Having someone’s back while they’re out of the room is the one kind of loyalty nobody can fake for points.

How you speak about people when they cannot hear you is the only version that is not performance. Defending someone absent earns you nothing, which is precisely what makes it the real measure. The room also learns what you will do when they are the ones who step out.

When a conversation turns on someone who is not there, say the fair thing or change the subject. You do not need a speech; one sentence resets the room. Do it especially when agreeing would be easier.