Leaders do not like to talk about power. Some avoid the topic, others play along, consciously or not. As soon as people with different interests and scarce resources work together, politics emerges, whether you like it or not. Those who do not understand it lose influence, often without noticing.
Why politics is part of every company
Especially in early leadership roles, many rely on expertise, performance and loyalty. But organisations are not purely rational systems. Three things make politics unavoidable:
- different interests and perspectives
- dependencies between roles and divisions
- scarce resources and scarce visibility
Where these three meet, tensions arise. Those who do not act are moved by others instead of leading themselves. Without influence, even people of integrity cannot stand up for what they believe is right.
The three networks
1. The operational network. These are the people you work with every day: colleagues, project partners, direct reports. Here it is about reliability and smooth collaboration.
2. The strategic network. It reaches beyond your role and includes internal and external contacts who make developments visible before they become official. Those who maintain it are not surprised by the future.
3. The development network. Sparring partners, sponsors and critical voices who reveal blind spots and broaden perspectives.
Choose strategically
Many only maintain contacts they find pleasant. Those who only talk to like-minded people stay in an echo chamber. Good networks are diverse, reach across roles and are maintained deliberately. What matters is not closeness but relevance.
How are you actually perceived?
Ask yourself regularly:
- Do the relevant people trust me?
- Do they actively work with me or avoid me?
- Am I visible, or am I passed over?
- Is my voice considered strategic or purely operational?
A warning sign: decisions are made without you even though they affect you. Then your influence is too small.
When it gets unfair
There is also a dark side: power games that serve only the ego, manipulation, camp-building. Withdrawal alone is no solution. Do not let yourself be instrumentalised, build trustworthy alliances and stay clear about your integrity. Those who withdraw leave the field to others.
Conclusion
Those who take leadership seriously help shape the politics in the organisation instead of avoiding it. The three networks give you a foundation for this.
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