At high school, you had to watch as people made up lies about each other for no reason. The entire ecosystem was pure politics, with folks betraying and condemning each other out of a rabid addiction to drama.
You couldn’t wait for it to end.
If you went to university, you saw lecturers play favourites, students hold grudges and people lead with their hormones.
You thought you’d left that behind in high school.
Then, maybe, you got a job. You knew things would be different. Corporations care about the bottom line – no one is going to last long if they let drama interfere with the ability to get things done.
You soon learned that office politics is no more subtle or restrained than any other sort.
It never ends. I recently heard of some drama in a retirement home that was no different – petty, pointless and ridiculous.
Apparently, you never grow out of this and high school never ends.
Time and only time won’t fix your character flaws.
Instead, you need to find new ways of operating.
Ways that let you transcend the political game, even as you use these skills to play that game even better.
This won’t be the full answer.
But it’ll help: