3 Tips to Help You Win the Workplace Game of Thrones

3 Tips to Help You Win the Workplace Game of Thrones When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground. Cersei Lannister,Game of Thrones Thankfully, the stakes are not quite so high in the workplace failure does not lead to death. You can actually just move to another company if things go south.Still, though, you have to do afair bit of maneuvering in the workplace if you want to ascend the corporate ranks (which is pretty much the working worlds equivalent toCerseis game of thrones). To do that maneuvering successfully, youll need political expertise which may be just as important as, if not more important than, your technical skills. According to research from Florida State University professor PamelaPerrew, a person rarely gets promoted without having developed strong political skills.Whether you are an up-and-coming millennial or a maturing Generation X professi onal, understanding the political machinations of your workplace will be key to outwitting your peers and landing the promotions you desire.Of course, not everyone wants to move into management. But, if you do,and you are ready to win the workplace game of thrones, then here are three tips to help you climb the corporate hierarchy.1. Findan Influential MentorDuring your journey to the top, youll need toaccept some guidance from a benevolent power broker who has been there and done that, with respect to ascending the companys ranks. Seeking and accepting such guidance will accelerate your own personal development, improvingyour judgment and decision-making.It alsostands to reason that because your mentor isanexperienced member of the upper echelons of the company, they can act as a powerful political ally.Studies show that candidates who are recommended by influential people are much more likely to be invited to interviews and land jobs. If your mentor vouches for you, your chances o f landing the promotion you crave skyrocket. Similarly,a study carried out at Sun Microsystemsfound that employees who were mentored were promoted five times more often than employees who were not mentored.2. Get Noticed For the Right ThingsDo some of your peers seem to be the golden boys or girls of the company? Do these peers have a knack for getting noticed by senior managers and leaders?Thats because they know either by instinct or by paying attention to their surroundings what to do to get noticed in the firm. What makes someone a golden employee often depends on what the managers and leaders ata given company value, but one of the most commonly valued traits in employees is entrepreneurialism that is, the willingness to take risks, move out of your comfort zone, and take on projects outside of your job description. Being entrepreneurialalso involves spotting opportunities to improve some aspects of thebusiness and presenting potential improvementsto decision makers and influ encers. A study from Millennial Branding found 58 percent of managers are either very willing or extremely willing to support entrepreneurial employees, making entrepreneurialism a great way to get noticed at most companies.Another quality that impresses managers, according to the Millennial Branding study, is being a subject matter expert. Sixty-five percent of employers surveyed said subject matter expertise was important to career advancement.So, another great way to get noticed is to be able to give sound specialist advice at times when it is most needed.3. Hone Your Influencing and Impression-Management SkillsThe Millennial Branding study cited above found that managers often looked for soft skills when promoting millennials, rather than hard skills or digital tech savvy.Simply puttingyour head down and grinding it out is not enough you need to demonstrate your soft skills if you want to land a promotion.Professor Perrewof FSU outlines four skills that define political adeptnes s social astuteness, interpersonal influence, networking ability, and the ability to convey the impression of sincerity. Youll need to practice these skills and use them regularly if you are to succeed in the workplace games of thrones.