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

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into the anchoring bias—a cognitive shortcut that can make or break your workplace negotiations. They break down a real-world example: a salary negotiation where the first number put on the table—whether it's $75,000 or $95,000—shifts the entire conversation by up to 20 percent. Lucas explains why the bias works (our brains latch...

Episode 78 of The Office Politics Podcast explores how the Law of Scarcity — the principle that people value what's rare or limited — can be a powerful tool in workplace influence. Lucas and Luna break down a real scenario from a mid-size tech company where a product manager named Sarah successfully used scarcity to get her stalled project prioritized. They discuss why over-availability weakens yo...

Lucas and Luna explore the contrast principle—a cognitive bias where we judge options relative to each other rather than on absolute terms—and how it can be strategically deployed in workplace negotiations, budget proposals, and performance reviews. They anchor the discussion in a real 2025 study from Harvard Business School showing that job candidates who presented a deliberately weaker option fi...

Lucas and Luna explore why agreeing to every request at work can backfire, using the case of a mid-level marketing manager named Priya who took on a cross-functional project that derailed her promotion. They unpack the psychological trap of 'yes-default' behavior, the difference between strategic and reactive availability, and three practical filters to decide when to say no without damaging relat...

Episode 75 of The Office Politics Podcast dives into a cognitive blind spot that affects nearly every workplace decision: hindsight bias. Lucas and Luna explore how our brains rewrite the past to make outcomes seem predictable, skewing performance reviews, project postmortems, and hiring calls. They anchor the discussion in a real case from a Fortune 500 retailer that blamed a failed product launc...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the delicate art of strategic incompetence: when and how to deliberately underperform or decline tasks to protect your time and focus. Using the case of a mid-level product manager who curbed scope creep by 'getting bad' at low-value spreadsheets, the hosts break down the difference between smart workload triage and reputation-...

Episode 73 of The Office Politics Podcast explores the curiosity gap as a tool for workplace influence. Lucas and Luna break down why leaving strategic gaps in information can make you more persuasive, using the real-world example of a product manager who landed a major initiative by deliberately not revealing her full plan upfront. They discuss how to apply this technique without being manipulati...

Episode 72 of The Office Politics Podcast with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna explore the art of building a trusted inner circle at work without alienating colleagues. They break down the 'tight five' concept from corporate anthropology, explain why the CEO's 'kitchen cabinet' can backfire, and share a practical three-step framework for rotating proximity while keeping deep alliances. Using examples from...

In episode 71 of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna unpack the subtle art of building 'pull power' — the kind of influence that makes people want to help you because you've already helped them. They focus on a concrete example: a mid-career marketing manager named Priya who wanted a seat on her company's innovation steering committee. Instead of lobbying directly, Priya spent three months...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the strategic use of workplace gossip as a form of political intelligence. Rather than condemning all gossip, they examine how to distinguish between malicious rumor and valuable information that can reveal organizational dynamics, hidden agendas, and cultural norms. Drawing on a study from the University of Amsterdam that foun...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna unpack the Halo Effect — the cognitive bias that makes one positive trait color everything about you at work. They use the real-world example of a mid-level manager at a Fortune 500 company who leveraged a single achievement to transform his reputation across departments. The conversation covers how to identify your strongest positive...

Lucas and Luna dive into a real-world case: the tug-of-war between a veteran director and a new VP at a mid-size tech firm. They unpack why power struggles happen, how to stay neutral without being passive, and the surprising move that can reset the dynamics. Using concrete tactics like 'interest mapping' and 'the public win,' this episode gives you a playbook for navigating tension without taking...

Lucas and Luna explore the art of workplace reciprocity — how to give and receive favors without making relationships feel like a ledger. They break down Adam Grant's research on 'givers, takers, and matchers,' share a concrete case from a product manager who used small, unsolicited favors to build cross-team trust, and discuss why reciprocity loops work best when you don't keep score. Luna brings...

Episode 66 of The Office Politics Podcast breaks down the Columbo close: a negotiation technique named after the TV detective where you agree, pack up, then ask one last curious question that unlocks concessions. Lucas and Luna explore why this works psychologically — the reciprocity pressure of the 'one more thing' moment — and walk through three real workplace scenarios: asking for a raise after...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore a subtle but powerful career lever: informal authority. You don't need a manager title to influence decisions, shape projects, or get buy-in. Lucas breaks down the three pillars of informal authority — expertise, network centrality, and reputation for reliability — using the example of a mid-level analyst at a Fortune 500 firm...

Lucas and Luna break down the reciprocity loop — why doing small favors strategically can build influence and trust without feeling transactional. They explore the psychology of reciprocation, citing the famous Coke-Coca-Cola experiment by Robert Cialdini and a real-world example from a mid-sized tech firm in Austin. Lucas explains the difference between transactional quid pro quo and genuine reci...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into the practical art of rebuilding trust after workplace conflict. They use the real case of a product manager at Salesforce who publicly clashed with a peer over a failed Q2 launch in 2025—and how she methodically repaired that relationship over three months with a structured approach. The hosts break down the four-step playboo...

Episode 62 of The Office Politics Podcast tackles a career-defining moment: making a high-visibility mistake at work. Lucas and Luna dissect a real-world case from June 2026 involving a mid-level marketing director at a Fortune 500 retailer who accidentally sent an internal pricing strategy to a vendor. Instead of covering it up or deflecting, she used a three-step political recovery playbook: imm...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the subtle art of getting your ideas adopted in a corporate environment. They break down a specific technique called 'idea pre-selling' — the practice of informally pitching your concept to key stakeholders before the official meeting. Using a real-world example from a mid-sized tech firm where a junior analyst got her cost-sav...

Lucas and Luna dive into a practical framework for managing a difficult boss without becoming a sycophant or a martyr. Using the case of a mid-level marketing director named Priya who turned her micromanaging boss into an ally, they break down three specific tactics: the strategic request for feedback on your feedback, the 'pre-brief' before any decision, and the art of making your boss look good...

Lucas and Luna explore how knowing when to stay quiet can be a powerful office politics tool. Lucas cites a study from Harvard Business School showing that meetings with evenly distributed talk time are 60% more productive, and shares examples of senior leaders who use silence to regain control. Luna pushes back on the idea that silence is always strategic, especially for women and junior employee...

Lucas and Luna explore the underrated art of the strategic follow-up after a high-stakes meeting. They break down why most people follow up too late or too generically, and offer a specific three-part framework: timing, content, and channel. Lucas shares the example of a mid-level product manager who secured a promotion by sending a 48-hour follow-up that recapped decisions and credited a key ally...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the counterintuitive power of strategic friction in workplace relationships. Drawing on a 2023 study from Harvard Business Review showing that teams with moderate conflict outperform those with low or high conflict by 23 percent on complex problem-solving tasks, they discuss how introducing deliberate, low-stakes friction can sharpen ideas, build resilience,...

Lucas and Luna discuss the strategic side of changing roles internally using office politics. They break down the concept of the 'internal network map', a tool for identifying who holds influence over career moves. Lucas shares a real example from a Fortune 500 company where an employee successfully pivoted from marketing to product management by mapping decision-makers. They explore how to build...

In this episode of The Office Politics Podcast, Lucas and Luna tackle a common workplace dilemma: how to navigate office politics to get a promotion without feeling slimy. Lucas breaks down a concrete case from a mid-size tech firm where an employee named Jenna leveraged strategic visibility, building a reputation as a go-to person on cross-functional projects, and subtly aligning with key stakeho...