5. Illustrate the Natural Order of Things

Understanding where you are on the food chain is as critical in society as it is in business. This might explain why every pantheon of gods ever memorialized in fable comes neatly arranged in a nice hierarchal package. From Mt. Olympus to the Vedas, the pecking order is as crystal clear as the reasons behind it, typically having something to do with a divine version of seniority.

In the business world, we use a pictograph, a story in symbols—in this case, the organization chart—to illustrate the great corporate chain of being. The organizational chart not only tells us who is subordinate to whom, but it also sketches out the rationalization for the hierarchy. Department A reports to Department B, which in turns reports to Division X. First you find yourself, and then you find where you stand in relation to the whole.