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Get a Seat at the Table

As a child, did you ever get invited to a holiday dinner at Grandma’s and hope to get seated at the table with the grownups but instead were banished to another room with the rest of the kids? It’s an especially disappointing and even lonely feeling when you’re left out of the adults’ talk, especially when you think you can contribute to the conversation.

It’s not too different, if you think about it, to be excluded from the executive table at work when you just might benefit from hearing what your managers and even your peers who did get invited have to say. The question is, How do you gain and, more important, maintain a proverbial seat at the table?

A starting point is to know as much about your organization or subject matter as there is to know. What are its core competencies? What does its strategic plan include? Who are the stakeholders? What business relationship is in play with each stakeholder group? What contracts exist, and which ones are being pursued? What products are on-line or in production? What is the revenue picture, and what needs to happen for the outlook to improve? What are the future ventures that require attention?

Once you have assembled that information in your data bank, there are questions you need to ask yourself: What can I do to prove I can make a contribution to the discussions being conducted regarding these issues or causes? How might that lend itself to business results?

That doesn’t mean an offer will be extended to you overnight. It may take time to build your reputation. There are ways to do that. If you have a report to write, is it well thought out and written? If you are developing a strategy, does it have substance and worth? If you’re asked a question by a middle manager in the hallway, do you have a ready answer that makes sense? Opportunities to demonstrate your value to the organization can happen at any time. Be ready to make an impact.

Yes, it starts with educating yourself so that you have a true understanding of the challenges, the initiatives, and the successes of the company. Be so familiar with the strategy of the organization that your actions complement whatever the goals are. Speak the language that echoes that strategy. In everything you do strive to be a true professional.

Gaining that seat at the table is not a gift. It is earned. You’re not invited just to warm a chair. You’re there to show you have the right stuff.

It helps to look the part in the way you dress. My philosophy is to always dress up. That entails being the best-dressed person in the room: a well-tailored suit or dress, a starched shirt or blouse, a sharp tie or an elegant scarf. Not too many bangles and beads but enough to set your attire off. Take pride in the way you look. If you find others looking at you, there is probably a reason. It may be how well you are dressed.

It may also be because you’re prepared for the meeting. If an agenda has been published, research each and every item. Come prepared with relevant knowledge and expertise. That’s important if the boss turns to you and you’re able to provide thoughtful, well-reasoned views or advice.

For me, getting a seat at the table came in my first assignment as a second lieutenant in the Republic of Korea. My captain company commander called me in after he had been there only two months. He said, “Lieutenant, I intend to put higher emphasis on training and how it’s conducted. I am assigning you the additional duty of training officer for the company.” I was one of a handful of lieutenants in the company of 250 soldiers, and he could have chosen any one of us for this duty, but he picked me. It was a lot of extra work, but I learned so much from having to develop a weekly training schedule, select the subjects, and assign the instructors. Dialogue with the captain over what to do and how to do it was constant.

It went well enough that after two months had passed he called me in to say, “You’re doing a good enough job as training officer that I’m going to let you deploy the company to the field and conduct the training there.” That was a huge deal. Moving men and machines long distances, creating realistic training scenarios, supervising the details of the exercise, and evaluating the training results were significant undertakings. I must have done it well enough because at the 7-month mark of my 13-month tour I was elevated to battalion headquarters as the only lieutenant chosen to be the assistant operations officer.

Later in my army career, as a special assistant to two chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I was invited to attend the morning staff meetings in the National Military Command Center. The room was filled with enough stars to light up a galaxy. The generals and admirals sat around the highly polished conference table. Yes, I was a backbencher, one of four without stars but with special status. It was a unique privilege that allowed me to hear discussions on issues of high importance to the nation. It was not uncommon for Admiral Crowe or General Powell to turn to me and ask for my opinion on something being discussed.

This went a long way toward building my credibility as a source the chairman valued. It also went a long way toward building relationships with all the directors who were responsible for running the Joint Staff. They too would come to me for advice, and I in turn was able to count on them, with the permission of the chairman, to give speeches and interviews on his behalf. This carte blanche privilege accomplished many things that otherwise would not have happened. Credibility is a powerful tool.

Your skill and competence are your tools for gaining that recognition as a resource that is highly valued. Once you gain a seat at that all-important table, you are a full-fledged member of the team. You’ll know that you’ve made it when the boss seeks your advice and wisdom and other people at the table turn to listen to what you have to say.

Having a seat at the table can extend beyond the boardroom. When a senior manager calls you or comes to visit to get your advice on something, that’s an extension of the seat you’ve earned. On a spur of the moment or routine basis, you need to be prepared to be that go-to person whom people rely on for your judgment and opinions. Once you do this, you will find that it’s a great place to be.