What’s the #1 challenge I hear from leaders across industries?
“The politics.”
The invisible force shaping decisions, alliances, and outcomes.
Turf wars. Performative leadership. Brilliant ideas ignored by those with more ego than insight.
Many try logic, collaboration, compassion – and still hit a wall.
The Leadership Trap: Thinking influence is about being right
Some double down with data. Play nice. Withdraw resentfully.
Eventually, you’re faced with a confronting truth:
📉 Being smart, kind, and values-led doesn’t guarantee influence.
🎭 Especially in status-driven environments, where posturing often trumps contribution.
Because in ego-heavy systems, it’s not just what you say – it’s how you’re perceived.
So how do you lead with heart in a hierarchy that rewards ego?
How do you stay authentic in a world obsessed with appearances?
Politics ≠ Manipulation
Politics, at its core, is simply power and perception.
🎯 To influence with integrity, you must own your voice, understand the system and navigate personalities.
It’s not about playing dirty – it’s about playing consciously.
The Bubble at the Top: When Power Distorts Perception
Not all resistance is personal. Sometimes, it’s structural.
🏛️Leaders at the top often become insulated – protected by gatekeepers, distracted by busyness, and cushioned by confirmation bias.
🧠 Add a healthy dose of overconfidence (or the need to appear confident), plus a few yes-people – and their learning edges vanish.
The result? A relevance gap.
Those closest to the ground see what’s really going on… But the ones with power aren’t listening.
Why?
✔️ Fear of seeming incompetent or out of depth
✔️ Attachment to control over connection
✔️ Avoidance of discomfort and vulnerability
It’s frustrating. But there’s a way through.
6 Ways to Lead with Integrity in a Political World
1. See the Status Signals
Decode the unspoken rules of power and politics.
🧩 What earns respect here – titles, tone, speed, certainty, visibility?
💡 Who do decision-makers refer to?
2. Ask Before Your Assert
Lead with curiosity, not assumption.
❓ What are their priorities, fears, KPIs?
🔍 How do trusted voices earn credibility with this person? How can you model that?
🤝 Offer options and get input to invite buy-in through co-creation.
3. Lead with Purpose, Tailor to Personalities
Egos don’t need fixing – messages need framing.
💬 Translate your truth into a shared language – whether it’s risk, optics, ROI, culture.
🧭 Stay anchored to purpose, but flexible in delivery. Adapt, don’t contort.
4. Don’t Overplay Humility
Grounded ≠ invisible.
🙋 Use “we” language when it builds trust – but own your insight.
📢 For dominant personalities? Be brief, clear and direct. Don’t hedge.
5. Influence Beyond Titles
Influence often flows sideways before it flows upward.
🔄 Become a trusted voice across the system, especially when decision-makers are hard to reach.
🪞Name dynamics with grace, not blame. Create movement even when power is slow to shift.
6. Respond, Don’t React
High-stake settings hijack your nervous system – shrink or explode.
🧘 Notice the charge. Breathe.
💎 Choose strategic truth-telling over emotional noise. Presence over performance.
Leadership Insight:
Authentic influence doesn’t force – it resonates.
Politics isn’t something to avoid, it’s something to navigate.
To move hearts (and systems), stop proving. Start aligning.
💡 Ask yourself: “Where am I withholding my voice because I assume it won’t be heard? What’s the cost of staying silent?
👀 Notice how power flows. Who holds real influence (not just authority)? What do they care about most – risk, speed, control, legacy? Speak their language. Not to sell out – to tune in.
🌱 Stay anchored to your essence (but not rigid). Influence is alignment in motion, so stay true to what’s needed – and to what’s true. Ask: “What does it look like to lead from essence, not ego? How can I honour both truth and timing?”
You don’t need to shout to be heard. Or shrink to stay safe.
The softest truth can still shift the energy.
Speak from clarity, not fear.
That’s how trust builds, and systems evolve.
