Latest / New Manager Conversations with Fexingo: First 90 Days, Managing Former Peers, and Leadership Basics / How New Managers Can Navigate Office Politics Without Playing Games
Transcript
- Lucas: You get promoted to manager, and nobody warns you that half the job is basically political science. You're suddenly in meetings where the decision was made before the meeting started, and your team expects you to protect them from stuff you can't even name. Luna: Right — and the advice we usually get is 'just stay out of politics.' Which is impossible. If you're a manager, you're already in the game. Lucas: Exactly. So today I want to talk about how new managers can navigate office politics without turning into someone they don't recognize. And I want to anchor it in a real situation I saw recently. Luna: Let me guess — the classic 'inherited team with an informal leader' scenario? Lucas: That's exactly it. A friend of mine — let's call her Priya — got promoted to team lead at a mid-sized SaaS company. Six-person team. On paper, she's the boss. But everyone knows that Marcus, a senior engineer who's been there eight years, is the one people actually go to for advice, for approval, for the real scoop. Luna: Oof. That's tough. And if she tries to assert authority directly, she looks insecure. If she ignores Marcus, she loses the team. Lucas: Exactly. So she needed a political map, not a power play. And that's what I want to share — a simple framework I call the 'three-circle map' for understanding the political landscape as a new manager. Luna: Okay, I'm taking notes. What are the three circles? Lucas: First circle: formal structure — the org chart, who reports to whom, who controls budget and headcount. That's the official version. Second circle: informal influence — who do people actually listen to? Who kills ideas in hallway conversations? Who gets called into the VP's office before big decisions? Luna: And the third? Lucas: Third circle: personal motivations — what does each key player actually care about? Career advancement? Job security? Recognition? A pet project? When you know that, you can frame your proposals in terms that align with their interests. Luna: So for Priya, mapping the informal circle would show Marcus as a central node. Then she can figure out what Marcus wants. Lucas: Right. And it turned out Marcus wasn't trying to undermine her — he was just used to being the go-to person. He cared about legacy, about being respected for his technical judgment. So Priya did something smart. Luna: What? Lucas: She asked Marcus to be her technical sounding board. Not officially — just 'hey, before I take this to the VP, can I run it by you?' That gave him influence without threatening her authority. And it signaled to the team that she respected the culture. Luna: That's a great move. She turned a potential rival into an ally by giving him exactly what he valued — a voice in decisions. Lucas: And here's the thing — that's not manipulation. That's leadership. You're aligning roles with motivations. The alternative is either fighting him or ignoring him, both of which would have failed. Luna: I think a lot of new managers hear 'office politics' and immediately think of backstabbing or brown-nosing. But what you're describing is just understanding how decisions really get made. That's a skill. Lucas: It absolutely is. And the best new managers I've seen treat it like any other part of their job — they observe, they ask questions, they build relationships before they need them. Luna: Right, because if you wait until you're in a crisis to figure out who has pull, you're already behind. Lucas: Exactly. So let me give listeners a concrete exercise. In your first 30 days as a new manager, draw your own three-circle map. List the key people in and around your team. For each one, note their formal role, their informal influence, and what you think their core motivation is. Luna: And then what? How do you use that map? Lucas: You use it to prioritize your one-on-ones. Spend more time with the high-influence people — even if they're not your direct reports. Find out what they're working on, what frustrates them, what they need from your team. That's how you build political capital. Luna: It's almost like networking, but internal. And it's not about being fake — you genuinely want to understand the business better. Lucas: Exactly. And I want to add one more layer: the idea of 'feeding upward.' New managers often focus all their energy on their team — which is right, but incomplete. You also need to manage up and sideways. Luna: What does feeding upward look like in practice? Lucas: It means regularly sending your boss and peers concise updates about your team's wins, challenges, and needs. Not to brag — to make yourself useful as a source of information. When you're the person who surfaces problems before they become fires, you become indispensable. Luna: And that builds trust. Your boss knows you're not hiding anything, and peers see you as a collaborator, not a silo. Lucas: Right. And it's a small habit — like sending a Friday afternoon email with three bullet points. Costs you five minutes, pays off for months. Luna: Okay, but what about the darker side of politics? What if you have a peer who actively undermines you — like takes credit for your team's work or spreads rumors? Lucas: That's a different category. That's toxic behavior, not normal politics. And the first step is always documentation. Keep a timeline of incidents. Then address it directly, but privately — say something like 'I noticed that in the meeting, my team's contribution wasn't mentioned. In the future, I'd appreciate if we could share credit accurately.' Luna: And if that doesn't work? Lucas: Then you escalate to your manager, with your documentation. But most political problems are not that dramatic. They're just about visibility and alignment. Luna: You know, this conversation reminds me of something. A few listeners have mentioned that they find our episodes useful, and that's really the reason we keep doing them day after day. We don't run ads, we don't have sponsors — it's just listener-supported. Lucas: Yeah, and that's only possible because a small group of listeners chip in through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's not a big ask — it's just what keeps the lights on and lets us keep making these episodes free for everyone. Luna: And we're grateful for every single person who does. It genuinely makes a difference. Alright, back to the topic — because I want to dig into one more piece of this. Lucas: Sure. What's on your mind? Luna: You mentioned 'giving credit publicly.' How does that play into navigating politics? Because I've seen managers hoard credit and it backfires spectacularly. Lucas: Oh, it's one of the highest-leverage moves you can make. When you publicly credit your team members, two things happen. First, your team sees you as a leader who's secure enough to share the spotlight. That builds loyalty. Second, your peers and bosses notice — they think 'this person develops talent.' Luna: So it's both a team-building move and a political move. You look good by making others look good. Lucas: Exactly. And the reverse is also true — if you take credit for your team's work, you'll quickly lose their trust, and eventually your reputation will catch up with you. Luna: I think that's the key distinction between healthy and unhealthy politics. Healthy politics is about building relationships, sharing credit, and aligning interests. Unhealthy politics is about hoarding power, hiding information, and undermining others. Lucas: Right. And as a new manager, you get to choose which game you play. But you don't get to opt out of the game entirely. The teams that suffer are the ones whose managers pretend politics doesn't exist. Luna: So what's the one thing a new manager should do this week to start navigating politics better? Lucas: Schedule a fifteen-minute coffee chat with someone in your organization who you don't normally interact with — but who has influence. A peer in another department, a senior leader two levels up, someone in HR or finance. Just ask them what they're working on and what they need from your team. Luna: Low stakes, high return. And you'll start building that map of informal influence. Lucas: Exactly. One conversation at a time. That's how you learn the real org chart — the one that isn't on paper. Luna: Alright, I'm going to do that myself this week. And I hope our listeners give it a try too. Lucas: Same here. Thanks for listening, and we'll talk to you next time. Luna: Take care, everyone.