Chapter 1: Introduction – What Is PQ and Why It Matters

Success at work is not just about IQ or EQ. It is about Political Intelligence (PQ)—the ability to navigate power and politics with purpose and integrity. PQ is like street smarts for organizations. It is not about playing dirty; it is about defining success on your own terms, reading the room politically, and acting strategically.

Unlike IQ or EQ, PQ can be developed. StreetSmart shows you how, with a four-step system supported by practical tools and AI-powered exercises to help you learn, test, and master political skills before using them in real life.

Think of PQ a four-step sequence like learning to drive:

1.      Set a Political Goal – Define your destination.

 2.      Draw a Political Map – Chart the path and players.

 3.      Build Power – Fuel up for the journey.

 4.      Use Influence – Drive with strategy to get there.

You will build a personal political playbook to achieve a high-stakes goal at work—one that aligns with your values and vision of success.

 Chapter 2: Step 1 – Set a Political Goal That is Authentically Yours

Define a political goal that’s clear, concrete, and deeply yours—what you want, by when, and on what terms. The more specific your goal is—like landing a particular role, shaping its timing, or tailoring the job description—the easier it becomes to conduct the next steps in the PQ process.

But it is not just about the outcome. You will learn to anchor your goal in your deeper values, so success feels not only like a win—but like the right win.

Avoid the “authenticity trap” by seeing authenticity as a dynamic cycle: sometimes being true to yourself fuels your political moves, and sometimes political wins help you grow into a fuller version of yourself.

Use Streetsmarts tools and AI to craft a goal that excites you, motivates action, and reflects who you are.

Chapter 3: Use Scenario – Career Advancement

Put the full four-step PQ method into action to drive your next move—whether it is a promotion, a raise, or a leap to a new role. Go beyond chasing titles: learn how to shape the role before it is offered, so the job you are promoted into is one you have helped define.

Use the same playbook to elevate your team, reward loyalty, and attract top talent. You will learn to see yourself through others’ eyes and treat advancement as a political exchange: What do they need? What can you offer? Build trust that pays off—not just now, but next time too.

Chapter 4: Step 2 – Draw Your Political Map

See your organization as it truly is a living, shifting political ecosystem.

Identify allies, blockers, influencers, and bridge-builders. Who shapes decisions? Who builds momentum? Who can help you (and whom can you help) move things forward? With mapping tools and AI simulations, you will chart your landscape and craft a plan for engaging each player thoughtfully.

You will also learn to focus your energy wisely making sure key contributors are not missing from your map and avoiding the trap of investing in relationships that offer little return for your goals. Smart influence starts with a clear, inclusive map.

Chapter 5: Navigate Rivalries and Form Strategic Alliances

In the political arena, rivals can be threats—or opportunities. Sometimes you need to win over them; other times, you need to win them over. This chapter shows you how to do both. You will learn how to build trust, leverage mutual interests, and create alliances that cut across departments, hierarchies, organizations and even generations—whether by aligning with mentors or empowering rising talent.

You will assess your natural approach to power plays—do you lean toward win-lose or win-win? —and get tools and AI-powered exercises tailored to your style. Try them out in a safe space before deploying them in real-world power dynamics at work.

Chapter 6: Step 3 – Build the Power You Need

There are seven sources of power in organizational life—and this chapter shows you how to build yours. Some are formal, like your title or control over resources. Others are personal: your expertise, reputation, network, access to information, or ability to shape how decisions are made.

You do not need all seven bases to influence every player on your map. What matters is building the right ones for your goal—those that are easiest for you to develop and most effective for the situation. Do not waste political capital where it will not pay off.

With StreetSmart tools and AI, you will assess your current power profile, spot gaps, and get targeted strategies to grow your influence where it counts—on the players who can help you move your goal forward.

Chapter 7: Scenario – Leading Bold Change

Bold change can mean disrupting industries, sparking organizational revolutions, or lighting a burning platform—and sometimes means inspiring others to walk across the embers with you. But not all change is about forcing in the new. It can also come from recombining what you already have: people, capabilities, and proven moves, aligned in a fresh way.

Some initiatives meet resistance. Others succeed by tapping into existing momentum and channeling it with finesse. Political intelligence helps you do both—navigating power obstacles or flowing with opportunity, depending on what your goal requires and who you are as a leader.

This chapter helps you check yourself and refine your transformative change using the four PQ steps: set a clear goal that inspires you and others, map the players, build the right power, and move others to act. With StreetSmart tools and AI guidance, you will craft a change strategy that is bold, grounded, and true to you—one that inspires trust, overcomes resistance, and gets real results.

Chapter 8: Step 4 – Influence with Precision

Any book that says a political tactic always works is selling snake oil. And any book that does not tell you when, where, and with whom to use it? Not much use either. This is not a Machiavellian manual of dirty tricks—it is a guide to smart, fair, effective influence that fits you.

You will build a toolkit of real-world political tactics—but more importantly, you will learn how to tailor them to your goal, your power base, your political map, and your comfort zone. Influence does not have to feel manipulative. When done right, it is about moving people for the right reasons—getting what you have earned and helping your organization move forward.

With StreetSmart’ s AI simulations, you will  practice your moves on realistic “bot versions” of actual workplace players—so when the moment comes, you’ll know exactly what to say, how to say it, and when to hold or fold. This is influence with integrity—and precision.

Chapter 9: Use Scenario – Balancing Work and Life

Success is not always about climbing higher—it might mean stepping back, shifting paths, or making space for your life outside of work. How, for instance, do I make the time to nurture a child or an ailing parent without being sidelined in my up or out organizations. How do I figure out whether the culture of a firm is such that people use political influence tactics that help the firm become more meritocratic, help its performance and its stakeholders.

Learn how to navigate workplace politics when your values or personal commitments do not align with the default path. Use the PQ tools to design your own version of success.

Chapter 10: Use Scenario – Navigating Underrepresentation

When you are one of the few—by gender, race, age, ability, or identity—the political rules often shift.

This chapter addresses the unique political dynamics of underrepresentation and how to use PQ tools to build power, find allies, and influence systems, even when the odds seem stacked against you.

Chapter 11: Adapting When the Game Changes

Organizations change. People leave. Politics shift. Your goals evolve.

Political intelligence is not a one-and-done—it is a skill you will use for life. This chapter teaches how to adjust your playbook when the environment changes—quickly, wisely, and with purpose.