts are frequently tokenistic – such as offering a union-prescribed window for staff feedback, even though the changes are already finalized.

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It’s hardly surprising to hear that employees can see straight through these disingenuous strategies and that most organizational changes tend to fail.

In truth many plans for org change simply don’t deliver the sustained transformation that they promise, leaving organizations in limbo and employees disheartened and demoralized. 

So, how can organizations enact change in such a way that the organization is able to meet the demands of their market in a sustainable way? How can they ensure that employees stay motivated and engaged in the new ways of working?

At Twiga Group, we believe that clear and honest communications are critical. To facilitate this transparency, we’ve been working with a new method that we call the

Tapping into the underlying principles of human-centered design, the Social Contract engages the organization’s employees, enabling them to design their own organizational change. 

Far from the tokenistic staff engagement methods of old, the Social Contract treats employees as the customer, offering them the space to develop and understand their needs as users of the organization. 

Most importantly, the method acknowledges that if customers don’t like the product, they won’t buy it – and if the employees don’t like the change, it won’t stick.

We tailor our Social Contract method for each organization, allowing employees to explore relevant topics and contribute their insights. 

Specifically, we engage teams in facilitated workshops and design-centric activities to flesh out 

 requirements of the organizational change. 

One such example is the rose/thorn/bud technique which helps participants frame their thinking into ‘what works well’ (roses), ‘what doesn’t work’ (thorns), and ‘opportunities’ (buds).

Placing the employees in the center of the process allows them to have a sense of ownership and personal investment in the changes that they are designing. In this way, the employees become committed to these changes, motivating them to sustain the new ways of working. 

The Social Contract engages employees in diverse teams, encouraging holistic and broad thinking when it comes to their designs. 

In doing so, we see that employees don’t just think about how changes impact their own patch but are motivated to also consider how their newly developed change might affect other teams and processes.

In going on this journey, we also see that the employees start to change the way that they want to communicate with each other. 

The deeper level of empathy that is developed through the Social Contract process is further nurtured and sustained by their new ways of communicating – that is, in a two-way, clear, and respectful manner.

To keep employees and organizations on track – and in the spirit of good design! – we have also found that leaving behind customized artifacts is particularly beneficial for our clients. 

These artifacts become a tangible and visual reminder to everyone about their new ways of working and communicating. Each artifact is based on the outcomes of the Social Contract work that is done by the employees and draws on the set of needs that they have developed. 

Here’s a snippet from one of our recent artifacts – a personal favorite of mine!

It’s incredible to think that these words came from a team struggling to communicate with each other, let alone others within the organization.

For this team, the Social Contract has become a platform for change through communication.

We certainly don’t have all the answers to designing lasting organizational change, but our experience in placing employees at the center has been inspiring, to say the least. 

And it’s not just us who think so, as the feedback we’ve had from our clients is overwhelmingly positive. Here’s a couple of examples from some of the teams we’ve worked with recently:

“[The Social Contract] has guided, challenged, inspired and stretched us to be more courageous and creative in how we excite interest, prepare our leaders and communicate with our people for change.”

“The human-centered design approach was engaging which enabled both speed and buy-in. The best part: it was tailored to the cultural change we were making and the experience of the executive team.”

As we help more of our clients to deliver sustainable organizational change, we will continue to evolve the Social Contract method. 

But at its heart, our core principle will remain the same: that it is the employees themselves who should be telling us how the organization needs to change.

Sustaining Organizational Transformation Through Authentic Employee Engagement

During the publicity phase when I launched 

 earlier this year, I was asked why I chose that title for the book and how I would define “influence” in this context.

To answer the first question, that wasn’t originally the intended title for the book. Instead, I had pitched 

 – a nod to The Field Model™ I describe in the book – because it helps organizations and teams find a sense of calm by fixing issues that seem complex or impenetrable. 

Working with my publishers, Kogan Page, we soon realized there were already a few books with that title related to parenting or running a house… and so 

My definition of internal communication includes words like efficient, engaging, and effective and for all of those, there has to be an overarching element of influence.

In terms of how I would describe influence, that’s a longer answer! I believe that having influence is not just related to internal communication professionals, but to everyone in an organization. We all need a certain amount of influence at work to get anything done.

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Influence has been defined as “the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something”. The word comes from the Latin “influere” – to flow in. 

This is interesting because we sometimes link the word “flow” with positive communication and talk about the bottlenecks and blockages that impede comms.

If we think about the influencers we see when scrolling through Instagram or other social media channels, they are there to use their credentials, expertise, profile (and enormous following) to endorse messages. This could be their own products or other brands – think Joe Wicks, KSI, Marie Kondo, or any of the Kardashians.

Influencers get to the heart of what communications professionals do. It’s the same inside organizations. 

Through my book, I wanted to help not just internal communication professionals – but also CEOs, department heads, and line managers – make an impact through better communication. The task of developing impactful communication skills is for everyone in an organization.

In my work I’ve seen so many instances where poor communication has made difficult situations so much worse; whether it’s teams not getting on, the company growing at pace, working through a merger and acquisition, or – as we’ve seen in the last 18 months – trying to adapt during a global crisis.

I developed The Field Model™ to codify what naturally occurs when you start exploring why things are happening. The phases of The Field Model™ are: understand, diagnose and fix. 

Often when I'm approached by someone for help it's because they have a pressing issue or are experiencing symptoms of chaos such as staff off sick with stress, toxic chaos in teams, or low levels of productivity. 

They see the immediate effect that the issue is having on the organization and its employees but might not be sure how to overcome it.

