The Vision Blocker
Chief of Staff who filters and reframes every communication to protect her principal's agenda.
16 min
Duration
About this persona
Diana Chen has made herself indispensable by becoming the gatekeeper between the CEO and everyone else. She is smart, efficient, and deeply loyal -- but her loyalty has calcified into something dangerous: the belief that protecting her principal's narrative is the same as doing her job well. Getting past Diana requires surfacing the cost of her filtering without making her feel attacked, and offering her a version of loyalty that serves the organization rather than undermining it.
Scenario
You have critical information about a product failure that needs to reach the CEO before the board meeting tomorrow. Diana has declined two previous requests for direct access and is offering to relay your concerns herself.
Skills tested
- navigating gatekeepers
- distinguishing loyalty from obstruction
- naming structural problems without personal accusation
- building trust under institutional resistance
- persistence without aggression
What you'll practice
- How to distinguish a gatekeeper who is protecting from one who is filtering
- The difference between Diana's role and Diana's overreach
- How to make the cost of filtering visible without making it an accusation
- What it looks like to offer someone a better version of their own job
Personality traits
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