Redefining "Politics"
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
You Don't Have to Play Politics—But You Do Need to Influence
"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." ~ Thomas Jefferson
What You'll Learn
Why influence isn't the same as politics
How everyone has influence regardless of title
The practice that lets you shape your workplace without compromising your values.
"I don't do politics."
You've probably said it. Maybe even today.
And you probably mean: "I don't manipulate. I don't play games. I don't say what people want to hear instead of the truth."
Which is fair. Nobody wants to do those things.
But here's the question: Are you influencing? Or are you just spectating?
Because there's a massive difference between refusing to manipulate and refusing to engage. One is principled. The other is passive—and passivity doesn't protect your integrity. It just surrenders your influence to people willing to use theirs.
The Real Distinction
Let's clarify what we're actually talking about:
Politics (what nobody wants):
Manipulation and hidden agendas
Talking behind people's backs
Playing favorites
Saying what people want to hear instead of what's true
Influence (what everyone has):
Understanding how decisions get made
Building genuine relationships across the organization
Communicating ideas in ways that land with different people
Navigating competing priorities with integrity
One is manipulation. The other is leadership—regardless of your title.
The mistake most people make is confusing the two and opting out of both.
They don't build relationships across departments, so they have no relational capital when collaboration matters. They don't learn to communicate effectively with different audiences, so their best ideas never gain traction. They don't engage with organizational dynamics, so they're blindsided when decisions happen.
Then they blame "politics" for why nothing changed.
But here's what's actually happening: Without intentional engagement, you're not influencing—you're observing. And observation alone doesn't shape culture.
Everyone Has Influence
Here's what matters: You don't need a title to influence. You already have influence—the question is whether you're using it.
Every conversation is an opportunity to influence. Every meeting is a chance to shape thinking. Every relationship is a pathway to impact beyond your immediate role.
Influence isn't positional. It's relational.
The person who helps a colleague think through a problem has influence. The employee who asks the clarifying question that shifts a team discussion has influence. The individual who builds trust across silos and connects people who need each other has influence.
You're already influencing—either by actively engaging or by passively allowing the culture to be shaped without your voice.
Where Your Comfort Zone Gets in the Way
Your Default Success Strategy shapes whether you engage or spectate:
If your comfort zone is Control: You believe the best ideas should win on merit alone. Building relationships feels unnecessary. You'd rather be right than influential—so your great ideas stay in your department.
If your comfort zone is Connection: You avoid anything that feels like conflict or positioning. You don't want to seem "political," so you stay quiet in strategic conversations—and get left out of important decisions.
If your comfort zone is Harmony: You wait for consensus instead of building coalitions. You smooth over differences instead of navigating them—so nothing moves forward.
If your comfort zone is Accuracy: You study the organizational landscape instead of engaging with it. You want complete information before acting—so by the time you're ready, the decision has been made without you.
Each pattern has the same result: You spectate instead of influence. Then you wonder why the culture doesn't reflect your values.
The Practice: Direct With Love
So how do you influence without playing games? How do you engage without compromising integrity?
One practice changes everything: Be kind.
Not "nice." Not avoiding hard truths. Kind—which means genuinely contributing to others' growth and helping shape a positive culture.
In short: Be direct with love.
This means:
Speaking truth as you see it
Doing it with genuine care for people and mission
Building relationships before you need them
Understanding others' perspectives even when you disagree
Advocating for your ideas while staying open to being wrong
Direct without love becomes harsh and alienating. You're "honest," but nobody listens.
Love without directness becomes nice but ineffective. Everyone likes you, but nothing changes.
Direct with love is the path that actually works. You tell the truth AND you do it in ways that strengthen relationships.
This isn't manipulation. It's influence with integrity.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Build relationships before you need them: Don't wait until you need something from another department to start the relationship. Invest in understanding what they care about, what constraints they face, what success looks like from their seat. When collaboration is needed, you're working with someone who trusts you.
Learn how decisions actually get made: Formal org charts tell you who has authority. Understanding informal influence tells you how things really happen. If you don't know both, you'll keep being surprised.
Communicate to what matters to your audience: Different people care about different things. Finance cares about ROI. Operations cares about feasibility. Leadership cares about strategic alignment. Speaking to what matters to them isn't manipulation—it's respect.
Name competing interests openly: When priorities conflict, don't pretend they don't. Say it: "I know you need X and we need Y, and those are in tension. How do we navigate that together?" This is influencing with integrity—you're not hiding conflict, you're engaging with it honestly.
Have hard conversations directly: When you disagree, especially with someone more senior, go to them directly. Not to their boss. Not to allies to build a case. To them. "I see this differently. Here's why. And I want to understand your perspective because I might be missing something."
The Question That Reveals Everything
Here's how to check whether you're influencing with integrity or avoiding engagement:
Ask yourself: Am I staying out of this because it genuinely violates my values, or because it feels uncomfortable and I'm labeling that discomfort "principle"?
Sometimes building relationships across departments can feel "political"—but it might actually be a comfort zone issue rather than a values conflict.
Sometimes learning to communicate effectively to different audiences can feel like "playing games"—but it might be an influence skill you haven't developed yet, not an integrity compromise.
Real integrity often includes doing the relational work because you care about the mission and the people—even when it feels uncomfortable.
The question isn't whether influence work feels easy. The question is whether avoiding it is actually protecting your values or just protecting your comfort.
The Bottom Line
Nobody wants to play politics. But everyone needs to influence.
And the good news? You already have influence. The question is whether you're using it.
You can spectate—stay on the sidelines, avoid the relational work, and complain when the culture doesn't reflect your values.
Or you can engage—build relationships, communicate effectively, navigate complexity with both directness and love, and actually shape the culture around you.
One feels safer. The other has the power to change things.
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