Every engineering team has its cast of characters. And just like in a good story, there’s always some tension—usually around what to build, how to build it, and who gets the final say.

Think Campbell's theories on the Hero's Journey: there are always different archetypes who have their own objectives, goals, and roles within the story that's told. Stories are always—one way or another—a reflection of life. Corporate politics are no different.

Let’s not dive into the full lineup today, but a few to paint the picture:

1. the intelligent engineer who debates every semantic detail and slows down decision-making;
2. the leader who frames things as “the team’s choice” but quietly pushes their own agenda;
3. the longtime contributors who’ve grown jaded and don’t have the energy to push back.

I ran into all of them on a recent engagement.

I was brought in to own a frontend project, only to find that backend engineers had already scaffolded it—using tools I was unfamiliar with, along with some that were a bit outdated. Meanwhile, I had already set up my own repo using a modern stack I knew well. I didn’t realize theirs existed.

They told me to drop my repo and work from theirs. I didn’t love that.

But at this point, you can’t just say, “Your way is bad, mine is better.” Especially in engineering—and definitely inside a company—you need to frame your approach in terms of what benefits the business and the team.

That’s not easy when there’s internal resistance. Most tech stacks come with pros and cons, and rarely is there one clear “right” answer. Often, people favor what they already know. So while you still need to build a rational case, the decision can end up being arbitrary—or at least based on preference.

Here are a few principles I try to keep in mind when navigating that space:

• Lead with warmth. Be cheerful, firm, and early in your interactions. Show up open and in good spirits—even when that’s hard. When people enjoy working with you, it’s easier to get things done.
• Find allies. Consult stakeholders across the org. If your approach aligns with existing initiatives—or others are rooting for it behind the scenes—that support can make a big difference.
• Let go of the outcome. Do your best, but be willing to detach from the final decision. Not everything will go your way, and that’s okay.

Tech politics aren’t easy. But the ones who win are the ones who know how to rally other humans—not just computer power.