You Need to Be in the Room Where It Happens — But How?
You've heard the phrase before: "You need to be in the room where decisions happen." It sounds powerful—exclusive even—but no one ever hands you the playbook for getting in that room. Working hard isn't enough. Being the best at your job isn't enough. The truth is, opportunities to sit at the table where decisions are made don't simply appear—they're earned, often through deliberate actions, strategic visibility, and building the right kind of influence. So the real question becomes: how do you earn that seat at the table?
If you've ever wondered why certain people are always in those key meetings, asked for input on big projects, or somehow always in the know—it's not luck. It's structure. It's systems. It's intentional networking. And yes, it's strategy. Here's the truth: most professionals are unknowingly stuck at the kids' table at work. They're working hard, hitting every target, yet still left out of the conversations that shape the future. The difference between being an observer and being a decision-maker often comes down to two things: visibility and relevance. And the good news? Both are entirely within your control. We're about to unpack the exact strategy for you to claim your seat.
Before we get into the how, let's address the mindset. Too many people treat being invited into the room as a reward—something that magically happens when they've "earned it" through hard work alone. That's the wrong frame. You don't wait to be discovered; you create the conditions where your absence would be noticed. The people in those rooms aren't just good at their jobs—they've positioned themselves as indispensable voices in conversations that matter. They've made it impossible to move forward without their perspective. That's the shift: stop waiting for permission to join the table, and start building demand for your seat.
Here's something most people miss: there isn't just one room or one table. There are many. Your manager has a "table" where the senior members of your immediate team gather to influence decisions. Your department has a table where departmental leaders—leaders in role and in influence—discuss priorities and resources. And your company has a table where executives make the strategic decisions that shape the entire organization. Each of these rooms operates at a different scale, but the principle is the same: when you're not at the table, you're not part of the conversation—or the outcome. The strategy we're about to cover works for every single one of those tables, whether you're aiming for the inner circle on your team or the highest-level conversations in the company. Master it at one level, and you can scale it all the way up.
So how do you actually get that seat—whether it's with your team lead, your department heads, or your company's executive leadership? You do it with Access, Contribution, and Expertise.
