Navigating Power Struggles Within The Team

“Stay above office politics.” 👆 Ignoring this advice was the smartest career move I made. Early on, I kept my head down and focused on working hard. The result? - I watched visible colleagues get promoted - I watched less qualified peers drive decisions - I watched louder voices get buy-in for mediocre ideas Big mistake. Politics isn’t dirty. It’s human nature to form alliances based on trust, familiarity, and perceived credibility. 📣 Every company has power players who shape decisions, build alignment, and drive action behind the scenes. And staying on the sidelines will quietly exclude you from key rooms and backchannel conversations. You can’t rise up the ranks by just doing the work. You need to do great work and understand the system that moves it forward. 🎯 1) Map out who actually drives decisions (not just titles). Observe how they communicate and engage with them intentionally. 2) Give public credit to others on Slack or in meetings. It builds allies and signals leadership. 3) Know your company’s priorities and align your work and language with them. 4) Build real relationships with peers in other teams—they're often your best advocates in unseen rooms. 🤝 5) Don’t burn bridges. Even when you disagree, exit with respect. This shifted my mindset from feeling like a bystander in office dynamics... To becoming someone who navigates them with clarity and drives positive change. 💡 Avoiding politics doesn’t eliminate them. It just hands your influence to someone else.

I just got off a call with a senior woman leader. Her promotion was quietly erased after months of being told she was next in line. She broke down while telling me that everyone was sure she'd get it. She had the track record, the trust of her peers, and a long list of wins that made her the obvious choice internally. People were already treating her as if the role was hers. But surprisingly, they hired someone from the outside. A man. Since that moment, the energy at work has shifted. Her relationship with her manager (someone who once supported her now feels strained and transactional. She described it as a “cold war.” But she didn’t come to me to complain. She came to think strategically about how to move forward. Because when something like this goes unaddressed, three things happen: → Your work stops getting the visibility it deserves. You’re so capable that people stop advocating for you. They assume you don't need it. → Your presence starts to feel threatening (even if you’re not trying to outshine anyone) Your credibility makes new leaders uncomfortable. They start gatekeeping and create filters that quietly control what you access. → You get labeled “overqualified.” Which sounds flattering. But it’s a trap. You’re excluded from roles that seem too small, but are actually key to your next leap. High-achieving women often get sidelined because they don’t have a strategy for navigating power shifts. Here’s what our plan of action looks like in the coming weeks: ✅ Building her relationship with the new manager ✅ Securing 3 senior leaders to spotlight her value ✅ Creating a parallel exit plan so she stays in control I'll be supporting her to navigate this without pretending to be okay, politicking, or backing down. Ladies, leadership isn’t just about what you’ve done. It’s about knowing how to move when power dynamics change. This is the true essence of strategic influence. Have you ever felt quietly sidelined at work? How did you handle it? ------ 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee - I share actionable ideas to scale your leadership journey. #leadership

The fastest way to stall your career? Pretend politics don’t matter. Plenty of smart executives make this mistake. They assume office politics are beneath them. Meanwhile, less qualified peers glide into roles they wanted. Not because they’re better. Because they understand something others miss: 👉 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱. After walking this path myself—and coaching hundreds of senior leaders—I’ve seen it again and again: Technical excellence gets you 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮. Strategic influence determines what happens 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. Here’s what the most successful leaders do differently: 𝟭/ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 Not the org chart. The 𝘶𝘯𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 power grid. Who does the CEO text after hours? Whose feedback gets implemented before meetings even end? Which quiet players steer big decisions? If you can’t see this map, you’re flying blind. 𝟮/ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 Influence works like a bank account: deposits first. They earn trust by: • Solving real problems for key players • Building bridges across silos • Making others look good without broadcasting it Political goodwill isn’t built in a crisis. 𝟯/ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 Every company 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 they value innovation or collaboration. But pay attention to: • What gets funded vs. what gets praised • Which mistakes get forgiven • Whose meetings never get moved These tell you what 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 matters. 𝟰/ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 Pushback is rarely about your idea’s logic. It’s about: • Whose turf feels threatened • Who was left out of early conversations • What hidden priorities you ignored This isn’t manipulation. It’s reading the room like a strategist. 𝟱/ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 Not all support is equal. Smart leaders focus their energy where real decisions are shaped. Backchannel influence beats formal authority every time. You don’t need everyone on your side—just the 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 people. Bottom line: If you can’t navigate the human systems at the top, your talent will be overlooked. 👇 What unwritten rule of leadership took you too long to learn? ---------------------------------------------- ♻️ Share with a colleague who's ready for their next level. ➕ Follow Courtney Intersimone for more insights on executive influence and advancement.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲—it could be office politics. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 • 70% of promotions are influenced by managing relationships and office politics, not just your job performance. (Source: HBR)    • 58% of employees say that office politics impacts their career growth. (Source: Forbes) 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆: 𝗝𝗶𝗹𝗹'𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 • Jill was a top performer, consistently in the top 10% at her company.    • She was well-liked, worked long hours, and had impressive skills.    • Yet, Jill missed out on a big promotion. 𝗪𝗵𝘆? She didn’t engage in office politics. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴: 𝗡𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: Jill spent all her time at her desk, ignoring key decision-makers. 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: She believed hard work was enough and avoided the political side of work. 𝗡𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Jill assumed others would notice her achievements, so she didn’t discuss them. 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲: She didn’t actively position herself as a leader in the company. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗝𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 Through leadership coaching, Jill identified 5 areas she needed to work on: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀: Jill started attending company events and connecting with influential people. 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: At a luncheon, Jill intentionally sat next to a senior executive and discussed how her team could support his projects, securing a future collaboration. 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗰𝘆: Jill started preparing to share her achievements in meetings. 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: In a meeting, Jill proudly shared how her team saved $200,000, crediting her leadership for the success. 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗝ill learned to respond calmly to others' emotions instead of reacting defensively. 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: When a colleague disagreed with her, she suggested a collaboration, which earned her respect. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: Jill aligned her work with the company’s long-term goals. 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: She volunteered to lead an AI project, positioning her as a forward-thinking leader. 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 & 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Jill started understanding who influenced the company and aligned herself with key players. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁? Jill started getting noticed. She was assigned high-visibility projects and secured her promotion in the next appraisal cycle. 🎉 𝗣.𝗦. Want to unlock your full potential and master office politics? Let me help you navigate the unwritten rules of the workplace. 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲, and let's create a strategy that works for you! #peakimpactmentorship #leadership #success #interviewtips #communication