How to navigate office politics without selling your Product Leader soul to the Devil

Raise your hand if office politics has ever got you down. 🙋🏻‍♀️

I was having beers with friends last week and office politics was the hot topic. We talked about how office politics was sometimes our biggest source of stress. But, at the same, we admitted that office politics is an unavoidable, even natural, part of work.

I used to think that office politics was manipulation and ass-kissing. Therefore evil.

I first really observed office politics when I was in my 3rd job. There were just people in our organization who always “won”. Their ideas and projects were always approved. They could just walk up to the bosses and casually give them feedback and they were always consulted for everything. At the same time, they were always either up for a promotion or had consistent bonuses.

I also saw gifts being exchanged for Birthdays and Christmases. Also lunch invites and after work drinks too. So I thought that’s how you win. By bribery.

So I thought politics wasn’t for me.

In job number 4, I was employee number 1. And because of this, I was able to build a good relationship with my bosses before other people joined the company. This time, I noticed that I was the one who always…