Political capital is simply the amount of power that you’re able to call into action to support your agenda. This is a function of the number of powerful people and the power they can wield on your behalf.
To accumulate political capital, you’ll need a lot of great relationships in which you are helping them and they stand ready to help you in return. The deeper these relationships, the more inclined they will be to respond to your call when you need them.
This kind of capital is essential in large organisations, particular those where power is distributed widely. If you want to get a decision made that is going to impact a large part of the organisation, the process is going to be quite tricky, and you may need to call in support from many areas.
To succeed in large organisations your political capital needs to be built and maintained.
The most important way of doing this is to give. Add value to your network and relationships by helping them to achieve their goals, to move forward on their initiatives, to solve their problems.
If you can do this in the right places with people who are powerful or, likely to become powerful in the future, you will build that strength of social capital and political capital that will allow you to get things done.
It takes a degree of investment (time, effort, and thought) to be able to do all of this. But make sure that it is a major part of your working day. Use every opportunity to get closer to people and see if you can offer them help and support.
Diligently building your network in this way will maximise the chance then when you need extra help and support, it will be available.
Related to Political Capital
- Political Capital: Igniting Cognitive Readiness and Strategic Agility
- Mastering the Politics (online course)
- Political Analysis in Your Organisation
- Want to Handle the Politics? Become More Sociable
Colin Gautrey
Provocative Coach/Mentor | Specialism: Impact and Influence
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Ref: BIL15