WORKPLACE DYNAMICS & POLITICS
Navigate power, influence,
and difficult relationships.
When office politics, power dynamics, or toxic relationships are blocking your work, this category gives you the strategic tools to read the room, protect your position, and communicate with confidence
If you're in a political crisis right now
Stop reacting emotionally. Your first goal is to pause, assess, and protect your position. Start here:
- Don't reply to inflammatory emails or messages for at least 30 minutes.
- Identify the one person with actual decision-making power in this situation.
- Write down the facts only—no interpretations, emotions, or accusations.
- Use one of the tools below to plan your next move, not your counter-attack.
What this category covers
Use this category when workplace politics, power games, or toxic relationships are affecting your work, reputation, or well-being. It's built for situations where rational arguments aren't working because the real issue is about influence, territory, or personality conflicts.
When to use this category
- You're being excluded from meetings or decisions that affect your work.
- A colleague or stakeholder is undermining you or taking credit for your work.
- Office politics are preventing progress on important initiatives.
- You're caught in conflicts between different teams or leaders.
- You need to navigate a toxic or manipulative person without escalating.
- You're being pressured to take sides in a conflict that isn't yours.
If the issue is purely about workload or unclear priorities, try Clarity, Priorities & Direction. If it's about your direct manager's behavior, try Manager Relationship & Leadership Style.
What this category helps you do:
- Read power dynamics and understand who really influences decisions.
- Communicate effectively with difficult or political people.
- Protect your reputation and work from being undermined.
- Build influence without engaging in manipulative tactics.
- Navigate conflicts and toxic situations strategically.
- Maintain professionalism under political pressure.
How you'll recognise this pattern
You'll recognise it if:
Decisions aren't made on merit, but on relationships and influence.
- Important conversations happen in informal settings you're not part of.
- People say one thing in meetings and another privately.
- Your work or ideas are being credited to someone else.
- You're being pressured to align with certain people or groups.
- Colleagues use passive-aggressive communication or subtle sabotage.
- You feel like you're walking on eggshells around certain people.
Typical pain points:
The official org chart doesn't match where real power and influence lie.
- Having to manage upwards and sideways simultaneously.
- Watching less qualified people advance through relationships.
- Being blamed for problems you didn't create.
- Having your authority undermined by peers or stakeholders.
- Spending more time managing relationships than doing actual work.
- Feeling isolated or excluded from important networks.
What's really happening underneath
Workplace politics aren't inherently negative—they're simply the informal ways people gain and use power in organizations. The problems arise when these dynamics become toxic, unfair, or obstructive to getting work done effectively.
- Most political behavior stems from insecurity, fear, or competition for limited resources.
- People often use political tactics when they feel their formal authority or expertise is insufficient.
- Informal networks and relationships frequently carry more weight than formal reporting lines.
- Toxic politics thrive in environments with poor leadership, unclear strategy, or scarce resources.
- Being "apolitical" can sometimes leave you vulnerable to those who aren't.
- Most workplace conflicts are about power, territory, or recognition—not the surface issues being discussed.
Your core moves in this category
These moves define your approach and posture — how to think about the situation strategically before you act. Use them to shape your intent, then apply the specific tools that follow.
- Identify who has formal power vs. informal influence.
- Understand alliances, conflicts, and agendas of key players.
- Recognize the unwritten rules and cultural norms.
- Identify who controls resources, information, and decisions.
- Figure out what different stakeholders really want (not what they say).
- Connect with influencers who can support your work.
- Develop allies across different groups and functions.
- Find mentors or sponsors who can advocate for you.
- Help others succeed to build reciprocity.
- Maintain professional relationships even with difficult people.
- Frame messages to align with others' interests and concerns.
- Choose the right channels and timing for sensitive communications.
- Document important agreements and decisions.
- Use neutral, factual language in conflicts.
- Know when to speak up and when to listen.
Recommended from The Toolkit
Start with the influence map to understand the political landscape, then move to specific communication and protection tools. Each tool is designed to give you strategic advantage while maintaining your integrity.
- Maps formal and informal power structures in your organization.
- Identifies key influencers, decision-makers, and gatekeepers.
- Reveals alliances, conflicts, and hidden agendas.
- Helps you understand why certain initiatives succeed or fail.
- Identifies vulnerabilities in your current position and reputation.
- Provides strategies to document and showcase your contributions.
- Offers scripts for addressing credit-taking or undermining behavior.
- Helps build visibility with the right people at the right time.
- Structures challenging conversations with political or difficult people.
- Provides language for addressing issues while maintaining relationships.
- Includes strategies for different personality types and power dynamics.
- Helps you stay calm and focused when emotions run high.
Strategic scripts for political situations
Not sure if this is the right category?