How to read this book

The book has two parts, and the split is deliberate.
Part I (chapters 1–6) is the shared foundation. It defines the building blocks — skills, levels, trees, roots, forests, ranks — and the two disciplines that keep a forest trustworthy: honest assessment and regular upkeep. Everyone should read Part I, whatever their role. It's short, and every later chapter leans on it instead of re-explaining terms.
Part II (chapters 7–10) is one chapter per way of using the method. Read the one that matches your seat; skim the others to understand what the people around you are doing with the same map.
If you are…
Read
You'll use the forest to…
Growing your own career
Chapter 7
See where you stand and pick your next skills, in order
Leading a team
Chapter 8
Read coverage, gaps, and risks; plan growth and hiring
Coaching or training people
Chapter 9
Baseline each person, find the gap, guide the path
Running HR or leadership
Chapter 10
Tie ranks to reviews and pay; report and plan org-wide
A glossary at the back holds every term in one place, for the moments you need a quick reminder rather than a chapter.
One reading tip: the method is simpler than a book-length treatment makes it look. Skills connect to skills; trees group them; forests group trees; ranks slice forests by seniority. Everything else is practice and discipline. If you ever feel lost, come back to that sentence.