Stephan Schmidt - October 14, 2025

Engineering Managers vs. Office Politics: What You Need to Know

Understanding, Navigating, and Surviving Company Politics as a Technical Leader

Politics. Most engineering managers hate it. But it happens.

What is office politics, how does it happen and what can you do?

Small companies have no politics. Founders are not politicians but creators.

As a company grows, gets investments, hires more people, politics starts to happen. At one point the company lights up like a christmas tree to politicians and attracts them like a light moths. Political managers - politicians - are drawn to power. So there needs to be something valuable, something worth fighting for, something to reign to be attractive to politicians. There is no power in a ten person company. But there is power in a fifty person company that got a $10 million investment.

At that point be very careful with hiring. Politicians will show up with their sweet tongue they’ll lie through the interview to get hired. They have an impressive CV, because this is all they do and care about - their CV. This is how they identify. They don’t want to succeed by results but by politics. They use the company as a stepping stone for their career, for the next job. They don’t care in any way about the people, the company, the customers, the product or anything except themselves.

Politicians have no skills other than politics. They get hired on selling themselves and a bright vision, they can solve all your problems, they indeed the only ones who can solve all of your problems. They get promoted on political moves - not on real skills. They don’t fail because when the chickens come home to roost, they are already gone - moved on to the next job.

As Ben Horowitz writes in “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” about politics:

The surest way to turn your company into the political equivalent of the U.S. Senate is to hire people with the wrong kind of ambition. As defined by Andy Grove, the right kind of ambition is ambition for the company’s success with the executive’s own success only coming as a by-product of the company’s victory. The wrong kind of ambition is ambition for the executive’s personal success regardless of the company’s outcome.

and

Build strict processes for potentially political issues and do not deviate. These activities include: performance evaluation and compensation, organizational design and territory, promotions.

Some companies breed politics. It’s often top down, the CEO encourages people to play politics by their behavior - e.g. rewarding those who talk most about themselves, instead of numbers and facts. Larger companies have more politics, and the largest and most prestigious ones have the biggest pull on politicians. Companies without rules, without process

Politicians misrepresent facts, backstab colleagues, manouver behind your back. They say “yes” to look like a team player, but then do not deliver on your project to make you fail. They put the worst people in your project to sabotage it. They reopen decisions when you’re not there if they weren’t beneficial to them. They ignore things you need and just wait them out instead of supporting you. They pass the buck, they deflect blame, they never take responsibility. They make you look bad every way they can. In a board meeting they will present you as incompetent. They want your job or your team. They will whisper to the CEO behind closed doors to get a team that is reporting to you, because they want it on their CV. Today this might be AI. They are always on the lookout to make you look bad. They are not interested in products and projects, only as far as it makes them look good.

All of this and more has happend to me in my career, and boy was I naive.

What has helped me survive office politics?

What can you do?

Recognize the Warning Signs

Actively look for red flags during interviews, early warning signs after hiring, and meeting behaviors to watch for

Building Your Coalition

Strategically build a support network with peers, HR, technical leaders, and executives before you need it

Know how they work

Understand how politicians work and understand when politics are involved. The majority of your colleagues and peers are good people, but not everyone has your best interests at heart.

Market yourself

Talk about your successes to counterweight opposite narratives.

Build on a tight relation to the CEO so they trust you

Have weekly meetings with the CEO - give them levers to understand technology

Build strong relationships with your peers - invest in networking

Actively build stong relationships. Sitting in meetings together does not build relationships. Have lunch together, have regular weekly meetings, talk about things outside of work. Announce your intentions and then deliver to build trust.

Communicate proactively

Communicate results and progress proactively to stakeholders, don’t hold back. This way you’re anchoring perceptions instead of the politician.

Take a stand

Position yourself clearly and stand your ground.

Don’t meet without a witness

Have a witness in every meeting with a politician.

Document everything - meetings, decisions

Document decisions that were made in meetings, follow up to every meeting with a politician with a protocol or an email. Document your decisions. When something goes wrong, you can refer to the documentation to defend yourself.

Put people into CC of emails when mailing the politician

This way you can keep track of what was discussed and what was decided.

Be prepared, get briefed on numbers and projects before important meetings

Be prepared to discuss the numbers and projects. This way you look competent, in control and you can defend your decisions.

Reputation is your political capital.

People make decisions based on how they perceive you. Guard your credibility and deliver consistent results — reliability is the strongest political currency.

Handling Political Attacks in Real-Time

Actual scripts and responses for various political situations (misrepresented facts, credit stealing, FUD, etc.)

When Your CEO or Founder Is the Politician

Leave

Build genuine relationships before you need them.

Influence comes from trust and reciprocity, not manipulation. Invest early in authentic connections across departments and hierarchies.

Map the informal power network.

Titles don’t tell the whole story. Understand who truly influences decisions, who acts as gatekeepers, and where alliances lie — then navigate accordingly.

Manage up with empathy and clarity.

Learn your boss’s priorities, communication style, and pressures. Align your work with what makes them (and the organization) succeed.

Stay professional under pressure.

Don’t react emotionally to unfairness or gossip. Respond with composure and facts; you’ll earn respect and avoid escalation.

Pick your battles strategically.

Not every issue is worth fighting over. Focus on what aligns with your values and long-term goals; let small power plays go.

Protect yourself from toxic politics.

Document decisions, maintain allies, and avoid gossip networks. If manipulation is rampant, focus on integrity and visibility of your contributions.

Be politically aware, not political.

The goal is to understand the system, not exploit it. Strategic awareness allows you to advance your work and principles without losing authenticity.

Protecting Your Team From Fallout

Buffer your team from toxic politicians, e.g. by assisting them in meeting and help them prepare. Be an umbrella if needed to maintainpsychological safety

Leave

If nothing works, leave.

