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Political Pete
Welcome to the 10th pen-portrait in our series about different types of internal clients.
The personPete is a competent senior brand manager. However, he has reached this position by being politically astute rather than through his innate ability. He can sometimes be a right pain: he is very good at dissociating himself from things that do or might go wrong, but somehow seems to always get involved with the success stories.
The problem
The real problem is that Pete is too willing to bend the truth. When it comes to insight, he is likely to commission and use it to justify decisions that have already been taken. He will also take facts and analysis out of context to support his case. Although he may not resort to making things up, he sometimes sails a bit close to the wind.
He can misrepresent issues in three ways:
- Adjustment – he helps the message to get through by removing things that might divert attention, even though these don’t affect the message
- Massaging – he distorts the message slightly, but this doesn’t really have a negative impact on decision-making
- Serious distortion – he actually gives a wrong message which could lead to the organisation taking a damaging decision
This can place you in very awkward situations if the information you provide is used to support conclusions that aren’t correct. It’s even more difficult if Pete is your boss!
The solution
The way to handle Pete is by being a little political yourself:
If he is just adjusting information, go with it! This is an area where insight people can sometimes be too precious. If a figure is a diversion (while factually correct, there are reasons why it is misleading and it would take time to explain these), it is in the best interests of the organisation to be a little flexible so that decisions can be taken.
If he is massaging the facts and producing a genuine distortion, but the affect is not bad, then say something in private. Make it clear that you’re not going to make waves, but that it puts you in a difficult situation. If questioned, you will be obliged to give the correct information – and that could look bad for both of you.
If is a serious distortion, you have to speak up. Hopefully, you can take action before any presentation, but ultimately your first loyalties are to the organisation that employs you. Be tactful, and suggest that there has been a slip-up rather than anything deliberate, but make sure things are clarified. It may upset the relationship, but in the long run it will generate respect and stop it happening in the future.
Most importantly, talk to Pete. Make it clear that you have a professional obligation to ensure that information is not mis-represented. Stick to your guns, but without being dogmatic. If you are too insistent that everything has to be presented with no ‘spin’, you will just annoy him. But if things are being misrepresented without distorting the conclusion, give your help and support so that you won’t be seen as obstructive.
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