A very basic but essential rule of management breaks down as so: Allies are assets. Adversaries are liabilities. That said, ensuring you have the former and not the latter is easier said than done. Yes, you need to demonstrate a great degree of technical knowledge and overall professional capabilities. But there are also a number of “soft skills” that can turn the tide in your favor too. The recent book, Adversaries into Allies: Win People Over Without Manipulation or Coercion (Portfolio), demonstrates how to pursue this while falling short of, say, physical threats or blackmail. (Such techniques never work in the movies, anyway …) Author Bob Burg takes a far higher-minded approach, one that will pay longer-lasting dividends. Through the following best practices, CIOs can establish advocates who should remain loyal to their vision indefinitely, establishing mutually beneficial partnerships which can extend throughout an entire career. – See more at: http://www.cioinsight.com/it-management/leadership/slideshows/10-ways-to-build-allies-not-adversaries.html/#sthash.HxQ5Ok6E.dpuf.
