It’s Day Four of my Twenty-One Tools post series! Today, you can download Managing Political Realities
As I’ve been telling you, many of this year’s WBECS speakers have provided fabulous downloadable tools that you can use right away to ramp up your success.
Many of the tools are for coaches, but there are a lot that will help you no matter where you are in your career. There are twenty-one tools in all and I am going to share them with you over the next twenty-one days here on my blog. True say! Tool number four is Managing Political Realities by David Clutterbuck.
I attended David’s session at the Pre-Summit this year. His perspective on the impact of politics on the success of coaching was eye-opening for me. Given that I work primarily with leaders in large public and private sector organizations I know the challenges. I hear senior leaders struggle with building strategies to work within politically charged hierarchies all the time. It is tough work for them and yet the best leaders find positive and productive ways to make it all go smoothly.
Here’s a snippet from Managing Political Realities:
Most people baulk at the idea of being “political”, yet being politically aware is a critical skill in career management. Coaches and mentors need to be able to use their own political awareness to help the learner make astute decisions and judgements; and to help the learner develop both political awareness and the ability to operate within a political environment. (Operating effectively in a political environment is not the same as being political!)
The coach or mentor can help by sharing their own understanding of these issues, as and when the learner faces relevant problems. They can also encourage the learner to think through what would be politically astute or politically inept approaches to those issues, to help them develop the instinct for thinking politically, acting with integrity.
The Managing Political Realities tool:
- Why it’s important to be political astute, but not political
- How to help clients become comfortable working in a politicized environment
- How you can help clients develop political astuteness
- A quick one page quiz to test your political astuteness
Download Managing Political Realities tool by David Clutterbuck
Oh, and you can still register for WBECS 2018. Come join me!
Remember, this is not the only post with a downloadable professional development tool from WBECS 2018. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled. I’ll be posting 21 tools in 21 days. Enjoy!

Author: Cathy Shaughnessy
Cathy Shaughnessy is an ICF Assessor and PRISM award-winning ICF Master Certified Coach. Cathy mentors credentialed coaches and she creates tools and programs to assist coaches to successfully earn their ICF Credentials. Get more information on Cathy’s group mentor coaching programs here. Check out the latest resource for coaches, How to Learn the ICF Competencies – 32 Fun Activities to Get You Started.
Click the image below to download the Free Easy Tracking Form for Coaches and get tools and resources from Cathy!

Cathy Shaughnessy is an ICF Assessor and PRISM award-winning ICF Master Certified Coach. Cathy mentors credentialed coaches and she creates tools and programs to assist coaches to successfully earn their ICF Credentials. Get more information on Cathy’s group mentor coaching programs here. Check out the latest resource for coaches, How to Learn the ICF Competencies – 32 Fun Activities to Get You Started.
Click the image below to download the Free Easy Tracking Form for Coaches and get tools and resources from Cathy!