We’ve all seen it happen. The technically brilliant employee—the one with the right answers and flawless execution—gets passed over. The empathetic manager who builds strong teams is excluded from key decisions. Meanwhile, someone with less talent or charm ends up leading the initiative, winning the client, or getting the job. Why?

Success at work isn’t determined solely by IQ or EQ. It depends on a different kind of intelligence—one that can be learned but is rarely taught and often misunderstood: Political Intelligence (PQ). PQ is StreetSmarts for the organizational world: the ability to understand how power flows, how decisions get made, and how to influence strategically and ethically. People with high PQ can read a room, build alliances, navigate conflict.

In StreetSmart, Columbia Business School professor Eric Abrahamson delivers a modern guide to political skill—grounded in decades of experience and powered by innovative AI-based exercises. Readers will learn how to: Set authentic political goals, read the political landscape, build power bases, use influence to drive results.

Real-world case studies, self-evaluation instruments, tools, and AI exercises, boost political intelligence and turn it into political habit—making strategic action second nature.

Perfect for forward-looking professionals, emerging leaders, and those who coach and teach them, StreetSmart is your essential playbook for succeeding on your own terms.