Executives must differentiate themselves. They are put into a role for a reason. They’ve been asked to do something.
And they have enough skill, drive, and ego to get it done. The problem is that in their effort to get it done, they wind up out on a limb all by themselves. And that makes it really easy for others to saw that limb off. And you wind up falling down.
If you are stepping out onto a limb by yourself, you will fail! You have to bring others with you. This is where politics comes into play.
I’m not talking about dark side (stabbing somebody in the back, withholding information, starting rumors, all that nastiness). I will never under any circumstances, advocate for dark politics. It is wrong and it shouldn’t happen.
However, politics in part of how companies operate. If you are an executive, you must be politically savvy. Period, end of story, full stop.
Think about it like a chess game. You want to get “here”.
That’s understanding what people want and why they want it. That’s understanding how to maneuver successfully, through corporate environments. That is healthy politics!