Foundation 03 The Orion Foundations

Influence & Politics

Navigating power dynamics without losing your soul.

All organised human activity involves politics in some way. The higher the stakes, the more complex the web of interests, alliances... and not least, hidden agendas.

Most men approach organisational politics with naïve idealism (pretending it doesn't exist) or cynical manipulation (becoming what they hate). Both weaken influence.

Real power comes from seeing politics clearly, mapping it accurately and acting strategically, remaining aligned with your values. Influence is about advancing your purpose through relationships that endure, and not about winning every battle.

Practical Tools

Stakeholder Power Map

What it is: A visual map of influence showing formal and informal power networks.

How to use it:

- Draw the official company organisational chart (i.e. formal power structure).
- Add hidden lines for real influence flows (i.e. who actually decides, blocks decisions, advises key players or controls information).
- Rate each individual on two dimensions: Interest in your initiative (high/low) and Power to affect it (high/low).
- Mark four categories: Allies (high interest and high power), Blockers (low interest but high power), Champions (high interest but low power), and Ghosts (invisible influence - advisors, partners or external stakeholders).
- Update it monthly as power shifts.

Why it works: What gets mapped gets managed. Seeing the real landscape prevents wasted effort on irrelevant stakeholders and reveals hidden leverage points.

Example: A project leader discovers that the CEO's quiet strategic advisor (not on any chart) shapes major decisions through weekly lunches. Investing in that relationship turns out to be more valuable than formal presentations to the executive team.

Currency Conversation Framework

What it is: Understand what each stakeholder truly values and speak his language.

How to use it:

- For each key player, answer this: What keeps him up at night? What defines success for him? What is he trying to protect or build?
- Common currencies: Legacy (lasting impact, being remembered), Autonomy (freedom from oversight), Recognition (visibility, credit), Security (avoiding risk or blame), Resources (budget, headcount or tools), Relationships (connections, networks and favours owed).
- In conversations, frame your proposal in terms of his currency while advancing your goal.
- Never assume your currency is his - a recognition-driven man will not be moved by resource arguments.

Why it works: People support what benefits them as they define benefit. Speaking their language builds genuine alliances rather than transactional exchanges.

Example: Seeking support from a risk-averse Finance director, a leader frames an innovation project in terms of "controlled experimentation with clear exit criteria and minimal exposure" (security currency) rather than "bold transformation" (triggering anxiety). The result is secured sponsorship.

Pre-wiring Protocol

What it is: Building support before formal discussions through strategic one-to-one conversations.

How to use it:

- Identify decision-makers and influencers 2 to 3 levels deep (not just direct stakeholders).
- Meet individually in low-stakes settings. Share intent, genuinely seek input, address concerns before they turn into public objections.
- Ask the golden question... "What would need to be true for you to support this?"
- Adjust your proposal based on real feedback- pre-wiring is about co-creation, not just selling an idea to someone.
- Never surprise key stakeholders in public meetings. Public forums are for confirmation, not persuasion.

Why it works: Public meetings are theatre. Real decisions happen in private conversations. Pre-wiring converts potential blockers into allies and surfaces fatal flaws before they become public failures.

Example: Before proposing a major restructure, a manager meets individually with five key leaders over three weeks. Two raise concerns about team morale, and the proposal is adjusted to include transition support. At the formal meeting, all five publicly support the plan because they co-created it.

Formal versus Informal Power Audit

What it is: Separate title authority from actual influence, in order to find where real power sits.

How to use it:

- List 8–10 significant decisions in your area over the past 6 months.
- For each, note who formally made the decision versus who actually shaped the outcome (not who signed off, but who influenced the shape).
- Identify patterns: which roles have formal authority but little influence? Which individuals have no title but massive impact?
- Build relationships where real power sits, not just where org charts say it should be.

Why it works: Acting only through formal channels wastes time and creates resistance. Understanding informal power accelerates influence.

Example: A manager realises that budget approvals formally flow through their direct manager, but the Finance business partner two levels down is actually the gatekeeper—their recommendation determines outcomes 90% of the time. Investing in that relationship unlocks budget access.

The Coalition Canvas

What it is: A strategic tool for building alliances that endure beyond single initiatives.

How to use it:

- List your strategic goals for the next 12 months.
- For each goal, identify: Who needs this to succeed? Who benefits if it succeeds? Who is threatened by it?
- Map overlapping interests to find natural coalition partners.
- Schedule quarterly coalition maintenance—check in with allies even when you don't need something.
- Remember: Strong coalitions are built on mutual benefit, not personal friendship.

