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You have yet to meet someone at a company you work for you who does one or more of the things I listed above to successfully advance their career?

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Many do. More common the further up the ladder you get. But I’ve been able to gain enough influence to affect most of the things I care about without engaging in that, unless you consider being friendly and supportive (something that did not come remotely naturally to me) to be brown-nosing.

If you want to significantly influence a lot of high-level strategic decision-making at very large companies, then you do probably need to engage in nasty things like that. But most of us don’t work at that scope.

I don't think that's their point.

I think their point is that you can have influence without doing these things.

Then I was misunderstood as well.

As if anyone, myself included, would suggest that my listed items are the only way to influence your employer is a hilariously bad faith read.

I take issue with TFA framing the problem of people saying they hate "employment politics" as a you problem when I am of the opinion it is a leadership problem. Bad leaders fail to, or refuse to, see the things I listed as "bad politics".

Just take my supplements, bro. It'll fix your "soft skills", bro.

I think you were misunderstood as well, yes.

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