Page 25 - Executive Warfare

Introduction

high-stakes poker game. Everybody has to pay those dues to play. But a
lot of people think that all they have to do to win is pay those dues. They
are markedly mistaken—and most find this out the hard way and usu-
ally too late.
There is also another catch that no one tells you about—not when
you’re a child, not when you’re a college student, not when you’re a young
and eager employee—not ever, for that matter. It’s not just that the pyra-
mid narrows and the competition toughens as you rise. It’s that the game
changes fundamentally.
At a certain point on the way to the executive suite, the simple chain of
command you have worked under for
years turns into filigree, and you no
IT’S NOT JUST THAT
longer have just one boss to please. You
THE PYRAMID
now have a complex, hazy matrix of
NARROWS AND THE
hundreds of bosses. And you cannot
COMPETITION
rise without impressing a good number
TOUGHENS AS YOU
of them.
RISE. IT’S THAT THE
These bosses include not just your
GAME CHANGES
direct boss, but also the people above
FUNDAMENTALLY.
him or her to whom you have now
become visible, including the organiza-
tion’s chief executive and the board of directors. Your other new bosses
include every single person who has any influence over any of these
higher-ups.
Chances are good that the higher-ups are listening to your peers. They
are also listening to the people in human resources, the general counsel’s
office, and the accounts payable department that processes your expenses.
They may very well be listening to some of your underlings, too, who are
probably more prominent themselves than any underlings you’ve ever had
to supervise before.
These bosses are definitely listening to the outsiders you might expect
to be influential, such as clients, regulators, and the press. But they’re also

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