In the Room Where it Happens
Aaron Burr spent most of the Hamilton musical wondering why he wasn't getting the opportunities that he wanted. In his words, why he wasn't "In the room where it happened". That really comes down to two main factors, having the right connections, and having those connections create opportunities for you. If you don't know someone "in the room", you are much less likely to be invited in. And if the people "in the room" don't think of you, or don't regard you highly, they won't be inviting you to join them.
So let's explore how you get there.
The Right Network
Everyone knows that to some degree, there are key people who make the consequential decisions. This is true at every level of your career and in every industry. Depending on where you are in the hierarchy, those people are different. Early in your career it could be a manager or director deciding what projects get funded or which teams work on what projects. If you are in a small company, you might have direct exposure to the founders, key executives, investors, advisors, etc., and they might be deciding the direction for the entire company. As you move up the ranks or work in larger corporations, it might be executives or CEOs. If you work in certain industries, it might be industry associations or standards bodies or committees that make the decisions. In government or regulated industries, there might be regulators or legal entities responsible.
In each situation, if you aren't the real "decision maker", then the ways in which you can influence the decision diminish the further away you are from "the room where it happens". You can look at this as degrees of separation, and the more degrees you are from the decision maker, the weaker your influence. If you want to have influence, you need to be closer to the decisions. And to do that, you need to build a network that includes the kind of people who will be in those positions.
Sometimes, you can get lucky and be introduced to someone in a position of power, and just hit it off, and this can open lots of doors. Like Hamilton, don't throw away "your shot" when it's presented to you. But more often that not, people in those positions are tough to build connection with, because they know their position, and they know that people try to ingratiate themselves as a result. Those people are often quite guarded, and the people they really trust have been with them long before they had power. If the opportunity does arise, it also helps if you have been doing your best to cultivate a reputation as exceptional and hardworking yourself, so that the people in power know you by reputation. Again, Hamilton shows the right playbook, working hard so that when Washington needed someone, he already knew who Hamilton was, and wanted him around.
This means that real connection starts way before it is obvious that this person will be in a position of power. But at the same time, truly exceptional people don't just become exceptional overnight. They have always been exceptional, and the people around them can often see it well before it pays off for them. I have seen in my career that if you walk into any office, and ask the people who work there, "who is the best employee in this team?", it is likely that almost everyone will give the same answer. The truly great do stand out. And if you find yourself working with someone who you think has that potential, they are someone you will want in your network for the future. Even if you don't make it to "the room" yourself, those people will, and you hope they will think enough of you to bring you along.
By the same token, you should be working hard to be that exceptional person yourself, and then others will want you around. In that case, if either you or they make it to "the room", you can bring each other along. Don't just look up when identifying these people either. Just because they are ahead of you now doesn't necessarily mean anything. Look 360 degrees to peers, colleagues, partners, mentors, and managers, but also to employees who work for you now, but might be going places in the future.
The Person They Want in The Room
Just identifying the right people isn't enough. You also have to build real relationships and this happens over time and through shared experiences. This can be one of those situations where the harder you try, the tougher it is. Aaron Burr was certainly a climber, and certainly was close to the key people. But in Hamilton, you get the sense that he had so much obvious naked ambition that it turned people off. They saw what he was willing to do to get to power, and they disliked him for it. The people that were in his network were the right people, but they weren't going to bring him in.
Hamilton, while he had ambition, he also had conviction. He strove in service of a bigger goal, not just his own ambition, and while some of the people around him may not have liked him for it, they grew to respect him. Respect and trust are both extremely valuable, difficult to earn, and easy to squander. You will quickly learn that the world is an incredibly small place, and acting in a way that squanders respect and trust has a way of following you around.
The other thing that gets you in "the room" is value. You will be invited in because you have a skill or a perspective or an insight that people in power want. Never stop learning, and never accept "because we've always done it that way". A unique perspective, grounded in knowledge or experience, is invaluable to the people who make the decisions. If you are the go-to person for something that becomes important to the people "in the room", they will pull you in. And again, develop that skill or expertise with intentionality, and through diligence and effort, and because it is something you care deeply about. If you are doing it just to get ahead, people can sense it, and the inauthentic nature of your interactions will turn people off. Do what you love, and do it with 100% of your being, and that will resonate with everyone around you.
Being someone that people want "in the room" is often also about how you play the game. Simon Sinek, a leading speaker on executive communication and leadership, talks about "The Infinite Game", and how people who treat business interactions as a short term, zero sum game where one person wins and one person loses are viewing it wrong. There will always be another day, and another interaction, and you may win today, or I may win tomorrow. But over time, the goal isn't to win today, but to get to the best place in the long run, and that often involves creating ways to work together in the future. Burning bridges, or winning at all costs, may give you a victory today, but it will poison the well for the future. Nobody wants to bring someone in with them who they think will stab them in the back for a quick win. They want to bring in the people they can work with for a lifetime, and who make everyone benefit.
If you want to be "in the room", act with trustworthiness and respect for others, work hard, create positive outcomes for those around you, and lift everyone up if you can. Over my entire career, whenever someone has asked me for advice, the best I can offer is "The world is a small place. If you can do something for someone, do it. Never burn bridges, because those people will be back." If you do those things, you will be the kind of person that people in power want "in the room" with them. And that is where real opportunities unfold.
Conclusion
Hamilton was the genuine article. He was exceptional in his talents and his abilities. He was driven, but in an authentic way that was driven by his convictions. When given the opportunity to connect with those in power, he didn't "throw away his shot". He elevated those around him, and he acted with integrity. And when the time came to rise to the occasion, he was invited in to "the room where it happened" and he changed history. Be like Hamilton.