The Secret to Winning Friends and Influencing People (Without Losing Your Soul)

Lessons I learnt after walking into a minefield of office politics, age dynamics, and a department known for chewing up managers and spitting them out

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People don’t remember who made them feel wrong; they remember who made them feel seen, and then led them somewhere better.

That’s a lesson I didn’t learn from a book but from walking into a minefield of office politics, age dynamics, and a department known for chewing up managers and spitting them out.

I had just been promoted — on paper, a win. In reality, it felt like being handed a parachute and pushed out of a plane with a polite “good luck” as the door slammed shut behind me.

The department I was now leading had a reputation. “Insubordinate,” “unmanageable,” and “entrenched” were the words used. Most of the team were at least a decade older than me, and I was expected to “sort them out.”

The person I reported to was all about command and control. His leadership style was a blend of bulldozer and bulldog. Go in, clear house, deal with casualties later.