Map the room.
The client is one stakeholder. The room has more.
The client is rarely just the named client. The chief of staff or EA controls the diary.
The press secretary shapes the narrative. The spouse has the leader's ear at 10pm.
The board chair has the kill switch. The advisor who knows only the principal gets blindsided by everyone else in the system.
The job is to map the whole table.
- 01Within the first month of any engagement, map every person around the client who matters.
- 02Refresh the map quarterly. Staff turn over fast, especially in politics.
- 03Treat junior staff with the same respect as the principal. They're current gatekeepers and future clients.
- 04Know the press sec, chief of staff, diary manager and senior advisor by name, background and KPIs.