The scenario is all too familiar: a qualified, motivated professional woman does everything she can think of to secure a coveted promotion. After years of investing her time and energy in the company, she is ready to advance. Later, she is shocked and dismayed to find that, not only was she passed over, but the successful candidate had fewer qualifications and little to no familiarity with the practical side of the business. What happened?

The Politics of Promotion focuses on the single most important—and most frequently neglected—ingredient of advancement in the professional world. Many ambitious women were taught that they could succeed on the basis of their qualifications alone. While that would be true in an ideal world, the world we live in falls short. The reality of business is that the people we know are just as important as, if not more important than, the skills we possess. In The Politics of Promotion, the rules of this complex game are revealed so that readers can begin to build the connections they need to get ahead.

PLAYING POLITICS IN THE WORKPLACE IS NOT ABOUT GOSSIP, BACKSTABBING, OR OPPORTUNISM.

Savvy women in business know how to network and with whom. They also understand how decisions are made in their organizations, and they have learned to use these political factors to their advantage. The Politics of Promotion provides clear instructions for women who want to align themselves with important stakeholders and build relationships with influential advocates, so that the next promotion doesn’t slip away.