Consult, act, bless

I continue to learn a lot about politics here at the Network, and today I picked up a great piece of advice on how to get stuff done within an organization:

Consult, act, and then ask for a blessing.

This implies first that you understand where the power is in your organization. Given that, talk to the people with the power. Try to figure out what they want, in as detailed terms as possible. As their underling, figure out what you can contribute, where your interests and motivations most closely align with theirs (and if they can't align then quit). This sort of active listening builds trust while it sharpens ideas.

Once you understand the landscape of power and what is possible, act. Do something. Short of doing something, formulate a proposal. But here's the kicker: be careful to use precisely the same language and emphases that you heard from those in power. Because once you've acted, you need to go back to those power brokers and ask for their blessing. Make it easy for them to recognize their stamp on what you've done or proposed, so that in blessing it they are furthering their own objectives. Then once you've got the blessing, run with it!

Some will call this being a good employee. Others will recognize it as marketing to your boss, Godin-style. The cynics will call it brown-nosing, but you know the difference. Feed back to Chad Whitacre.