The Real Org Chart: How Decisions Actually Move

The Unfiltered Leader

No spin. No fluff. Just what actually works.

In the last issue, we looked at replacing default rules that kept you small.

Now it is time to go one level deeper.

Your best work will stall when you act on the “tidy chart” and ignore the real one. Titles show reporting lines. The real map shows how decisions truly move. Learn it and you will move work faster without losing yourself.

Here is the download...

The two charts you work in

You operate in two charts at the same time.

Formal chart

• Roles, titles and reporting lines

• Committees and sign offs

• Accountability on paper

Real chart

• Who gets asked before anything is “final”

• Who shapes the recommendation off line

• Who slows things by not engaging

• Who carries trust, context and a quiet veto

When you ignore the second chart, three things usually happen:

• You over prepare for the meeting and under prepare the conversations before it

• You over focus on hierarchy and under use the connectors

• Outcomes blindside you and you can feel the ground move under your feet

You are not meant to guess your way through this. You can learn to read it.

Three hidden power rules to replace

1. Old rule: The decision happens in the meeting

You prepare your slides, wait for the slot and hope the hour goes your way.

New rule: Decisions are shaped before the meeting

Treat the meeting as the last 20 percent, not the whole thing.

• Share a simple pre read

• Have two short touch points with key voices

• Ask “Who would be surprised by this?” and adjust before the room sees it

2. Old rule: Influence follows hierarchy

You aim only at the most senior people and assume everyone else is background.

New rule: Influence follows trust and track record

Find the non-titled heavies, the fixers, the cross team connectors.

Bring them in early as partners, not as a formality. Ask what you might be missing and what would make the recommendation stronger.

3. Old rule: Avoid politics

You hope good work speaks for itself and feel uneasy talking about influence.

New rule: Work with influence without losing yourself

Map who is affected, who must be heard and who others follow.

When you use that insight to widen the conversation, you protect the people doing the work and make the decision more robust, rather than trying to game the system.

60 second power map reset

Before you launch the work, take one minute to answer:

• Who really matters beyond the org chart?

Sponsor, owner, connector, quiet veto. Write down their names.

• Where will this actually be shaped?

Team session, 1:1, off line working pair. Plan those moments deliberately.

• What is my role in this decision?

Are you the owner, facilitator or challenger. Choose it, instead of letting everyone else choose for you.

This gets you out of “hope it lands” mode and into deliberate leadership.

One page decision packet

For high stakes calls, build a one page packet you can reuse:

• Problem and target metric

• Two options with real trade offs

• Risk, cost and customer impact

• Clear recommendation with a time window

• Names consulted, next owner and due date

This gives people something concrete to react to, it stops unnecessary drift and makes the path visible.

Micro scripts you can use this week

You can drop these lines into your own language:

• “Before we finalise this, who else needs to see it so they are not surprised?”

• “Who do people follow on this topic and have we asked for their view?”

• “If this is where the real decision happens, let us get the right people in that room.”

• “Who could quietly block this and what would they need to support it?”

• “Can we be clear on who is shaping this and who is deciding it?”

Let me be clear... You are not calling anyone out. You are naming how things move so people can be honest with you.

Operating process and 14 day experiment

Weekly

• Spend 30 minutes updating one power map for a live decision

• Book two short pre meets where the real shaping will happen

Before major calls

• Send the one pager

• Log objections and questions instead of letting them swirl informally

Monthly

• Retire one approval that adds delay without adding quality

14 day experiment

• Week 1: Map one live decision, run two pre meets, send the packet

• Week 2: Hold a 20 minute decision review, close or escalate, share what moved and why

You are experimenting a new way of working, not changing everything at once.

Here is the brief

The org chart shows reporting lines. The real map moves outcomes.

See it.

Use it.

Keep your values.

You will spend fewer hours and have improved outcomes.

20 second org chart check

Answer yes or no:

• I can name two non senior people who shape outcomes here

• I know who is consulted before major calls

• I have mapped who feels the impact of my next decision

• I am present in at least some of the real decision conversations

• Someone came to me early to sense check in the last two weeks

Three or more yes answers and you are working the real map.

Fewer than three and you are likely carrying more drag and risk than you need to. Start with the 60 second reset on one decision this week.