Why it works: Isolated leaders fail. Coalitions provide resilience, distributed influence, and protection against single points of failure.

Example: Three department heads with different agendas (one needs better data, one needs process efficiency, one needs customer visibility) discover their needs align around a shared technology platform. They form a coalition, pool budgets, and present a unified case that succeeds where individual requests failed.

Nietzsche's Perspective

Politics as Will to Power

The noble soul has reverence for itself. — Beyond Good and Evil, Section 287
Nietzsche saw all human interaction as an expression of will to power—not domination, but the drive to expand one's capacity to act. Organisational politics is simply the arena where different wills collide and negotiate.

The master morality approach refuses to play the slave's game of resentment and blame. You do not complain about politics—you engage it from a position of inner strength and clear purpose.

Stakeholder mapping done nobly is not manipulation; it is respect for the reality of differing wills and competing goods. Pre-wiring is honest preparation, not deception. Currency conversations acknowledge that people are moved by what they value, not by what you think they should value.

Nietzsche's warnings:

Beware the temptation to become resentful when outmanoeuvred. Resentment is the poison that turns strong wills weak. Learn from defeats without dwelling in them.

Never sacrifice your self-reverence to win approval. The moment you betray your values for influence, you have already lost the only power that matters—power over yourself.

The strongest form of political engagement is not domination but the ability to say no to compromises that diminish you. Walking away with dignity is sometimes the ultimate power move.

Machiavelli's Perspective

Politics as Calculated Reality

The wish to acquire is in truth very natural and common, and men always do so when they can. — The Prince, Chapter III
Machiavelli stripped away illusions about human nature in groups. People act primarily from interest, fear, and ambition—not abstract ideals. Understanding this is not cynicism; it is clarity.

Effective influence requires understanding both formal authority (titles, org charts, official processes) and informal power (relationships, reputation, information flows, historical alliances). Both must be mapped with precision.

Currency conversations reveal what each stakeholder truly values—recognition, security, legacy, resources, autonomy, order. Speak in their currency, not yours. This is not manipulation; it is the art of persuasion.

Machiavelli's counsel:

Never assume good intentions will be recognised without cultivation. Build coalitions before you need them, not in crisis.

Appear flexible on means while remaining firm on ends. The skilled prince adapts tactics without changing character. Know which hills are worth dying on.

Distinguish between enemies who oppose your methods and enemies who oppose your existence. The former can become allies; the latter cannot.

His warning: Trust in goodwill alone is ruin. Hope is not a strategy. Prepare for fortuna (circumstance, luck), but rely on virtù (skill, character, strategic action).

Where to Harden / Where to Soften

Harden

  • Your realism about human nature—accepting that ambition, self-interest, and fear are universal drivers, not moral failures.
  • Your discipline in mapping power accurately, even when the map reveals uncomfortable truths about where you stand.
  • Your willingness to have difficult pre-wire conversations and ask direct questions rather than hoping for fairness or mind-reading.
  • Your capacity to walk away from compromises that violate your core values, even when staying would be politically easier.

Soften

  • Cynicism—seeing politics as only manipulation destroys trust, isolates you, and makes you the liability others route around.
  • Paranoia—assuming bad faith everywhere makes you the difficult person others avoid. Most people are not plotting against you; they are focused on their own goals.
  • Moral superiority—judging 'political' behaviour while failing to achieve results helps no one. Refusing to engage politics is itself a political choice, usually a losing one.
  • Over-analysis—mapping without action is procrastination in disguise. At some point you must move with incomplete information.

Practice This Week

Apply political mapping to one real initiative or decision you face now. Choose something with genuine stakes where outcomes matter.

  1. Days 1–2: Power Mapping
    Create a full stakeholder power map for your chosen initiative. Be brutally honest about where power really sits, not where it should sit. Identify at least one 'ghost'—an invisible influencer you had not previously considered.
  2. Days 3–4: Currency Discovery
    Have at least three one-to-one conversations with key stakeholders. Ask open questions: 'What's your biggest concern about this?' or 'What would success look like from your perspective?' Listen more than you speak. Identify their currency.
  3. Days 5–7: Pre-Wiring in Action
    Conduct at least two formal pre-wire meetings. Use the golden question: 'What would need to be true for you to support this?' Adjust your approach based on what you learn. Notice where you feel resistance to adapting—that reveals your own rigidity.

Reflection question: Did engaging politics increase your vitality and self-respect (Nietzsche) or your effectiveness and results (Machiavelli)? Where did you feel the pull toward naïveté (hoping people would just do the right thing) or cynicism (assuming everyone is self-serving)—and how did you navigate between them while staying aligned with your values?

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