![]() This second orientation goes beyond the Principal to include the leadership team over which the Principal presides. It’s definitely worth a read, you can find it here. This style of charter was described through another detailed and well-crafted post, written from the perspective of a CEO of a startup. An organizer (to help manage a picture of the priorities, projects, decisions, and actions that should be in the brain space of the Principal).īecause of this focus on the Principal as an individual, the duties of the role in this orientation can sometimes be interpreted as a “super assistant”.A proxy for the Principal (for people who can’t get time with the Principal) and/or.An extra set of hands (to help with presentation development or ghost-writing communications).A strategic advisor and confidant (a highly trusted person with whom to discuss and pressure-test ideas).What might a CoS do in this orientation? It’s often a mix of things, including serving as In this orientation, the goal of the CoS is to do things that enable the Principal to operate at a higher level of performance. The Principal could be a CEO, the head of a business unit, or the leader of a function. The first orientation focuses on the Principal - the leader to whom the CoS reports. ![]() I believe grounding the conversation in these three orientations helps create a useful framework for subsequent explorations about the role. All three orientations involve the same reporting structure, but how the CoS considers the role - and prioritizes the type of work to be done - varies. In my experience, I’ve come to believe there are three potential orientations which a CoS might have in terms of focus and impact. The Three Orientations for a Chief of Staff Role The point of view I share below is informed by my experience at Autodesk, a large, publicly-traded software company focused on building tools for people who make things. Today, you can search LinkedIn and easily find people currently in such roles or open requisitions looking to be filled. Since the CoS role is generally chartered to help bring order to things, the rising trend makes sense. One theory on why it has emerged is grounded in the increased pace of external change, which in turn has forced more and more companies to transform their organizations and manage new degrees of complexity. The Chief of Staff (CoS) role has emerged on the business scene more recently….in the last 5–10 years by my estimation. That role has existed for decades, and there has been plenty written on the subject (perhaps more than normal in recent months, but I’ll spare this from turning into a political post). The traditional image that jumps to mind when one hears the words “Chief of Staff” is the White House, and specifically the White House Chief of Staff. I’m writing this article to refine and codify what I share in those conversations my hope in doing so is that a broader community of people can have access to the thinking and build upon it. These people have come to me looking for insights regarding what I have learned and how I see the role. Through this experience, I’ve advised dozens of people - leaders looking to hire a Chief of Staff, people newly in the role, and those aspiring to be in such a role. I have held the role of Chief of Staff for over 6 years, under 3 different SVP’s (one of whom served as Chief Product Officer and Co-CEO of the company), and within 2 functional organizations (Sales and Product).
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