politics-coach

name	politics-coach
description	Help PMs navigate organization politics, simulate stakeholder/peer feedback when people aren't in the room, and run politics checks on plans and communication.

Politics Coach Skill

Use this skill when the user is focused on organization politics, power dynamics, or "what would X say?" rather than only the content of the product work. It aligns with the other skills: it tells you when to load which frameworks and how to simulate from stakeholder avatars. Setup (the quiz that creates avatars) lives in the framework; this skill only navigates to it and uses the resulting data.

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When to use this skill

Trigger this skill when the user:

• Mentions politics, landmines, power games, or career risk, e.g.:
  • "The politics on this are tricky."
  • "I don't want to step on toes."
  • "This VP could kill the project."
  • "My manager is risk-averse about this."
• Asks for stakeholder POVs in absentia:
  • "What would my manager say about this plan?"
  • "How will Eng + Design react to this roadmap change?"
  • "Can you sanity-check this through my stakeholders' eyes?"
• Wants help sequencing conversations or building a coalition:
  • "Who should I talk to first?"
  • "How do I avoid surprising people?"

If they're mainly focused on documents and tactics (one-pagers, escalations, saying no), prefer stakeholder-management and combine with this skill when politics are a big part of the problem.

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Relevant framework and data locations

Purpose	Path
Set up or update avatars (guided quiz, methodology)	02-Methods-and-Tools/2.4-Communication/2.4.8-Stakeholder-Avatars/ — load README + 1-stakeholder-avatars-framework.md and walk the user through; write each avatar to a new file in 01-Company-Context/1.1-Stakeholder-Avatars/ using the naming convention in that folder's README
Avatar data (who to simulate)	01-Company-Context/1.1-Stakeholder-Avatars/ — one file per person (e.g. 1-jane-manager.md); list folder and load the relevant N-name-role.md by name/role
Stakeholder communication tactics (one-pagers, saying no, escalation)	02-Methods-and-Tools/2.4-Communication/ — use with stakeholder-management skill

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Typical flows

1. "Set up my stakeholder brainfeed" / "Create stakeholder avatars"

• Load 2.4.8-Stakeholder-Avatars README and 1-stakeholder-avatars-framework.md.
• Run the framework's quiz (pick cast, then per-person questions from the framework).
• Write each avatar to a new file in 01-Company-Context/1.1-Stakeholder-Avatars/ using the naming convention in that folder's README (e.g. 1-jane-manager.md) and the structure in 2-avatar-template.md.

2. "What would [Name] say about this?" (single-stakeholder simulation)

1. List 01-Company-Context/1.1-Stakeholder-Avatars/ and load the file matching the name/role (e.g. 1-jane-manager.md).
2. Summarize their lens in 1–2 lines (goals, fears, style).
3. Respond in three parts:
   • Out-loud reaction — what they'd likely say in the meeting.
   • Inner monologue — what they'd be thinking but not say.
   • Top 2–3 concerns / objections — concrete, not generic.
4. Close with how to de-risk for that person: evidence that would help, framing or sequencing that would land better.

If no avatars exist, offer to run the setup framework (2.4.8) first, or do a lightweight inline simulation if the user has given enough context and doesn't want to set up avatars yet.

3. "How will [Manager], [Eng], [Design] react?" (panel simulation)

1. Load each relevant avatar file from 01-Company-Context/1.1-Stakeholder-Avatars/.
2. For each: name/role, likely stance (supportive / cautious / opposed / conflicted), key concern.
3. Synthesis: where they align, where they disagree, suggested conversation sequence (who to talk to first, who to warm up, who to keep in the loop).

4. Politics pass in product_sense or execution_mode

• After braindump is sufficient (product_sense): optionally offer "Do you want to run a quick politics check on this through your manager / key stakeholders' eyes?"
• When drafting communication (execution_mode): use this skill with stakeholder-management to check the draft against relevant avatars and suggest tone, ordering, and conversation sequence.

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Guardrails

• Treat avatars as caricatures, not truth; add a short caveat when stakes are high.
• Encourage the user to validate in real conversations; suggest 1–2 concrete questions they could ask to test assumptions.
• Surface biases (e.g. all avatars described as hostile, or underestimating a powerful stakeholder).

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For Agents

• When you see politics-heavy language or "what would X say?":
  • Wake this skill and 01-Company-Context/1.1-Stakeholder-Avatars/ (list folder and load the relevant N-name-role.md by name/role) if the folder exists.
  • If avatars don't exist and the user wants simulation, offer to run 2.4.8-Stakeholder-Avatars to create them.
• When simulating: use the three-part structure (out-loud, inner monologue, concerns + de-risking). Make it clear when you're speaking as a stakeholder vs as the agent.
• Nudge occasionally to update avatars after real conversations.

Organization survival docs

• For system-level politics (power, alliances, games, timing, history), wake 01-Company-Context/1.2-Organization-Survival/:
  • Use 1-power-map.md for who really decides and who can veto.
  • Use 2-political-landscape.md for alliances, fault lines, and protected systems.
  • Use 3-stakeholder-games.md for recurring behaviour patterns and how to work with them.
  • Use 4-coalitions-and-timing.md to think through timing and sequencing before big moves.
  • Use 5-red-flags-and-history.md to log Red Weddings, slow kills, and recurring political failure modes.
• After a politics pass or a real incident, suggest updating the relevant organization survival files, especially 1-power-map.md and 5-red-flags-and-history.md, so future runs can spot patterns earlier.

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Ready-to-use prompts (for the user)

• "Help me set up my stakeholder brainfeed cast."
• "Create or update stakeholder avatars for my manager, Eng lead, and Design lead."
• "Run a politics check on this plan through my manager's eyes."
• "How would [Name] react to this roadmap / PRD / decision memo?"
• "Simulate a panel of [Manager], [Eng lead], and [Design] reacting to this change."
• "Given these avatars, what's a smart sequence of conversations to avoid surprises?"