It's Time To Get Political.

Let's talk about power.

Not leadership power. Not empowerment. But power. The uncomfortable kind. The kind that determines who gets noticed, who gets promoted, and who gets passed over despite exceptional work. The politics of your career.

Now pause. Notice how you're feeling. If our opening paragraph made you tense up — if something in it makes you want to click away — this article is for you.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Value 

We've spent decades studying and advising on careers. And here's what we know: when it comes to a successful career, performance is king. Or queen. But — and this is where it gets uncomfortable — you don't decide whether you're a high performer. Other people do. Value isn't what you put in. It's what others perceive you deliver. And if you don't know who those others are, you're flying blind. Most professionals pour themselves into their work and assume the quality will be self-evident. It won't. Not because the work isn't good. But because value is always assessed by someone — and that someone may not be who you think. So the real question isn't "Am I creating value?" It's “who are your value receivers, and what do they need?” 

Map Your Stakeholders (Yes, All of Them) 

Here's an exercise from our book Move Up or Move On. It's deceptively simple. Brainstorm a list of every person who touches your work or is impacted by it. Think expansively. This isn't just your manager. It includes the people who receive your output and depend on it. The people who rate it. The people who make decisions about you — directly or indirectly. Internal and external. Upstream and downstream. Most people stop at four or five names. Push yourself to ten. You'll be surprised at how many value receivers you may have been ignoring. 

Now For The Uncomfortable Part 

Not all stakeholders are created equal. Once you've built your list, you have to classify them.  Stakeholder management sounds clean and professional, but when it comes to careers, stakeholder management means reading power, influence, agendas, alliances, and risk.  — and this is where it gets uncomfortable.   You need to assess two things:

Power: How much influence does this person have over your work and how it's assessed? Your manager is obvious. But what about the peer whose opinion your manager trusts? The senior leader two levels up who sets the agenda? The cross-functional partner who shapes how your team is perceived? You're essentially asking: is this person, relative to my career, powerful or powerless? Nobody wants to categorize people that way. But here, context matters. This isn't a judgement of their worth — it's an honest assessment of their influence on yours.

Interest. How much does this person care about your work? Are they directly impacted by your results? Does your output determine their ability to deliver? Do delays from you create problems for them?

Some people have high power but low interest in what you do — they shape perceptions from a distance. Others have deep interest but limited power — they depend on you but don't influence how you're assessed. Both matter. Differently.

The Stakeholder Matrix

 Plot your stakeholders on this framework and a picture emerges — one that tells you exactly where to focus your energy.

Those in the top right — high power, high interest — require your most thorough attention. Those with power but low interest? You'd better anticipate their needs before they come asking. High interest but low power? Keep them fully informed. And the rest? Regular, minimal contact. Don't ignore them. But don't over-invest either. The labels tell you “where” to focus. “How” to manage each quadrant is a deeper conversation — one we explore in detail in Move Up or Move On. 

One More Thing: Play the Long Game 

Here's a nuance that trips up even seasoned professionals. This analysis isn't static.Careers unfold over time. The peer with little influence today may be your skip-level leader in two years. The stakeholder in the "minimal contact" quadrant may move into a role that reshapes your world. Never write anyone off permanently. Revisit your map. Update it. Treat it as a living document, because the political landscape shifts — and the professionals who thrive are the ones paying attention. 

What Comes Next 

You now have a tool to identify and prioritize the people who define your value. That's a significant edge. Part of the edge you need. But it opens a harder question — one for another time: once you know who your stakeholders are, how do you find out what they actually need from you? In the meantime, start mapping. You might not love what you find. But you'll be better for knowing it.

Adapted from Move Up or Move On.   Get your copy here: 

The views expressed here are those of the authors and don’t represent those of their associated organizations.