thanks for thoughtful reply, definitely a lot to think about and consider

  > Most people are reactive to “bad” politics, just like bad sales and bad management. When it is handled well, people don’t notice it or realize it.

yes, definitely, i guess (at least when i use that word) most people probably mean "bad politics" when they say "politics" and that was what i mean... good to clarify that

  > I don’t think this is relegated to certain industries or certain team sizes. It’s a question of roles and responsibilities

good point!

  > We’ve have great social experiments in rotating leadership and in practice, people bring whatever lens they view the world to the leadership table, which is great until it isn’t.

yes, that can be an issue for sure. i guess what i was thinking was through the chance of being lead by someone who was previously under them and vice-versa there is more of a chance for managers to re-evaluate that lens and reduce those "bad" politics...