Wola Joseph-Condotti 
No matter how noble your intentions, if you lead long enough, you will encounter it: Office politics.
That complex, unspoken game of power, influence, ambition, insecurity, and allegiance. Sometimes subtle, sometimes brutal. Sometimes wrapped in charm, sometimes wielded with cruelty.
But always present in spaces where power is in motion.
The question is not if politics exists. The real question is: how do you navigate it without losing yourself?
Strategy Is Not a Sin, But Manipulation Is
Let us be clear. There is nothing wrong with ambition. There is nothing wrong with strategy. Even Jesus said, “Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). He did not call us to naivety. He called us to integrity.
But there is a fine line between wisdom and scheming. Between positioning and manipulation. Between discernment and paranoia.Between leading and gaming the system.
We must learn how to move in rooms of power without adopting the methods of darkness. Purposeful people must not be afraid of strategy, but we must reject the corruption of it.
Because when influence is chased without values, politics becomes poison.
Pettiness is a Poor Currency
One of the most dangerous seductions in any professional life is the temptation to match energy. She gossips about you? Gossip back. He takes credit for your work? Undermine him. They exclude you from the room? Burn the room down.
But real power does not play small. Every time you stoop to pettiness, you trade the long-term rewards of dignity for the short-term illusion of revenge. You shrink your soul for an ego boost. And often, you lose more than you win.
Your integrity is your true currency. Once spent cheaply, it is hard to earn back.
The Anatomy of Workplace Warfare
The politics of the workplace is not always about position. Often, it is about insecurity. People threatened by your presence, your potential, your progress.
Sometimes you walk into a room, and your mere competence becomes a trigger.
This is where you need discernment.
When do you speak, and when do you hold your peace? When do you confront, and when do you walk away? When do you fight for visibility, and when do you let silence speak louder? These are not textbook questions. They require wisdom, maturity, and prayer.
A Daniel Generation
Daniel was a man of unshakable character in the midst of palace politics. He was surrounded by envy, sabotage, power plays, and plots and yet, he remained blameless. How? “An excellent spirit was found in him…” (Daniel 6:3)
He did not climb by playing games. He climbed by being excellent consistently. And when politics rose against him, he knelt in prayer.
That is the posture of the purposeful. You do not play dirty to get ahead. You stay aligned, stay excellent, stay faithful, and let God defend your elevation.
How to Lead Above Pettiness
Be excellent even when overlooked. Your work is your voice before you speak. Do not match energy. Elevate it. Break cycles of toxicity by staying rooted. Set boundaries without building walls. Guard your peace but do not isolate from influence. Document. Do not dramatize. Protect yourself with facts, not fury.
Choose legacy over likes. What you build in secret will speak louder than any clique or campaign.
Final Thoughts
Office politics may be inevitable. But compromise is not. You can lead with purity in the midst of power. You can rise with honour in a field full of ambition. You can be both strategic and spiritual, without sacrificing one for the other.
To every woman navigating power with purpose, may you walk with wisdom. May you speak with discernment. May you never forget that promotion does not come from men, it comes from God (Psalm 75:6–7).
And when the politics rage, may your peace be louder.
Wola Joseph-Condotti is the Group Managing Director/CEO of West Power & Gas Limited. A Harvard-trained lawyer and passionate advocate for faith-driven leadership, gender equity, and energy transition in Africa, she writes from the intersection of power, purpose, and personal growth.