Robert Greene's framing (his opening and closing thesis, restated as Principle 4 of his four-principle model): the goal of the "power game" is not becoming the head of a company or attaining some important title — it's constantly learning, adapting, and getting better at the game itself.
Winning is redefined internally rather than externally: it feels like not being entangled in the emotional politicking others throw at you, which frees the mind to be creative and focus on what's actually important. The payoff is independence, freedom, and room to maneuver — not a scoreboard victory or a formal position held.
This reframes success in power dynamics as exemption from office politics and ongoing adaptive skill, rather than a title attained.
See Power Position Is Always Rising or Falling, Never Static (position is never fixed, so pursuing it as an end state is a category error) and Power as Managing Appearances (The Aura Game) (psychology/perception, not data, drives outcomes within the game).