More likely that I am the naive one - I know that there is no place without politics (we’re all humans after all), but I strive to minimize politics, because it drains me.

What I meant specifically were those two points:

How to indulge a senior manager who wants to talk about technical stuff that they don’t really understand, without rolling your eyes or making them feel stupid

and

How to get other engineers to listen to your ideas without making them feel threatened

Beyond basic human courtesy, I don’t agree that the fragility of other peoples ego should be the leitmotif of communication in a professional setting. I’d think a senior engineer should be able to speak up without beating around the bush, both to peers and higher-ups. I would assume for the higher-ups it should be more valuable to get candid responses from those in the trenches than smile-and-nod-yes-men responses.

And I think the counterpart of the second “listen to other engineers’ ideas without feeling threatened” is really good advice, because unlike the other one it is under your control and also a good thing in itself.

Then I also find “How to get another engineer to do something for you by asking for help in a way that makes them feel appreciated” has a bit of a manipulative touch.