Politics Coach

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.

Relevant framework and data locations

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.

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).

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.

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?"