An ability to navigate workplace politics is a critical career skill. Unfortunately much research and advice into how leaders behave is based on myths and wishful thinking.

In this webinar, Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer (whose new book Leadership BS has been longlisted for the FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award) explores the reality of leadership and offers practical suggestions for dealing with office politics.

Most real leaders and most organisations don’t follow the prescriptions of leadership gurus. However the behaviour of typical leaders is not mysterious. It is both observable and predictable.

This webinar explores Professor Pfeffer’s research into the reality of leadership and examines how we as employees can avoid career-derailing naiveté.

The reality of leadership

Most real leaders and most organisations don’t follow the prescriptions of leadership gurus. However the behaviour of typical leaders is not mysterious. It is both observable and predictable. We will examine:

• Why most leaders are neither modest, authentic nor scrupulously honest;
  
  
• Why you should expect and prepare for self-interested behaviour in the workplace;
  
  
• Why political skill is such an important career attribute;
  
  
• How you can learn to analyse your work environment as it is and not how you want it to be.

Protecting yourself

Understanding the prevalence of self-interested leadership is not enough. We will discuss some of the ways in which we as employees can navigate these difficult waters. In particular:

• The inflection points in careers when political skills are most critical;
  
  
• The importance of continually working on your relationship with your boss;
  
  
• The value of career options;
  
  
• The importance of context – how different environments demand different responses.

Finally we will look at things organisations can do to promote better leadership and create less toxic work environments.

What you get from the webinar

All participants receive:

• Access to the webinar including a chance to put questions to Jeffrey live
• Video recording for download after the event
• Access to bonus materials resource pack.

Refunds
A full refund-on-demand is available to all participants at any time. Please email refund requests to webinar@sensiblemedia.co.uk.

About Jeffrey Pfeffer

Jeffrey Pfeffer is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organisational Behaviour at Stanford's Graduate School of Business where he has taught since 1979. He is the author or co-author of 14 books and more than 150 articles and book chapters, for which he has won numerous awards. His current research focuses on the relationship between time and money, power and leadership in organisations, economics language and assumptions and their effects on management practice, how social science theories become self-fulfilling, barriers to turning knowledge into action and how to overcome them, and evidence-based management and what it is, barriers to its use, and how to implement it.