Identifying the blocker before the meeting starts.
4.2.2 The Shadow Org Chart
The official org chart tells you who approves expense reports. It tells you nothing about who makes decisions.
Every company has a Shadow Org Chart—a hidden network of trust, debt, and influence that actually controls the roadmap.
- The Nodes: There is usually a Senior Engineer in the platform team whose opinion the VP trusts more than the Director’s. There is a PM who controls the launch calendar regardless of what the Gantt chart says.
- The Job: Your first month as Staff is not about writing code; it is about mapping this territory. You need to identify the 3–5 people who actually hold the “veto power” and “greenlight power” for your domain, regardless of their title.
- The Unwritten Rule: Never enter a high-stakes meeting without knowing the vote count beforehand. If you are debating a strategy in the big meeting, you have already lost. The decision was made in the Shadow Org Chart three days ago.
