The Inner Monologue

Let’s get one thing straight—no matter where you work, what you do, or how many times you’ve muttered “I just come here to do my job and go home,” you are in a game. The only question is: Do you know which one?

Maybe your workplace is a friendly round of tic-tac-toe—predictable, easily mastered, and ultimately pointless. Or maybe you’ve stumbled into a high-stakes, 4D chess match where the pieces move when you’re not looking and the rules are written in disappearing ink. Either way, if you don’t know the game being played, congratulations—you’re probably the pawn.

Rule #1: Know the Game (Or Get Played)

Every workplace has its own twisted version of Survivor, complete with alliances, backstabbing, and a corporate Jeff Probst who smiles while holding your pink slip. The first rule is simple: Figure out the game before it figures you out.

• Are promotions based on merit, or on who laughs loudest at the boss’s terrible jokes?
• Is “teamwork” code for “do someone else’s work while they take credit”?
• Does HR exist to help employees, or to protect the company from them?

If you don’t know the answers, you’re already losing.

Rule #2: Pick Your Player Class

Are you Lawful Evil (the rule-following bureaucrat who wields policy like a weapon)? Chaotic Neutral (the wildcard who thrives on unpredictability)? Or just That One Person Who Still Thinks Hard Work Alone Will Save Them (bless your heart)?

Your playstyle determines your survival rate. The key is to choose deliberately—because if you don’t, the game will choose for you.

Rule #3: Strategy Beats Effort Every Time

You can grind away like a hero, or you can play smart. The person who gets ahead isn’t always the hardest worker—it’s the one who understands:

• Visibility > Productivity (If no one sees it, did it even happen?)
• Networking > Competence (It’s not what you know, it’s who you know—and who knows you.)
• Timing > Talent (The right move at the right moment beats grinding in the shadows.)

The Final Rule: Know How to Win (Or At Least Not Lose)

Some games are worth playing. Some are rigged from the start. Your job is to figure out which is which and act accordingly.

• If the game is unwinnable, change the game (or change jobs).
• If the game is toxic, don’t play (or play just enough to stay safe).
• If the game is actually fair (lol), then go all in.

The Bottom Line

You can pretend it’s “just a job,” but make no mistake—you’re on the board whether you like it or not. The only choice you have is whether to move yourself or let someone else move you.

So wake up, learn the rules, and start playing. Or keep pretending you’re “above it all” while someone else takes your promotion, your raise, and your favorite parking spot.

Your move.