Behind the Firewall: Notes of a Punk CIO

The Punk CIO on unlocking the hidden org chart without selling your soul

If I’m honest, I’ve always been pretty good at building relationships — but only with people I naturally liked. I didn’t think of it as a skill. I certainly didn’t think of it as “networking.” I just connected with the people I liked.

And for a while, that was enough. I had a solid circle, people I trusted across teams, someone I could ping for help or bounce ideas off. But over time, I started to see the limits of that comfort zone.

I wasn’t building relationships deliberately. I wasn’t thinking about how connections could help unblock work, expose blind spots, or simply make life easier. And I wasn’t too often and/or voluntarily reaching beyond familiar faces — into the wider system that makes things move.

The hidden org chart

Every organization has two org charts: there’s the formal one — you know, the boxes and lines in HR systems that show who reports to whom. And then there’s the real one — the informal, dynamic web of people who talk, collaborate, solve, share, and get things done.

That hidden org chart isn’t documented (there are structured attempts to map these though!), but it’s incredibly real: it lives in side conversations, quick Teams messages, peer groups, and quiet/in-between-the-line reputations. It’s what allows information to flow quickly, projects to land softly, and problems to be escalated without bureaucracy and too much emotional waves.

And if you’re not plugged into it — even loosely — it’s a lot harder to operate smoothly.

This isn’t just for CIOs

There’s a common belief that relationship-building is for leaders. That it’s something you do once you’re in a position of visibility. But that’s backwards.

You don’t need visibility to connect — you connect to operate. Whether you’re solving tickets, managing systems, or building features, your work lives in a wider ecosystem. And being able to navigate that system — to reach people, understand them, and be understood — is what makes the difference between struggling in a silo and actually delivering value.

But networking still feels awkward, right?

Even though I was good with people, I had an allergic reaction to anything that felt like “working the room.” I didn’t want to chase contacts, sell myself, or make conversations transactional – it either felt empty or manipulative.

But eventually I saw that – while I wasn’t closed off – I was at minimum limited. I was surrounding myself with people who already thought like me and as such mostly reinforced my perspective. And while that felt comfortable, it wasn’t stretching me and definitely left some potential unexploited.

More importantly, I was missing out on context — the bigger picture, the upstream dependencies, the downstream pain points, the corridor talks — because I wasn’t hearing from the people outside my natural habitat.

Networking isn’t about being liked or noticed. It’s about creating flow — in your work, your ideas, your learning. It’s about being connected enough to operate effectively across a messy, interdependent system. And — crucially — it’s about letting others shape your thinking, challenge your assumptions, and help you grow.

The cost of staying in your comfort zone

When you only connect with people who are easy to talk to, you unintentionally build a filter bubble. You hear what you expect. You solve what’s in front of you. And you miss out on insights that live elsewhere — in another function, another region, or even just another mindset.

That’s not just a missed opportunity. It’s a risk. You get caught off guard by decisions you weren’t part of.
You spend time reinventing solutions others already have. You miss subtle context that would’ve changed your approach — if only someone had thought to loop you in.

No one is keeping you out. They just don’t know you’re there. Or what you bring. Or how to engage you.

Networking for people who already like people

If, like me, you’re not opposed to connecting with others — but haven’t been doing it intentionally — here’s how to start without turning into someone you’re not:

• Reach out not just to those you like, but to those you don’t yet understand. That’s where the growth is.
• Ask curious questions about what others are working on. Most people love to share.
• Step into conversations outside your domain. You’ll learn things you didn’t know you needed to know.
• When you speak up, you don’t just express your ideas — you give others the chance to shape them.

That last one matters more than we often admit. Your thinking gets sharper in the open. Exposing your ideas to others doesn’t dilute them — it refines them. It makes them stronger, more grounded, more relevant.

Final thought

You don’t need to be louder. You don’t need to fake interest or force conversations. But you do need to stretch beyond what’s comfortable, and start connecting a little more deliberately.
That’s not about influence, definitely not about influence as manipulation. It’s about effectiveness. It’s about awareness. And it’s about learning in both directions.

So show up, ask. listen, offer, share! Be part of the system that makes work easier, ideas better, and progress faster — not just for yourself, but for everyone around you.

That’s not politics. That’s how things should work.