Stop Playing Office Politics. Run a Two-Person Strategy.

Sep 19, 2025

∙ Paid

Most “office politics” advice is noise.

One side says suck up to everyone. The other says “let your work speak.”

Both fail. You become a politician or a ghost.

Here’s what works: pick the 2–3 people who control the decisions you care about, and make their jobs easier every week.

No drama. Just value.

If the market still feels opaque, get the lay of the land first with The 2025 Job Market: What’s Really Going On (and How to Adapt), then come back and run this.

The Two-Person Strategy

If you’re scattered on applications, tighten your focus using Stop Applying Everywhere: The 10-Application Strategy That Works. Same principle: fewer, sharper moves.

Leverage: Help the few who move the many.
Clarity: No random networking. All signal, no fluff.
Speed: Fewer asks, faster yeses.
Proof: Deciders see your work where it counts.
If you struggle to show proof, read Your Resume Has a Math Problem — Not a Format Problem and start tracking numbers now.

They approve promotions or headcount.
They assign high-visibility work.
People look to them before making decisions.
Their name is on the key threads right before a call is made.
If your deciders are toxic or reward chaos, you’re in the wrong room; build leverage instead with Stop Networking. Start Building Career Capital.

If your deciders are toxic or reward chaos, you’re in the wrong room.

Don’t try to win a broken game.

Scope up: You own a cross-team workstream or a high-impact project (pair with Quiet Rules That Get You Promoted In 90 Days).
Pull demand: Deciders DM you for input before meetings.
Numbers: At least two hard wins you can defend (e.g., cycle time −25%, churn risk −0.8 pts, pipeline +$600K, MTTR −40%) — log them using the math in Your Resume Has a Math Problem.
Career signal: Your manager or skip-level mentions “next level” in writing.
Hit 3 of 4, you’re on track. Miss them? Change your 2–3 or change the room.

Hit 3 of 4, you’re on track.

Miss them? Change your 2–3 or change the room.

Stop playing politics. Run a two-person strategy.

Pick the 2–3 who decide your future. Make their lives easier. Every week, with proof.

Everything else is theater!

If you want the exact steps, the full playbook with templates, scripts, and a day-by-day plan is below for Premium members.

Upgrade to Premium → and start using it today.

And if you’re still struggling to land interviews, fix your funnel with How to Apply for Jobs That Actually Call You Back.

You want the system, not fluff. Here it is:

(exclusive for Paid subscribers)