73. Office Politics Decoded: 5 Types of Power to Build Influence Without Playing Dirty

📢DOORS OPEN: Speak Like a Senior Leader™ gives you the system to become a crisp, clear, confident communicator and be handed dream opportunities before you ever ask for them. Secure your spot: https://speaklikeaseniorleader.comYou keep waiting for someone to tell you the secret of what's actually standing between you and the next level. It feels like everyone else got a handbook that you didn't. In this episode, Speak Like a Senior Leader™ graduate Lindsey DellaDonna shares how she went from being stuck in this maddening limbo – on the cusp of director for months with no clear path forward for years – to getting promoted in a matter of months by finally cracking the code on what "executive presence" and "strategic communication" mean in practice. What You’ll Discover: Why executive meeting invites don't equal promotion readiness – and the real test of whether you're advancingThe communication shift that turned polite nods into executive action on Lindsay's ideasWhat "leadership presence" means in practice when your evaluators can't define itHow Lindsay restructured her presentations for faster buy-in – without changing her actual workwww.speaklikeaseniorleader.comConnect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™ Follow Melody on LinkedIn Follow Melody on Instagram Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

🎟️ FREE TRAINING: RSVP for 5 Steps to Speak Like a Senior Leader happening December 3rd 5pm ET: https://melodywilding.com/training Your manager says you're ready. You're getting pulled into important meetings. Leadership says "on their radar." But somehow, the promotion never seems to happen. Welcome to promotion purgatory. In this episode, Melody reveals signs you're stuck in this limbo without even realizing it and shares how to break out without working harder, playing politics, or leaving your company. What You’ll Discover:The hidden message behind vague feedback like "executive presence" (and why your manager can't explain how to fix it)Why the instinct to "prove yourself" backfires – and what to do insteadA little-known skill that shows you're already operating at the next level before the promotion happenswww.speaklikeaseniorleader.comConnect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™ Follow Melody on LinkedIn Follow Melody on Instagram Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

📢 FREE CLASS: 5 Steps to Speak Like a Senior Leader happening December 3rd 5pm ET: https://melodywilding.com/training After 21 years with the same organization, Jessica thought she had it figured out. Then new leadership came in. And suddenly,  her comfort zone disappeared overnight. The people who understood her body of work, her contributions, and her value were gone. In this episode, Jessica shares how she repositioned herself and her team in the new landscape and built credibility with skeptical stakeholders to go from unknown to influential. You’ll discover: Ways to rebuild your credibility from scratch when new executives arrive with completely different assumptions and prioritiesHow to communicate your value when you can no longer rely on people "just knowing" what you've accomplishedChanges Jessica made to translate her work into language that resonated with new leaders The mindset that freed her to take imperfect action instead of overthinking every messagewww.speaklikeaseniorleader.comConnect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™ Follow Melody on LinkedIn Follow Melody on Instagram Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

🎟️ FREE TRAINING: RSVP for 5 Steps to Speak Like a Senior Leader happening December 3rd 5pm ET: https://melodywilding.com/training Melody breaks down the five types of power that determine who gets heard, who gets ahead, and who gets overlooked, regardless of job title or intelligence. This framework turns office politics from something frustrating and opaque into something you can actually decode and navigate strategically.What You’ll Discover:Stop feeling confused about why certain people get respect and others don'tHow to leverage your place in the hierarchy without coming across as authoritarian or controllingThe type of power that can take years to build but seconds to destroyThe diagnostic questions that reveal where your influence comes from right now – and what power base to build nextwww.speaklikeaseniorleader.comConnect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™ Follow Melody on LinkedIn Follow Melody on Instagram Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

🎟️ FREE TRAINING: RSVP for 5 Steps to Speak Like a Senior Leader happening December 3rd 5pm ET: https://melodywilding.com/training You prepared and built up that conversation with your manager for days, maybe even weeks. And then... it doesn't deliver the closure you hoped. It didn’t go bad, but it feels like nothing was really resolved. In this episode, Melody names the invisible pattern behind this frustration – and why it has nothing to do with how well you prepared or what you said. What You’ll Discover:The 3-phase mental journey that happens before you even open your mouth (and why it sets you up for disappointment)The #1 shift to stop replaying conversations wondering what went wrongHow to keep important topics alive over time without burning political capital or seeming difficultwww.speaklikeaseniorleader.comConnect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™ Follow Melody on LinkedIn Follow Melody on Instagram Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

