Do you think that politics is only within a political office in the government? I heard a speaker at a leadership development program say, Woodrow Wilson when asked why he would leave his presidency at Princeton University to run for Governor said, “I want to get out of politics.” I have found from my experiences of working at multiple colleges and other organizations that there are politics in every organization. Cyert and March (1963) described colleges as "political systems that exist as super coalitions of sub coalitions with diverse interests, preferences and goals." In my research I asked women of color presidents about how they defined politics. They described politics as game playing and maneuvering through the system by finding allies, working with people with positive energy, and enlisting people to intervene on their behalf. Though I don’t enjoy being political there are times when it is necessary and I have found that finding allies - people inside and outside the organization who have like-minded beliefs, goals and positional power - to be invaluable in helping me meet my objectives.
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