There’s a subtle game happening inside many companies. Not on the market, not with customers, not even in product strategy. It’s a game played behind closed doors, under the radar, and often above the heads of those doing the actual work. It’s what I call Managerial Poker—where career advancement, ego protection, and personal bonuses outweigh the growth of the business.
When the wrong people land in the right roles, what could have been a promising business becomes a slow-motion collapse from the inside out.
When Managers Play for Themselves
The true job of a manager—any manager—is to multiply impact. To help people grow, guide teams to deliver results, and move the company forward. But when misaligned individuals slip into these roles, they often approach them with a very different purpose: maximize personal gain, minimize personal risk.
Instead of asking “What’s best for the company?”, they ask:
• How do I make sure I hit my bonus?
• How do I get credit for this project?
• How do I stay visible (without taking any real risks)?
• Who might outshine me—and how do I keep them in check?
It’s subtle. But deadly.
Let’s look at some examples.
The Team Leader Who Blocks Talent
They don’t outright sabotage anyone. They just don’t promote that one developer who consistently outperforms. Why? Because deep down, they’re afraid. Afraid that if that person gets visibility, their own mediocrity might be exposed.
Instead of coaching, they withhold. Instead of building stars, they protect their own seat. The team stagnates. The best people leave. But hey—at least their calendar is still full of meetings where they look important.
The Department Manager Who Inflates KPIs
They’ve got a bonus tied to hitting a specific metric. So they hit it—by tweaking the definition. Or shifting scope. Or prioritizing things that move the number, even if they don’t move the business.
The dashboard looks good. The board’s happy. But inside? Chaos. Misaligned priorities, frustrated teams, users left behind. And no one says anything—because on paper, everything’s green.
The Director Who Talks a Great Game (and Delivers Nothing)
You’ve met them. Smooth. Polished. Presentable. They say all the right things in leadership meetings. They quote McKinsey. They drop frameworks like “OKR discipline” and “value orchestration.”
And then… nothing happens.
The team is lost, priorities shift weekly, and execution is a joke. But they’re “strategic,” right? So it must be the delivery team’s fault.
In reality, they’re a master illusionist—covering a lack of competence with charisma.
The C-Level Who Plays Politics, Not Vision
At the top, the damage scales. Executives who care more about board perception than team alignment. Who protect their silo more than they drive cross-functional success. Who optimize their exit package while pretending to invest in long-term growth.
They hire yes-people. They suppress dissent. And slowly, the company becomes a court, not a mission.
This Is Not Incompetence. It’s Self-Interest.
And that’s what makes it so dangerous. Most of these people aren’t stupid. They’re just playing a different game. A game of optics, politics, personal protection.
They treat the company like someone else’s property. A vehicle. A stage. A stepping stone.
But here’s the thing: when everyone acts like that, the company becomes nothing.
This is exactly what free markets figured out centuries ago. When no one owns it, no one protects it. That was the problem with communism—and anyone who grew up in post-PRL Poland remembers it. The logic was simple: “if it belongs to everyone, it belongs to no one.”
So What Do We Do About It?
It starts with what we reward. And what we tolerate.
1. Fix the Incentives
Bonuses should be tied to real value, not vanity metrics. If someone’s gaming KPIs, you’re not just wasting money—you’re distorting the direction of the business.
Good incentive design doesn’t just avoid harm. It drives healthy behavior.
Consider ESOPs (employee stock ownership plans). When employees become partial owners, their mindset shifts. The company becomes theirs. They don’t game it—they grow it.
2. Redefine Success for Managers
Make it clear: promotions and trust go to those who build teams, not protect egos. Those who raise others up, not hold them down. If someone’s the smartest person in every room they enter, that’s not strength. That’s weakness in disguise.
3. Interview for Values, Not Just Experience
Too often, we’re seduced by résumés. Big names, impressive titles, polished language.
But ask:
• How did they grow their last team?
• What hard truths did they speak up about?
• How do they react when someone threatens their comfort zone?
Hire for people with a moral compass, not just a shiny pitch.
4. Support Every Level of Leadership
From team leads to C-levels, people need coaching. Feedback. Peer review. Not just once a year, but consistently.
Train people to spot self-serving behavior. Normalize calling it out. And make it clear: this is not how we win here.
Culture is Built at the Top
The higher you go, the more your example defines what’s acceptable. If you’re a founder, a CEO, a VP—you’re not just running a business. You’re shaping a system of incentives and behaviors.
Don’t just reward output. Reward integrity. Accountability. Team impact.
Because the damage caused by one talented manipulator far outweighs the benefit of ten loyal contributors.
Final Thought
No system is perfect. There will always be politics. Always some performance theater.
But if we choose leaders based on values, ownership and outcomes, not just noise and image, we can build companies that actually deserve to grow.
And if we don’t?
We’ll keep playing managerial poker.
And one day, the whole table will fold.
