“牌”通常指一种用于游戏或赌博的纸质卡片，比如扑克牌、麻将牌等。在不同的语境中，它也可以引申为标识身份的凭证，如车牌、身份证等。

In the game you're playing right now, based on supply and demand, what the environment lacks is what's considered a "leverage point." You need to ask yourself: What does the environment want? What are they short on?

A leverage point is, at its core, a supply-demand imbalance — where supply is less than demand.

So what exactly is private allegiance?

Let’s say an executive at your company secretly starts their own side business behind the boss’s back. They buy your company’s product at a discounted rate and then resell it at a premium to your own clients. They’re using your product to steal your customers, even calling on your engineers to provide support. If you get involved — if you know about it and actively participate by assigning your team to help them, and you also hold equity in this shadow company — that’s private allegiance. Once it comes to light, you’re both done. It’s all or nothing. He leaves, and you leave with him. That’s private allegiance.

When it comes to picking a side, the reality is winner-takes-all or lose-all. If this executive eventually rises to become chairman, everything will be swept under the rug and never spoken of again. If they fail, you go down with them. There’s no scenario where they depart and you stay. That’s how deep private allegiance goes.

If you can’t resolve the choke-point issues, how do you gain leverage over the company? If you don’t have dirt on this executive, how do you hold power over them?