How to Spot and Eliminate Crippling Company Politics to Build a Thriving Business

We’ve all been there. Crippling company politics—it’s more painful than root canal! The blame games, backstabbing, endless appeasement, and poor decision-making… the list goes on. But here’s what’s truly alarming: many leaders don’t even realise they’re not just caught in the web—they’re actually spinning it themselves.

The costs? Let’s start with high emotional tolls, wasted time, stalled projects, sky-high turnover, and if that’s not enough, up to 20% of operating costs burned on reputation -protecting busywork.

Here’s the thing: good leaders can sniff out company politics like a rat up a drainpipe. Some might need a little help, but the point is you don’t have to accept it. The truth is, by identifying and addressing the root causes, you can create a business that’s aligned, high-performing, and ready to thrive. But, and here’s the catch, this change must start at the top.

Structural Moods & Their Positive Counterparts

Politics doesn’t just “happen.” It’s a symptom of something deeper: structural moods—the underlying emotional tone woven into your organisation. These moods shape behaviours and, left unchecked, they breed toxicity. But here’s the good news: every negative mood has a positive counterpart, and these counterparts can transform politics into a force for growth.

Fear → Admiration: Celebrate wins, reward honesty, and create a culture where vulnerability isn’t punished.
Resentment → Hope: Build trust by focusing on shared goals and encouraging open, productive dialogue.
Resignation → Zeal: Unite teams around a common discipline and drive accountability with clarity and focus.
Arrogance → Joy: Replace selfish gamesmanship with collaborative improvisation and a sense of collective success.

This isn’t fluffy cheerleading or motivational posters on the wall. It’s about embedding real practices into your company’s DNA—changing how people act, interact, and thrive together.

Spot It, Stop It, Transform It

Here’s your three-step game plan to tackle and transform company politics:

Spot It:
Take a hard look at your culture. Ask yourself:
- How do people really get ahead here?
- How is bad news handled—addressed or buried?
- How are decisions actually made (not just on paper)?
  The answers will reveal your organisation’s dominant structural mood.
Stop It:
Introduce targeted practices to disrupt negativity.
- Dealing with fear? Create systems that celebrate successes and reward honesty.
- Battling resignation? Build in hard stops to ensure accountability.
- Facing resentment? Encourage trust-building by rallying around shared goals.
Transform It:
Once you start seeing progress, double down.
- Make the new practices pervasive.
- Tie them to decision-making processes and critical outcomes.
- And, most importantly, show through your leadership that the old way of working is no longer an option.

Why It Matters

This isn’t just about improving culture—it’s about creating a thriving business where people want to work and, more importantly, where they can thrive. A workplace built on trust, clarity, and collaboration isn’t just better for people—it’s better for results. When politics shift from blame and betrayal to trust and celebration, you unlock innovation, execution, and momentum.

The bottom line? If you want better results, faster, you have to tackle what’s under the bonnet. The most successful organisations don’t just manage people—they transform how people think, act, and work together.

Ready to build a culture that delivers outstanding service, fosters growth, and thrives on trust? Let’s make it happen.

Written by Kelly Morton, extracted from ‘𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨’ by Charles Spinosa, Christopher Davis and Billy Glennon.

Read the full article ‘𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨’ here.