What nobody tells you
- 'Staying out of politics' is itself a political choice — it usually just means ceding influence to people less scrupulous about using it.
- The most respected people in most organizations are political in the sense of building relationships and influence, but they don't use it to undermine others.
- You can build real influence without ever lying, gossiping maliciously, or throwing someone under the bus — it just takes more patience.
The basics
- Politics, neutrally defined, is just how influence and decisions move through relationships and informal networks — not inherently dishonest.
- Unethical politics specifically involves deception, credit theft, sabotage, and using private information against people.
- You can build alliances and influence for good ends (protecting your team, advancing a good idea) without adopting unethical tactics.
The framework
Build Influence, Refuse the Ugly Tactics
A line you can hold: engage fully in building relationships and influence, but rule out specific unethical tactics regardless of the payoff.
- 01
Never spread information you were told in confidence, even when it would help you.
- 02
Never take credit for someone else's work or let a false narrative about who did what stand uncorrected.
- 03
Build coalitions around ideas and outcomes, not around excluding or undermining specific people.
The playbook
The conversation — what to actually say
Declining to participate in gossip or undermining
“I'd rather not get into that — I don't have full context and don't want to speculate about someone who isn't here.”
Building a coalition around an idea
“I think this approach solves a real problem for the team — would you be willing to back it if it comes up in the planning meeting?”
Correcting a misattributed outcome
“Just for accuracy — that was actually led by [name]'s team, want to make sure they get the credit.”
The mistakes — what people get wrong
- Thinking you can stay entirely apolitical and be unaffected by how decisions actually get made around you.
- Using private information shared with you as leverage, even once — it destroys trust permanently when discovered.
- Building alliances that are really just exclusion campaigns against specific colleagues.
- Believing ethical navigation means being naive about how influence actually works — the two aren't the same.
Ask yourself
- Have I set clear lines for myself about tactics I won't use, regardless of advantage?
- Am I building influence around ideas, or around excluding specific people?
- Would I be comfortable if everything I said about a colleague was said to their face?
Go deeper
- Book
Power — Jeffrey Pfeffer
A clear-eyed look at organizational influence, useful for understanding the terrain even if you choose a more ethical path through it.
- Practice
Write your own line list
Decide in advance the specific tactics you refuse to use, regardless of payoff.
- Exercise
The confidentiality test
Before sharing any sensitive information, ask if you were explicitly told it in confidence.
General educational information, not legal, tax, medical, or financial advice. Rules vary by country and change over time — verify with a qualified professional before acting.