Snake Season Came Early This Year. So Did the Office Ones.

Snake season arrived early in Southern California this year — and I noticed it firsthand.

Beginning in March, my desert hikes started turning up more encounters than usual. That tracks: the recent heat wave pulled rattlesnakes out weeks early. California Poison Control logged 77 bite calls in just the first three months of 2026, against an annual average of 200 to 300 for an entire year.

That's not a slow build. That's a compressed warning.

It reminded me of something I've observed just as consistently in organizations: office snakes don't always wait for the right season either. They emerge whenever conditions are warm enough — a leadership transition, a reorg, a moment of ambiguity at the top.

The calm, alert hiker who spots the snake before it strikes is the same kind of leader who sees dysfunction before it becomes a crisis. That quality — situational awareness without reactivity — is what I call Calm Authority™.

I wrote the following reflections in June 2023. Three years later, the advice holds.

In every office, there's always that one person looking out for their own interest, no matter the cost. They're sly, sneaky, and always looking for an opportunity to strike — causing chaos, drama, and stress that undermines the whole team.

Here are five ways to deal with them.

1. Identify the snakes

Look for gossiping, backstabbing, playing the victim, one-upping, and taking credit for others' work. Watch for people who control the narrative, manipulate situations, and are always at the center of conflict but never accountable for it.

2. Keep your distance

Don't share sensitive information or projects with them. Don't engage in gossip. Keep communication short and to the point.

3. Build a strong network

Invest in relationships built on trust and mutual respect. Find colleagues who share your values and will support you when things get difficult. A strong network is your best protection against office snakes.

4. Be assertive

Office snakes target people they can intimidate or manipulate. Set clear boundaries and hold them. When you push back with confidence, you make clear you're not an easy target.

5. Stay focused

Dealing with office snakes is draining. Protect your energy. Stay anchored to your goals and don't let their behavior pull you off course.

Office snakes undermine trust, drain culture, and erode what leaders work hard to build. The response isn't drama. It's clarity, steadiness, and strong relationships.

And yes — a reminder that still makes me smile — none of these tips apply to actual desert trails. For those, find a trusted expert. For the organizational ones, a trusted colleague remains one of the most underrated assets in organizational life.

Have you dealt with office snakes in the workplace? I'd like to hear about it.

About Mike Horne

I'm an executive advisor, author of The People Dividend: Leadership Strategies for Unlocking Employee Potential and Integrity by Design: Working and Living Authentically, and host of The People Dividend Podcast.

My work sits at the intersection of leadership character, organizational trust, and Calm Authority™ — the capacity to lead with steadiness and clarity in environments that reward neither.

I work with founders, senior leaders, and boards navigating the moments that actually define a culture.

Curious about how I think and work? 👉 https://ask.unabyss.com/mike-horne

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