Further Resources
Why Playing Office Politics Isn't Actually Playing Dirty (And Other Truths Your Boss Won't Tell You)
Related Articles:
Here's something that'll make your head spin: the same people who complain loudest about office politics are usually the ones getting steamrolled by it every single day. I've watched this play out for seventeen years across three different industries in Australia, and mate, it's like watching someone complain about rain whilst refusing to carry an umbrella.
Let me be crystal clear about something. Office politics isn't some evil corporate conspiracy designed to crush your soul. It's just humans being humans in a workplace setting. And if you think you can avoid it entirely, you're about as naive as a tourist thinking they can survive a Darwin summer without sunscreen.
The Myth That's Killing Your Career
Here's where I'm going to lose half of you: emotional intelligence is more valuable than technical skills in most Australian workplaces. There, I said it. Your ability to read a room, build alliances, and navigate competing priorities will trump your spreadsheet wizardry every single time.
I learnt this the hard way back in 2011 when I was working with a mining company in Perth. Brilliant engineer, absolute gun at his job, couldn't understand why his ideas kept getting shot down in meetings. Meanwhile, Janet from accounting - who couldn't calculate compound interest without a calculator - was getting promoted because she understood how to build consensus. Frustrated me to no end at the time. Now I realise Janet was simply better at the job that actually mattered.
The Brisbane Revelation
Three years ago, I was running a conflict resolution workshop when something clicked. This manager from a construction company was describing how she'd "stayed above the politics" for her entire career. Yet she couldn't understand why her team was constantly undermined by other departments.
Classic case of bringing a calculator to a chess match.
See, here's what no one wants to admit: every workplace has informal power structures that operate alongside the official org chart. Ignoring these structures doesn't make you noble. It makes you ineffective.
Think about it this way - if you were playing AFL, would you ignore the boundary lines just because you think they're arbitrary? Of course not. You'd work within the rules to achieve your goals. Same principle applies to office dynamics.
What Actually Works (And What Absolutely Doesn't)
After working with everyone from CEOs to apprentices, I've noticed some patterns. The people who succeed at office politics - the ethical kind, not the backstabbing variety - share three characteristics:
They map the real decision-makers. Not just who's on the org chart, but who actually influences decisions. Sometimes it's the CEO's executive assistant. Sometimes it's the guy who's been there for twenty years and knows where all the bodies are buried. Always worth figuring out.
They invest in relationships before they need them. Here's a radical concept: be genuinely interested in your colleagues as human beings. Ask about their weekend. Remember their kids' names. Share a coffee. Revolutionary stuff, I know.
They communicate in currency that matters to each person. Your finance director cares about budgets. Your operations manager cares about efficiency. Your marketing lead cares about brand perception. Speak their language, not yours.
But here's what definitely doesn't work, despite what some leadership gurus might tell you: trying to be everyone's mate. You're not running for student council president. You're trying to get things done in a complex organisation with competing priorities.
The Dark Side Nobody Talks About
Now, I'm not saying office politics is all sunshine and collaborative problem-solving. There's definitely a dark side that'll make your skin crawl. I've seen managers who deliberately create conflict between team members to maintain control. I've watched executives take credit for other people's work without batting an eyelid. I've witnessed systematic bullying disguised as "performance management."
This stuff exists, and pretending it doesn't won't protect you from it.
The solution isn't to become one of these people. But you need to recognise their tactics and protect yourself accordingly. Document important conversations. Build your own network of allies. Keep records of your contributions. Basic professional self-defence.
The Sydney Syndrome
I was consulting with a tech startup in Sydney last year - everyone under thirty, ping pong table in the break room, the whole nine yards. The founder kept insisting they'd created a "politics-free workplace." Meanwhile, half the development team was quietly furious because the other half kept getting their feature requests prioritised.
Politics isn't something you eliminate by declaring your workplace politics-free. It's something you manage through transparent processes and clear communication.
That Sydney company? They're doing much better now that they've admitted politics exists and put systems in place to manage it fairly. Novel concept, I know.
The 73% Problem
Here's a statistic that should terrify you: 73% of Australian professionals believe they've been passed over for opportunities due to office politics. But here's the thing - most of them define "office politics" as "any informal interaction that influences business decisions."
That's like saying you lost a football match because the other team was better at football.
What You Should Actually Do Tomorrow
Stop thinking about office politics as something that happens to you. Start thinking about it as a skill set you can develop. Like negotiation or project management, it's learnable.
Week 1: Map your workplace's informal networks. Who talks to whom? Who gets consulted on decisions? Who knows about changes before they're announced? Time management starts with understanding how decisions actually get made in your organisation.
Week 2: Identify three people whose success would help your success. Not people you want something from - people whose goals align with yours. Find ways to support their objectives.
Week 3: Start communicating your work and achievements more strategically. Not bragging - informing. Big difference. Your boss needs to understand your contributions to advocate for you effectively.
The thing is, you're already participating in office politics whether you realise it or not. Every time you choose who to eat lunch with, whose meeting invitation you accept first, whose email you respond to immediately - that's political behaviour.
The Adelaide Awakening
I'll leave you with this: last month I was working with a mid-level manager in Adelaide who'd been stuck in the same role for four years. Brilliant at her job, universally respected by her team, couldn't understand why she kept getting overlooked for promotions.
Turns out she'd been having all her strategic conversations via email with her direct manager. Meanwhile, the senior leadership team was making decisions in informal conversations she wasn't part of. She wasn't doing anything wrong - she just wasn't doing enough right.
Six weeks later, after she started building relationships with peers in other departments and contributing to cross-functional projects, she got offered two different promotions.
Magic? Hardly. She just started playing the game that was already being played around her.
Look, I get it. The whole thing can feel artificial and exhausting. Sometimes you just want to do good work and have that be enough. But here's the reality: in any organisation larger than five people, good work is necessary but not sufficient.
Your choice isn't whether to engage with office politics. Your choice is whether to engage with it thoughtfully and ethically, or let it happen to you whilst you complain about how unfair everything is.
Me? I'd rather carry the umbrella.
Our Favourite Resources: