The Office Politics Podcast with Fexingo: Workplace Dynamics, Influence, and Getting Things Done

We all know competence matters at work — but what if a small mistake actually makes people like you more? In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna unpack the Pratfall Effect, the counterintuitive psychological principle first studied by Elliot Aronson in 1966. They walk through the classic experiment where a near-perfect quiz contestant who spilled coffee was rated more likea...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the Pygmalion Effect—the phenomenon where higher expectations lead to higher performance. They dive into a classic 1960s study by Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson at a California elementary school, where teachers were told certain students were 'intellectual bloomers.' Those students then showed significant IQ gains. The ho...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the Spotlight Effect — our tendency to believe others are paying far more attention to us than they actually are. Lucas explains how psychologist Thomas Gilovich's 2000 study at Cornell showed that people dramatically overestimate how much others notice their embarrassing moments or subtle mistakes. The hosts discuss how this c...

Episode 101 of The Office Politics Podcast explores the Benjamin Franklin Effect — the psychological principle that doing a favor for someone makes you like them more, not less. Lucas and Luna discuss the research behind it, how to apply it strategically at work (with specific examples like asking a skeptical colleague for small advice on a project or borrowing a book), and the pitfalls to avoid (...

In this milestone 100th episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the Law of Association — the psychological principle that we are judged by the company we keep. They explore how strategic alliance-building can elevate your reputation and influence at work, using real-world examples like how junior associates at McKinsey are advised to align with high-performing partners. Lucas shares a specific tactic ca...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how the law of scarcity can be a powerful tool for building influence at work. Using the concrete example of a product manager named Priya who increased her team's leverage by limiting access to her unique data analysis skills, they break down when scarcity works, when it backfires, and how to avoid being seen as a bottleneck....

Episode 98 of The Office Politics Podcast explores the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns in a workplace context. Lucas and Luna discuss how over-investing in any single relationship, skill, or project can yield decreasing returns, using a real-world example of a marketing manager who spent 80% of her time on one difficult stakeholder. They share a practical framework for auditing your efforts an...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how the contrast principle shapes workplace negotiations and daily interactions. Using the example of a salary negotiation at a mid-sized tech firm, they break down how presenting a higher initial ask can make a subsequent reasonable request seem more appealing. They discuss real-world applications, from project deadlines to re...

In Episode 96 of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how the law of diminishing returns applies to workplace influence. Lucas shares a concrete case: a product manager who spent 80 percent of her time networking with executives, only to see her project approvals flatline after the first few relationships. They break down the inflection point where extra effort stops paying off, and...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the Law of Association — how your reputation is shaped by the people you're seen with, the projects you take on, and even the meeting rooms you occupy. They break down real-world examples from a mid-level manager at a Fortune 500 tech firm who turned around his team's perception by strategically aligning with a high-visibility...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the reciprocity principle and how it shapes workplace dynamics. They discuss a real-world case from a mid-sized tech firm where a junior analyst used small, strategic favors—like sharing credit on a report and offering to cover a colleague's shift—to build a powerful network of allies. The hosts break down why reciprocity works, how to apply it without seemi...

Episode 93 of The Office Politics Podcast explores the door-in-the-face technique — a negotiation and influence tactic where you make a large, unreasonable request first, then follow up with a smaller, more reasonable one. Lucas and Luna break down how this works in office politics, using the example of asking for a big budget for a new project, then scaling back to get approval for a pilot. They...

Lucas and Luna explore the Halo Effect — the cognitive bias where one positive trait colors our perception of everything else a person does. They break down how it works in office politics through a concrete example: a mid-level marketing manager named Priya who accidentally weaponized her reputation for being 'the creative one' to get a failing project greenlit, and the fallout when her halo crac...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the framing effect—how the way you present information can dramatically influence decisions and perceptions at work. They anchor the discussion in a real-world case: how a product manager at a mid-size SaaS company reframed a failed project as a 'beta experiment' to protect team morale and secure budget for a second attempt. Th...

First impressions can be wrong, but in the workplace, a single negative trait can taint everything else you do. Lucas and Luna explore the horns effect — the cognitive bias where one flaw overshadows your strengths — and how it plays out in performance reviews, promotions, and everyday interactions. They dissect a real-world case from a 2025 Harvard Business School study showing that employees who...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Zeigarnik effect — the psychological principle that people remember unfinished tasks better than completed ones — and how you can use it strategically in office politics. Lucas explains how leaving a discussion mid-sentence can make colleagues more receptive to your ideas, how sending a Friday-afternoon email with a deliberate question can keep you top-o...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the reciprocity ring – a powerful social dynamic where favors circulate through a network, building influence and trust. Using the example of a mid-level marketer at a Fortune 500 company who leveraged small, consistent acts of help to become a go-to person, they break down how to start the loop without seeming transactional. T...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the principle of social proof as a workplace influence tool. They break down how your colleagues’ visible endorsements—whether a nod in a meeting, a quick 'cc' on a thread, or a public shout-out—signal credibility faster than any resume ever could. Using the example of a mid-level marketing manager at a Fortune 500 consumer goo...

Lucas and Luna dive into the Sunk Cost Fallacy at work — why we cling to bad projects, toxic relationships, and failing strategies just because we've already invested time, money, or ego. They unpack a real case: a product manager at a mid-sized SaaS company who kept funding a feature nobody used because her team had spent 18 months building it. Lucas explains the neuroscience behind the fallacy (...

Episode 85 of The Office Politics Podcast explores the Mere Exposure Effect — the psychological tendency to prefer things (and people) we encounter more often. Lucas and Luna discuss how this subtle bias can be a legitimate tool for building workplace influence without schmoozing or unfair advantage. They break down the research: repeated exposure doesn't just increase liking — it builds trust and...

Lucas and Luna explore a counterintuitive political move at work: voluntarily stepping into difficult, visible assignments — not to show off, but to build reputational capital. They dissect a real case from a mid-sized tech firm where a mid-level product manager turned a failing project into a career-making move by using what psychologists call the 'spotlight effect.' They discuss why playing it s...

Lucas and Luna explore how your professional reputation functions as a political currency inside your organization. They break down the concept of 'reputation capital' — the idea that every interaction either deposits or withdraws from your standing with colleagues, managers, and stakeholders. Using the example of a mid-level product manager who turned around a struggling cross-functional team, th...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the Pygmalion Effect — the phenomenon where higher expectations from a manager or colleague actually boost your performance. They break down a classic 1960s Harvard experiment that proved the effect in a classroom, then translate it to the modern workplace: how to consciously manage the expectations others have of you, how to s...

Episode 81 of The Office Politics Podcast explores the Pratfall Effect — the counterintuitive idea that showing a minor flaw can make you more relatable and trusted at work. Lucas and Luna break down the classic 1966 study by Elliot Aronson where a near-perfect quiz contestant who spilled coffee was rated more likable than one who didn't. They discuss why competence is a prerequisite, not a substi...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the Ben Franklin Effect — the psychological phenomenon where asking someone for a favor actually makes them like you more. They break down the classic story of Ben Franklin and a political rival, then show how to apply the principle at work: from asking a skeptical stakeholder to review a draft to borrowing a book from a distan...