The Office Politics Game: Why Playing Fair Isn't Always Fair

Office politics isn't going anywhere, despite what those motivational LinkedIn posts keep telling us.

I've been navigating corporate corridors for the better part of two decades now, and I can tell you this much - anyone who says "I don't do office politics" is either lying, naive, or about to get steamrolled by someone who does. It's like saying you don't participate in gravity while standing on a building site.

Here's the thing that'll make some of you squirm: office politics isn't inherently evil. It's just human nature played out in fluorescent-lit conference rooms with terrible coffee. The problem isn't that politics exists - it's that most people are absolutely shocking at it.

The Unspoken Rules Nobody Talks About

Let me paint you a picture. Sarah from accounting gets promoted over Michael from marketing, despite Michael having more experience and better qualifications on paper. Sarah understood something Michael didn't - that building genuine relationships with decision-makers matters more than having the perfect KPIs. She grabbed coffee with the CFO every Tuesday, not to brown-nose, but because she genuinely wanted to understand the bigger picture of where the company was heading.

Michael? He kept his head down, did excellent work, and wondered why excellence wasn't enough.

This is where 78% of professionals get it wrong - they confuse office politics with manipulation. Real office politics is about understanding the informal networks that exist in every organisation. It's anthropology, not scheming.

The most successful people I know - and I'm talking about the ones who actually sleep well at night - have mastered the art of authentic influence. They don't play games; they understand the game that's already being played.

Here's what actually works:

Know who the real decision-makers are (hint: it's not always the person with the biggest title). Build relationships before you need them. Share credit generously. Never, ever badmouth someone to their peers - the corporate world is smaller than you think.

When Good People Play Politics Badly

I once worked with a brilliant project manager - let's call him Dave - who thought office politics was beneath him. Dave believed that good work would speak for itself. For three years, he watched less competent colleagues get promoted while his own career stagnated.

The breaking point came when Dave's own direct report got the team leader position he'd been eyeing. Same company, same department, same boss who supposedly valued Dave's contributions.

Dave finally asked for feedback. The response? "We weren't sure you wanted more responsibility. You never seemed interested in the strategic side of things."

Translation: Dave had isolated himself from the informal conversations where real decisions get made. He'd optimised for being right instead of being influential.

This is where I need to admit something I got spectacularly wrong early in my career. I thought managing difficult conversations meant avoiding them altogether. Turns out, the most politically savvy people are the ones who lean into discomfort. They're the ones having the conversations that everyone else is dodging.

The Dark Arts of Positive Politics

Let's talk about what positive office politics actually looks like, because most people have it backwards.

Positive politics isn't about being fake nice to everyone. It's about being strategically generous with your expertise and connections. When you help others succeed, you build social capital. When you build social capital, you get access to information and opportunities that would otherwise pass you by.

I know a HR director in Brisbane who's absolute masterful at this. She makes it her business to know what challenges each department is facing, not so she can gossip, but so she can make valuable introductions. She's connected our marketing team with a fantastic freelance designer, helped finance find a new software solution, and somehow always knows which internal candidates would be perfect for new roles.

Is this political? Absolutely. Is it manipulative? Not even close.

The secret sauce is this: help other people get what they want, and you'll be amazed how often they'll help you get what you want. It's not rocket surgery, but it does require thinking beyond your immediate job description.

The Myth of Meritocracy

Here's an uncomfortable truth that'll ruffle some feathers: pure meritocracy is a beautiful myth that exists nowhere in the real world.

Every promotion decision, every project assignment, every "quick chat" that turns into a career opportunity - these happen between humans who have biases, preferences, and limited information. The people who succeed aren't necessarily the most qualified; they're the ones who've made it easy for decision-makers to see their value.

Take two equally skilled software developers. One consistently delivers excellent code and goes home at 5:30. The other delivers excellent code AND volunteers for the cross-functional project that gives her visibility with senior leadership. Guess who's more likely to be considered for the next architect role?

This isn't about working longer hours or kissing up to the boss. It's about understanding that career progression happens in the spaces between formal performance reviews.

The Australian Advantage

We've got something of an advantage in Australia when it comes to office politics - our cultural tendency toward directness and egalitarianism means the game is usually played more openly than in other cultures. We're less likely to encounter the byzantine corporate hierarchies you see in some international companies.

But this also means we can be blindsided when we do encounter more subtle political dynamics, especially in multinational organisations or when dealing with overseas colleagues who play by different rules.

I learned this the hard way during a project with our Singapore office. My typical Aussie approach of "let's just put all the cards on the table" nearly derailed six months of relationship building. Sometimes reading the room means understanding that not every culture values the same kind of transparency we do.

The Cost of Staying Out

Between you and me, the people who insist they're "above" office politics usually end up paying a higher price than those who engage thoughtfully.

They miss out on stretch assignments because they weren't part of the conversation when opportunities were being discussed. They get blindsided by organisational changes because they weren't connected to the informal information networks. They watch their ideas get implemented by someone else who was better at building support.

The irony is that by trying to stay "pure," they often end up feeling more cynical about their workplace than people who engage with political realities constructively.

Making It Work for You

Start small. Pay attention to the informal networks in your workplace. Who do people go to for advice? Who seems to know about changes before they're officially announced? Who do senior leaders trust with their pet projects?

Related Resources: Building Leaders Further Resources

Don't try to become someone you're not. The best political operators are authentically themselves - they just happen to be strategic about how they show up. If you're naturally analytical, become the person who asks the thoughtful questions that help everyone see the bigger picture. If you're naturally collaborative, become the person who builds bridges between competing priorities.

And for the love of all that's holy, stop treating office politics like it's optional. It's not. The only choice you have is whether you'll be intentional about it or let it happen to you.

The game is already being played. The question is: are you going to learn the rules, or are you going to keep wondering why other people seem to get all the lucky breaks?