As leaders rise, direct reports are less likely to provide challenging feedback, creating an executive bubble. To get unfiltered information, leaders should schedule regular one-on-ones with employees several levels down the org chart with the express purpose of listening, not dictating.

'Politics' is simply the set of unspoken rules and unstated norms governing how things truly get done. To remove their negative power, PMs should surface these norms—like an expectation to work on vacation—and facilitate an explicit conversation about whether the team wants to continue operating that way.

Feedback often gets 'massaged' and politicized as it travels up the chain of command. Effective leaders must create direct, unfiltered channels to hear from customers and front-line employees, ensuring raw data isn't sanitized before it reaches them.

Corporate politics stems from misaligned incentives that encourage lobbying for self-interest. A CEO can dismantle this by explicitly rewarding collaboration, even if the outcome is imperfect. Valuing how a decision impacts team motivation over simply having the 'right' answer fosters a company-first culture.

To elicit genuine opinions and avoid having junior employees simply agree with their superiors, leaders should structure meetings so that the lowest-ranking person shares their thoughts first. The discussion then works its way up the chain of seniority, empowering junior voices and generating more authentic feedback.

Drawing on personal experience, Jonathan Lewinsohn argues that office politics are "deadly" to organizations. He was a better investor when he could focus solely on investing, not internal positioning. A flat, transparent structure is a competitive advantage that eliminates this drag.

Jensen Huang maintains an extremely flat organization with around 60 direct reports and no one-on-one meetings. This unconventional structure is designed to accelerate information travel, empower senior leaders, and weed out those who can't operate without direct guidance.

To make "radical truthfulness" a reality, Ray Dalio instituted a hard rule: criticizing a colleague behind their back three times was a fireable offense. This policy forced all critiques, especially negative ones, into the open, preventing toxic office politics and ensuring issues were addressed directly.

Facebook's former CFO, Dave Weiner, noted that Jeff Bezos's most impressive trait was his presence. Unlike other powerful figures, Bezos maintained intense eye contact and never scanned the room for someone more important, making even a 'small fry' feel like the center of his attention.