Where you are on the pyramid determines what threatens you and what doesn't.

Module 1 · Lesson 2 of 5

There's a model you're going to use throughout this course. It's simple enough that you can hold it in your head, but precise enough that it actually tells you something. It divides employees into four categories, arranged as a pyramid. Each tier includes everything below it, plus something new.

Most models like this are built to tell you who's successful. This one is built to tell you who's replaceable. It matters what you're trying to predict. The traditional hierarchy — individual contributor to manager to director — tells you who has authority. The tier model tells you who is safe when conditions change.