you feel that you don’t have the option to go where the political environment suits you, you’ll need to get particularly good at using the kinds of politics that flourish where you work. Your career survival will depend on it.

Pine became an astute observer of the political landscape where she worked, and adjusted her actions to fit expectations. She set her sights on becoming partner and then proceeded to learn and do what it would take.

“I touted quietly by mentioning my accomplishments to direct superiors and others above me in one-to-one conversations, rather than in group meetings. I copied letters of compliment to them. Occasionally, I mentioned someone of stature whom I’d worked with on a particular project.”

Bezos also says that he takes time to step back, sets aside a fraction of time for his own, and doesn’t travel more than a third of the time. He uses Tuesdays and Thursdays to reflect a bit and to say thank you to people. Bezos has recognized that even in the dot-com era, not giving yourself some downtime is a sure way to lose sight of the

pathologically politicized organization. Such organizations, be they companies, agencies, or departments, are rarely as productive as they could be. Daily interactions are fractious. Conflict is both long-lasting and pervasive. Nearly every goal is achieved by going around the formal procedures and organization. People tend to distrust each other.

While political strategies often operate in the service of wealth, they operate more often in the service of power—a resource for getting things done even in the face of resistance. The interesting thing about power is that it is often both a means to get ahead and the reward for getting there.

By being valuable in a number of domains, Shellgren was able to stay out of the baser types of politics that might have been required if his skill level had been in question. “Especially today,” he’ll tell you, “the more arrows you have in the quiver, the more likely it is that they’ll want you around.”

Consequently, political warfare at this level is subliminal and more often comprised of hidden minefields and stealth bombers than hand-to-hand combat. As the stakes get higher, the battle gets rougher, even if you can’t see any weapons.

Tyson describes this as “the ability to be direct but yet respectful.” She is able to strike a balance between project and people concerns. When people are going down a path she believes to be disadvantageous, she’ll reason with them. She might say, “It boils down to this: If you can’t do A or B, this won’t work. I understand if you can’t do A or