The workplace isn’t a safe space.

It feels more like a jungle. You don’t get to rest until you’ve built shelter, until you’ve figured out the animals, until you know which plants feed you and which ones kill you.

I love the idea of being authentic everywhere — but the office doesn’t reward that. A few people can pull it off: the CEO, the social media star with millions of followers, the charismatic superstar. They’re shielded. The rest of us? What gets celebrated is the work.

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not your tribe

The people around you at work aren’t your tribe. Some will be friendly. But most have their own incentives. Sometimes you’re useful, sometimes you’re an obstacle. And when you’re in the way, they’ll do what jungle animals do: hiss, flare, or quietly report you.

That’s why it feels unsafe. Your job isn’t “just a job.” It’s rent, food, survival. When someone questions your role or undermines you, it doesn’t just sting — it triggers something primal. Like another monkey pointing at your bananas and saying, “Those don’t belong to him.” No wonder the fight-or-flight kicks in.

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the judge's default ruling

I learned this lesson the hard way.

Three weeks into my new role, a colleague told a manager I wasn’t giving them enough support. They didn’t ask me directly, didn’t make specific requests. Just… escalated.

Meanwhile, I thought I was doing the right thing: setting meetings, gathering context, getting ready for the key discussion with engineers. But because I didn’t broadcast it, it looked like nothing. I assumed trust. That was my mistake.

And here’s the brutal reality: in these moments, truth doesn’t matter as much as presence.

It’s like a courtroom. Two parties, one judge. If one party doesn’t show up, the judge rules for the other by default. Even if the absent party is technically right. Even if they’ve caused no harm. The judge just shrugs and says, “Well, I heard one side. Case closed.”

That’s how reputation works in the jungle. If you don’t show up with your side, with receipts, people will believe the story they hear.

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building shelter

So what’s the shelter in this jungle? Tracking.

Not the glamorous kind. Not the OKRs or dashboards. I mean the personal kind: a log of what you actually did each day. The meetings, the prep, the to-dos, the small moves nobody else sees.

Because when someone asks, “Where were you? What were you doing?” — you can answer. You can roll back the tape. You don’t have to scramble to reconstruct history while under fire.

It’s exhausting, sometimes more work than the work itself. But it’s what keeps you from being eaten alive.

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survival kit

That’s the real lesson. The workplace isn’t a safe space unless you own the place.

So: build your hut. Sharpen your spears. Know the animals and the plants. Keep track of your footsteps. Protect yourself from the jungle, and find the rare ones in there who might actually be your tribe.