What does developing political acumen specifically involve for a mid-level professional seeking greater responsibility?
Understanding stakeholder motivations and navigating organizational structures to clear roadblocks
Political acumen is identified as a subtle but necessary skill adopted at the mid-level stage that moves the focus toward influencing future requirements rather than just meeting current ones. This skill is not about managing direct reports but about navigating the environment to ensure one's work, and the work of those they support, can proceed unimpeded. This involves keenly understanding the motivations of various stakeholders across departments and learning the informal organizational structures to identify where actual decision-making power resides, allowing the mid-level employee to strategically remove obstacles that could otherwise stall project execution.
