“Office politics” usually means backchanneling, credit-grabbing, cliques, and power games. Influence is different. Influence is the ability to move work forward—getting buy-in, shaping decisions, and building trust—without needing a bigger title.
In today’s workplaces, influence isn’t optional. It’s how good ideas survive. It’s how careers grow. And it’s how leaders emerge—often long before they get promoted.
The good news: you can build real influence without playing political games. In fact,