P is for... "Politics"

Hi again!

Last week I shared that finding something I wanted to write about for letter O took me ages. With “P” I’m having the opposite problem - I simply have too many words I want to write about!

For some reason, there are soooo many good words for facilitators that begin with P. Candidates for this post have included: Power, Psychological Safety, Play, Preparation, Presence, Purpose, Practice, (Being a good) Participant (as a facilitator)…

For some reason - P’s are very prevalent and popular in facilitation related topics… just google “5 P’s of successful meetings” for a plethora of variants on the theory of successful meetings.

But when I actually sat down to write, it became clear which topic held the most spark for me.

“Politics”.

The word “politics” is one of my favourite examples of words that mean so many things that they almost always need further qualification.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of things that I’ve heard “politics” mean:

• office / group politics - i.e. how the relationships and power structures in an organisation or group work which allow certain people particular advantages over others.

• Whether we talk about “news”, or what is happening in the wider world outside our industry, at work.

• Government politics - formal power involving the government, career politicians and public administrations.

• Anything that might produce consequences or conflict that people either don’t want to manage or are worried they won’t be able to manage.

When you look at it like this, it becomes very clear why the topic of “politics” is very relevant to the work of a facilitator. “Politics” creates dynamics that groups find uncomfortable. And when things feel uncomfortable, they call us to help.

There are many angles this piece could take, exploring neutrality as a facilitator, why “non-industry news” is often very relevant in the workplace (a particular topic of interest of mine, read to the end for more here), or what politicians could learn from facilitators and vice-versa.

All of those may be pieces I write in the future, but for today, I just have one point I want to make a case for:

The word “politics” is important. If you are a facilitator, I recommend spending some time with it, watching where it is used, and leaning in to understand more about what it means in context.

For me, “politics” is a lens through which we make sense of human systems. It crops up any time power, care and consequences interact.

It’s important to lean into, because I believe the times when we don’t talk about something because it is “political” are often the places where the most harm is done. Ask me how I learned that lesson…

Listen for what job the word “politics” is performing in a particular context. Here are some common things I’ve seen:

• Boundary-setting: signalling discomfort, a sense of risk, or a concern that a conversation might exceed someone’s capacity to engage or handle the consequences of.

• Preserving the status quo: phrases like “Let’s not make this political”, can mean, “I’m comfortable with the current arrangement and don’t want it challenged.”

• Deferring discussion for expedience: phrases like “Politics aside…” can signal that someone is making a tradeoff. They are trying to move forward while being aware that there’s something important, often tied to culture, power or values, that is unresolved.

In my experience, when someone says “politics”, it usually means some people are ready to talk and others would rather not. It’s a cue to pay attention because there is something interesting which almost certainly affects the group you are working with.

Depending on your context, some of these may be more appropriate for you to reflect on yourself and some may be useful as discussion topics with groups.

• “What kinds of human issues feel acceptable to discuss at work, and which don’t?”

• “Who gets to decide what counts as ‘political’ here?”

• “What happens when something is labeled political? What changes?”

• “Can a decision affect people deeply and still be considered ‘non-political’? Why?”

• “What’s the cost of avoiding politics? Who pays it?”

I would love to hear your thoughts and reflections on this topic and if you use any of them!

Facilitation inherently involves reading power dynamics, including the power wielded ourselves as facilitators. And in any profession, we choose what to apply our skills and energy to with the hope that we will somehow bring about some kind of change.

Anywhere where someone or something tries to bring about change, there is politics.

It’s politics all the way down, baby.

Today’s mindset shift spelled out is:

From: Facilitators are neutral - we avoid “politics”.
To: Facilitators work right at the heart of “politics” - listen for the signals politics offer us, get curious, then get to work.

I’m currently collecting examples of how organisational leaders support their teams through political, controversial, or polarising topics, particularly those triggered by current affairs. In other words: how leaders balance getting their jobs done while navigating the 24-hour news cycle as it seeps into work, affecting people in different ways.

I’m looking for leaders who have approached this in different ways, some encouraging conversations about current affairs at work, others taking a “no politics at work” stance.

Stories can be shared anonymously or with attribution, as preferred.

To be clear: I don’t have the answers, and I’m treating all approaches without judgment, there’s a lot of nuance here!

If you’re willing to share:

• It’s an opportunity to reflect with me on what’s worked (and what hasn’t) in supporting teams through challenging topics.

• I’ll also share some of what I have seen while working in-house and as a consultant.

• You’ll pay it forward. I hope at minimum to synthesise contributions into a guide to help other leaders navigate similar challenges. If there’s lots of interest and the topic resonates, I may have bigger ambitions, let’s keep talking :)

If you, or someone you know, would make a great example, I’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to share this post or make introductions!