The Evolution Project, a successful small business providing fitness coaching and nutrition advice, is a great example. I started working with them to take them through The Field Model in 2017 when they were experiencing symptoms of chaos. 

After conducting listening interviews with the team, I found internal communication issues and frustrated customers. The team wasn't communicating well, there were issues that weren’t being addressed, there were no clear lines of communication, and a major problem with team friction. 

Equally, the customer communication wasn’t aligned and new client leads weren’t being nurtured. The sales process was unclear and messaging across the website, emails, social media, and video content was inconsistent.

After working through the understand and diagnose phase, I moved forward to the fix by coaching the team through the necessary changes. Founder, James Llewellyn told me that our work together has: “Fundamentally changed the culture of the business and has revolutionized customer communication. Our team is much happier and we’ve vastly improved our business systems. 

"The sales process has been streamlined by using emails and text messages more consistently, which improved our response rates by 40%, and increased the likelihood of people showing up for new appointments by 30%. Customer complaints have been replaced with customer compliments.”

This change continues to this day. That’s what I mean when I talk about influence. And it was all through better, clearer, more consistent communication. As I say in my book: 

Communication is the fundamental component, the golden thread, that runs through everything. It is representative of culture, it is the articulation of the strategy and it’s what we need to function as a group or community. Communication covers it all.

There are a few key steps that anyone can take towards positively influencing people in the workplace centered around conversations, focus, and remaining optimistic. Here are my top tips:

Purpose comes up a lot when I start to explore people or organizations and I talk about this in the book: “As individuals, we are more motivated and more satisfied with purpose. As an organization, we are more successful being purpose-led.” 

If people don’t understand why they are doing something and they have no sense of purpose, it’s harder to be motivated. Being clear about the purpose of the organization, your function and the role you play within that to serve the organization makes work more meaningful. 

If you’re clear on this, you’ll be able to have a more positive influence when you communicate with your team.

Take the time to understand and get to know each other. We need good relationships in the workplace for the organization to thrive. 

We naturally influence people outside of the workplace all the time – such as our family and friends – because we have a connection. When we take time to listen, communities and groups with mutual understanding can form.

I talk about this a lot when I run mental resilience workshops for teams. Mental resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of trauma or stress. One of my favorite book titles is: 

The book explains the habits that high achievers can develop to survive and thrive in leadership. This is exactly the approach that’s needed; look after yourself first. 

Taking time to understand yourself and your emotions helps you recognize stress, manage feelings of anxiety and engage the power of your mind. You can’t influence others from a place of burnout.

4. Focus on using your influence positively

One of the best ways to influence is through conversations and asking, “How can I help?” This removes barriers, shows a desire to listen and that your team matters. These conversations might not always be comfortable, but if changes are needed then that’s inevitable. 

It also helps ensure decision-making brings you back full circle to your purpose. Showing that you care and that you are there to serve your team and organization will enable you to influence positively.

How can you and your team become more influential?

Organizations need to focus on helping leaders and managers improve their communication skills. If they can't influence and persuade people, then it's vital to invest in developing impactful communication skills. 

You must be able to listen, to look after yourself, but also have compassion and empathy for others. You can't be a successful leader if you don't have good communication skills.

 4 Steps to Become an Influential Communicator

The pandemic forced companies to take a hard look at how they communicate their culture (both current and desired future state!) in a world gone remote.

Weirdly, companies that struggled with creating great culture may actually have caught a lucky break when employees headed home last year because it leveled the playing field.

Not only were all the ping pong tables, kombucha, and IRL Happy Hours gone, but in fact, 

our research has shown that companies with strong cultures actually reported an initial hit to their engagement scores

Organizations with cultures highly dependent on face-to-face touchpoints struggled to adapt. And, as we all now know, patches like virtual happy hours, team lunches delivered to employees homes, and even thoughtful gifts only went so far.

As a workforce prepares itself to return to the office zero to five days a week, it does so, in many cases, exhausted and 

 – the next great disruption in the world of work is happening at, let’s face it, an inopportune time.

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Which actually makes this a great time to strengthen connection through culture.

Creating and maintaining a strong organizational culture once again becomes critical for all of its intangible magic – for its ability to create energy, enthusiasm, connection and loyalty where before there was just an empty cubicle or dining room table and a laptop.

But how, when not everyone has a ping pong table in their home?

It’s clear that the rules of culture are, in some ways, changing dramatically, and in other ways, not at all. The good news is that once again, every company is flying the plane while they build it, so there’s room for everyone to get on board!

No pressure, but the stakes are incredibly high.

27% of American workers reporting that they are considering changing roles in 2021

68% reporting that they don’t feel that their companies have been communicating clearly about return to office

, companies ability to engage and retain their workers means that no only (re)creating, but effectively communicating culture to employees will be key to survival.

There’s no one right answer, of course, but there are many critical components, and taking a strategic, deliberate approach will be mandatory.

The companies I mentioned that took an initial hit in engagement during the pandemic are also the same ones who bounced back quickly.

Why? Because their cultures were firmly rooted in their values. They may have been shaken when the world got knocked off-kilter, but they rebounded because of their strong foundations.

Companies focused on ‘Values as Behaviors’ know that consistent, compelling communication about how and why we’re all connected gives employees the compass they need to be productive and engaged, even when they’re not all in the same physical space.

Storytelling about people, and how they relate to what we call ‘Values IRL’ also provides endless opportunities to creatively connect people across a wide range of channels, platforms and experiences with relevant, resonant messaging that influences behavior.

No matter how you bring them to life in your organization, 

, especially when they are about people we can relate to. 

Seth Godin says ‘People Like Us Do Things Like This,’

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