Identifying the blocker before the meeting starts.
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.
