[dfjfklei]

When has employment politics ever meant "leveling up in soft skills"?

Employment politics has always meant: brown nosing, throwing vulnerable people under the bus, posturing, taking credit for other people's contributions, blaming other people for your failures, and on and on.

Or to use the language of TFA, "iNfLUeNcE".

[hchdifnfbgbf]

If that’s all you see, you probably need to level up your soft skills.

Certainly the things you’re talking about are real, and particularly severe in some environments, but there’s a lot of room to improve your influence without engaging in any of that.

[rkomorn]

> If that’s all you see, you probably need to level up your soft skills.

Not OP but I honestly don't see how this comment/tone is warranted in response to what they wrote.

[dfjfklei]

You have yet to meet someone at a company you work for you who does one or more of the things I listed above to successfully advance their career?

[rkomorn]

I agree with your description of "politics" as a negative/pejorative thing. That's also the only way I'm used to hearing it.

Hearing about "politics" in a neutral/positive way would be new to me.

[BeetleB]

> I agree with your description of "politics" as a negative/pejorative thing.

That's just a difference in framing between winners and losers.

If you get your way, you say it was due to influence, bridge building, teamwork, etc.

If you don't, you say "politics".

For every occasion someone says "politics" negatively, realize the other party is using the other framing.

More importantly: For every time you get your way, the other party is saying "Politics!"

[psunavy03]

This is frankly a very childish and Reddit-level take on the issue.

[dfjfklei]

If you think HN is a bastion of "adultish takes", you're gonna have a bad time.

[lazyasciiart]

And what, you think those are technical skills?

[dfjfklei]

My point is that framing "bad politics" as a problem with you, or your employees if you're an employer, is absurd.

"Bad politics" comes straight from the top.