About
“Workplaces Don’t Run On Fairness.
They Run On Power & Influence. I Specialise In Helping You Navigate Both”
Elaine Blidgeon
Why I Do This Work
I learnt early that asking didn’t always get you what you wanted.
I was 16, working my first Saturday job in a café. Everyone started on the shop floor — waiting tables, no tips, no perks. But there were two prized positions: upstairs in the restaurant, or behind the one and only till.
Only the manager and her favourite ran the till — so I treated that as closed. I set my sights on the restaurant instead.
I asked if I could move straight upstairs to work in the restaurant, and I got a straight No. I waited and asked again, and again I got no, then another no and then another no.
So I stopped asking — and started manoeuvring.
There were four stations between me and upstairs. I studied how things worked, watched who moved where, and quietly shifted myself forward, station by station. Eventually, I got there. Not by charm. Not by title. By strategy.
What I didn’t realise then was that this wasn’t a one‑off story — it was an early case study in how power really works.
Like most people, I bought into the myth that hard work speaks for itself. That if you perform well, stay professional, and say the right things, you’ll be rewarded.
I also used to think the most capable person would rise, that speaking up meant you were heard, that delivering results would automatically earn respect.
And then I found myself doing all the right things — and still being blocked, dismissed or side‑lined. That’s when I stopped treating these experiences as “my face didn’t fit ” and started treating them as data. It’s that forensic, pattern‑spotting lens I now bring to my clients’ careers.
What I See Now
Once I started paying attention, I saw the same patterns everywhere.
- The same personalities dominating rooms without saying much.
- The same people getting ahead — not because they were the best, but because they knew how to move.
- The same silent rules about who gets listened to… and who gets left out.
In my work now, I treat “confidence issues” and “communication problems” as surface labels. Underneath, the real drivers are power and influence:
- Who actually has it (regardless of job title).
- How they hold it and protect it.
- What the rest of us quietly give up by failing to see the real game.
Once I understood how these dynamics really worked, I couldn’t unsee them — and I stopped treating them as random or personal.
That became the foundation of my practice: helping professionals name the power plays, unwritten rules and quiet politics shaping their day, so we can move from playing blind to making cleaner, smarter, more strategic moves on purpose.
How I Help Now
I work with experienced professionals and first‑time managers who know they’re capable, yet keep getting blindsided, drained or quietly undermined.
Their problem isn’t competence; it’s that they’re operating in systems shaped by power, not pure performance.
In my practice, I:
- Pinpoint the power plays hiding behind everyday phrases and “friendly” moves.
- Map what’s really happening in one specific situation that still stings, so you can see the structure instead of just the emotion.
- Use a structured reframe method I’ve honed over years to clear the emotional fallout, so you stop over‑reacting or replaying it for days.
- Help you decide how to quietly change how much access that person has to your time, your headspace and your emotional self.
I’m not here to hand you a confidence boost.
I’m here to give you a map and the techniques to use it.
Once you can read the power, the people and the politics, you stop playing blindly and start moving on purpose.
🎯 Your first step is The Power Play Field Guide and the Weekly Power Plays Briefing, where I share the same patterns and responses I use with clients, so you can recognise the plays and stay steady when they show up.
When you’re ready to go deeper with a live situation, Power Plays Lab is the short, focused 1‑to‑1 or group coaching programme where we decode your specific play and build your personal “Power Plays OS”.
🔗 [Download The Power Play Field Guide Free →]
🔗 [Explore The Power Plays Lab →]
What I Believe
- Most people aren’t underperforming — they’re underpowered.
After years of watching capable professionals hit invisible walls, I treat “performance problems” as power problems first. It’s rarely about skill; it’s about access, perception and understanding how the game is actually being played.
- Workplaces run on power plays — but almost no one is taught how to read them
Until you can, you’ll keep second‑guessing yourself instead of adjusting your moves.
- You don’t need to be louder. You need to be sharper.
In my world, strategy beats volume every time.
- You can be decent and still play smart.
This isn’t about manipulation; it’s about seeing clearly. Clarity protects your energy, your reputation and your options.
- Power itself isn’t dirty. The abuse of power is.
Used well, power is simply how you protect your voice, your wellbeing and your outcomes.
- If you can’t name the dynamic, you can’t shift it.
Once you can see the pattern, you can move differently — and that’s where real change starts.
- Strategy isn’t cold; it’s the most respectful way I know to handle complexity
It stops you wasting moves, and keeps you grounded while other people spiral.
Ready to Move Smarter?
If you’re tired of second‑guessing, misreading the room, or being the one who plays fair while others play for power, it’s time to change how you move — with someone who has already mapped this terrain.
Start with The Power Play Field Guide and the Weekly Power Plays Briefing, where I show you what’s really going on underneath “normal” office behaviour and how to protect yourself without playing dirty.
🔗 [Download The Power Play Field Guide Free →]
When you’re ready for deeper work on a live situation, step into Power Plays Lab — a focused 1‑to‑1 or small‑group space where I help you map your specific play, clear the emotional sting, and design how you’ll handle similar moves in future.
🔗 [Explore Power Plays Lab →]
You don’t need another pep talk. You need a clearer view of the game you’re in, and a cleaner way to play it on your own terms, guided by someone who does this work every day.