Are you constantly measuring yourself against everyone else at work? This constant comparison is exhausting. And according to today’s guest, Ruchika T. Malhotra, it's also sabotaging you. Ruchika is the author of Uncompete: Rejecting Competition to Unlock Success and joins Melody to share a radically different approach to success – one that doesn't require being obsessed with always being the best.What You’ll Discover: The invisible beliefs about competition draining your energy at work (and how to break free from them)How to handle colleagues who seem to get ahead by stepping over othersWays to advance your career without "sharp elbows" or playing political games that make you feel grossAbout Ruchika Ruchika T. Malhotra is the founder of Candour, a global inclusion strategy firm that has worked with some of the world’s biggest organizations. A former business journalist, she is now a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Seattle Times, and more. She is the author of Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work and Uncompete: Rejecting Competition to Unlock Success.  https://www.ruchika.co/ www.speaklikeaseniorleader.comConnect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™ Follow Melody on LinkedIn Follow Melody on Instagram Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

It's performance review season, and if you're still approaching your review the way you did 10 years ago, you're leaving BIG opportunities on the table. If you're tired of working your butt off only to walk out of your review feeling underwhelmed, this episode will show you exactly what needs to shift. Melody reveals five secrets that separate leaders who advance from those who stay stuck at "meets expectations." What You’ll Discover:Why your review has almost nothing to do with the past 12 months (and what it's REALLY about)The seemingly harmless 5-word phrase that's destroying your credibility in reviewsWhat your boss is really thinking when they say you need to "work on your executive presence"Two quick techniques that turn ambiguous feedback into actionable clarityWhy your "areas for improvement" are screaming “you’re not ready for a promotion” (and the simple fix) www.speaklikeaseniorleader.comConnect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™ Follow Melody on LinkedIn Follow Melody on Instagram Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

Whenever you get around powerful executives, you shrink. Your usual confidence evaporates, your words get jumbled, and you find yourself acting like you're grateful just to be in the room. This episode dives into the hidden reasons behind why accomplished mid-career professionals like you often feel intimidated by those in authority and how to stop undermining yourself. What You’ll Discover:Why some leaders make you feel instantly smaller while others feel like equals (hint: it’s not their title!)How to spot when you're unconsciously handing over your powerThe subtle language patterns that immediately signal you're operating from a disadvantaged positionWhat your strongest reactions to certain leaders reveal about youwww.speaklikeaseniorleader.comConnect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™ Follow Melody on LinkedIn Follow Melody on Instagram Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

As a leader, it’s easy to point the finger at someone else when something goes wrong – expectations aren’t met, peers are slow to act, or pressure from the top adds to an already stressful environment. Leaders spend so much time trying to control others, stressing and ruminating on how to force a situation to bend to their will, when they should instead focus on themselves. Today, Muriel M. Wilkins, author of LEADERSHIP UNBLOCKED, joins the show to share seven hidden beliefs that block leaders’ progress and how to get unstuck. About MurielMuriel M. Wilkins, founder and CEO of Paravis Partners, is a sought-after C-suite adviser and executive coach with a twenty-year track record of helping senior leaders take their performance to the next level. She is the author of Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential and coauthor of Own the Room: Discover Your Signature Voice to Master Your Leadership Presence. Muriel is the host of the Harvard Business Review podcast Coaching Real Leaders, consistently ranked as a top-ten podcast in Apple's Management category. www.speaklikeaseniorleader.comConnect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™ Follow Melody on LinkedIn Follow Melody on Instagram Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

It’s no secret that work is more uncertain than ever. You may spend each day worrying, “Will I be let go?” even if you’re a top performer. There’s a term for this: layoff anxiety. In this episode, Melody breaks down how to manage constant stress about your job security without letting it consume you or hurt your performance. What You’ll Discover:Why 58% of companies plan layoffs in 2026 and how these cuts are different from previous yearsHow to separate real layoff warning signs from anxiety-driven overthinkingSpecific questions you can ask your manager to gauge job security without sounding paranoidWhat leadership actually looks for when making difficult staffing decisionswww.speaklikeaseniorleader.comConnect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™ Follow Melody on LinkedIn Follow Melody on Instagram Get Melody's new book, Managing Up