If you’re in a position to keep politicians out, do it. Probe for real experiences, go deep in interviews. Let them explain how they got promoted in the past. Do they say we, the team, or do they say me, me, me? The easiest way to deal with politicians is to keep them out of the company and not have to deal with them.

They will derail the company, create mistrust, chaos, detract from success and are a burden to your startup. Say no to office politics as a manager, stop all the politics you see. People will look up to you and act the way you act. You let politics happen and it will spread.

Recovery and Learning

If you’ve been caught in political crossfire or lost a battle to a politician, recovery takes time. First, acknowledge the emotional toll—being undermined, backstabbed, or manipulated is traumatic and it’s normal to feel angry, betrayed, or question your judgment. I’ve met too many CTOs and angineering managers, who only focus on facts and not enough on their emotions and feelings. Process these feelings with trusted friends, mentors, a coach or a therapist if needed rather than bottling them up. When you’re ready to move forward, reflect on what happened: What were the warning signs you missed? Where were your blind spots? How could you have built stronger alliances or documented decisions better? This isn’t about blaming yourself—politicians are skilled manipulators—but about learning to spot the patterns earlier next time. Update your interview process to include questions that probe for political behaviors: “Tell me about a time you disagreed with a peer’s approach—how did you handle it?” or “How do you handle situations where credit for success isn’t clearly defined?” Most importantly, pay it forward. When you see junior engineers or new managers heading into political situations unprepared, share what you’ve learned. Mentor them on reading the room, documenting decisions, and building coalitions. Your hard-won wisdom can spare others the same pain and help create engineering cultures where politics are minimized and genuine collaboration thrives.

Q&A

Q: How can I tell the difference between healthy organizational dynamics and toxic politics?

A: Healthy dynamics involve transparent decision-making, open debate about ideas (not people), and alignment around shared goals. Toxic politics emerge when you see: decisions made behind closed doors and then reversed when certain people aren’t present, credit systematically flowing to those who talk rather than those who deliver, people spending more time managing perceptions than doing actual work, and a culture where “who you know” matters more than “what you achieve.” If you find yourself spending significant mental energy on who said what to whom rather than on solving customer problems, you’re likely dealing with toxic politics.

Q: I’m an engineering manager who values directness and facts. Does navigating politics mean I have to become someone I’m not?

A: No. Navigating politics doesn’t require you to become manipulative or abandon your values—it means becoming strategically aware. You can stay authentic while learning to communicate in ways that resonate with different stakeholders, building relationships proactively rather than only when you need something, and understanding the informal power structures in your organization. Think of it as expanding your toolkit, not changing your identity. The most successful technical leaders I know maintain their integrity while learning to operate effectively in complex organizational environments.

Q: What should I do if I realize I’ve already been outmaneuvered by a politician in my organization?

A: First, don’t panic or make hasty decisions. Document what’s happened and gather evidence of your contributions and any misrepresentations. Then, assess your relationships: who can you trust, who has influence, and who might serve as allies? Schedule time with your manager or skip-level to present facts (not emotions) about the situation. Sometimes the best move is damage control rather than counterattack—focus on delivering visible results and rebuilding your reputation through actions. If the politician has significant power and protection, you may need to consider whether this organization is worth staying in long-term.

Q: How do I protect my team from political fallout without exposing them to the ugliness of what’s happening?

A: Act as a buffer. Take political hits yourself rather than passing them down. In team meetings, focus on work and goals, not on office drama. When you need to prepare someone for a politically charged situation, be honest but constructive: “This meeting might get contentious—here’s what to expect and how we’ll handle it.” Shield your reports from direct exposure to toxic politicians when possible, and when they must interact, prep them thoroughly and provide backup. Most importantly, maintain psychological safety within your team so they can focus on their work while you handle the organizational complexity.

Q: Is there ever a time when I should engage in political tactics myself?

A: There’s a crucial distinction between “being political” (manipulative, self-serving) and “being politically savvy” (understanding and navigating power dynamics strategically). You should absolutely build coalitions, communicate your wins, understand stakeholder motivations, and position your work in ways that resonate with decision-makers. These aren’t dirty tricks—they’re essential leadership skills. What you should never do: misrepresent facts, take credit for others’ work, sabotage colleagues, or prioritize your career over your team’s success. Stay on the right side of that line and you can be effective without losing your integrity.

Q: What if the CEO is the one playing politics? Can anything be done?

A: This is the hardest situation because the CEO sets the cultural tone and has ultimate authority. You have three realistic options: 1) If the CEO is merely tolerating politics rather than driving it, you might influence them by presenting evidence of how it’s hurting the business (high turnover, slow decisions, missed goals). 2) If the CEO is actively political but you have strong board relationships, you could carefully raise concerns there—though this is extremely risky. 3) Most likely, you should plan your exit. A political CEO creates a toxic culture that’s nearly impossible to fix from below, and staying will damage your mental health and career. Don’t sacrifice years of your life trying to reform a broken system from a position of no power.

Q: How do I rebuild my reputation after a politician has successfully damaged it?

A: Reputation repair takes time and consistent effort. First, stop defending yourself verbally—it often makes things worse. Instead, let your actions speak: deliver high-impact results, communicate them clearly, and ensure they’re visible to key stakeholders. Rebuild relationships one conversation at a time with influential people, focusing on the future rather than relitigating the past. Find advocates who will speak positively about you in rooms where you’re not present. Document everything going forward so you can demonstrate your track record with evidence. Consider working on a high-visibility project or initiative that allows you to showcase your capabilities. Most importantly, be patient—reputation is rebuilt through consistent behavior over months, not days.