Building Political Capital Through Reputation and Relationships

When you think of “office politics,” you might picture someone hoarding information or taking credit for others’ work. While negative stereotypes persist, learning to navigate office politics is crucial for leadership — and you can do it without sacrificing your principles or authenticity.

In this episode, organizational psychologist Madeleine Wyatt, along with a guest from the management consulting field, discusses how to become more politically savvy at work by mastering three essential skills: apparent sincerity, networking, and interpersonal influence.

Key episode topics include: leadership, office politics, power and influence, business services sector.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: The Essentials: Playing Office Politics (2023)
• Find more episodes of Women at Work.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org