What Does a Chief of Staff Do? A Comprehensive Guide

The chief of staff is a critical role in any organization, acting as the right-hand person to the CEO. Learn more about what a chief of staff does and how they can be utilized to their fullest potential.

What Does a Chief of Staff Do? A Comprehensive Guide

The chief of staff is a pivotal role in any organization, acting as the right-hand person to the CEO. They are responsible for managing the executive director's agenda, scheduling meetings, planning trips, and providing department leaders with advice and recommendations for improvement. The chief of staff helps the CEO to manage their time efficiently and plays an advisory role in making important decisions about the company. Expert staff can ensure that conversations and the appropriate locations are included in the calendar throughout the year.

Organizations that haven't made an effort to expand this potential source of energy and influence should take a three-pronged approach to cultivating an effective CEO staff. Team executives should be able to raise their concerns with support staff members and trust that they can synthesize and transmit these issues anonymously to the CEO. This is due to several gaps at both the executive and staff levels: not all start-ups start with a full list of C-level executives, nor do they have a full list of team managers from the start. Ultimately, however, the organization of a CEO's staff is less important than the scope of support and the way in which its members work together. The chief of staff often supports the senior executive to help them oversee the operations of a company.

They usually hold a high-level position, generally with a vice-president title or higher. The larger the company, the higher the position in the hierarchy. By guiding the calendar in a careful and skillful manner, support staff can help the CEO to smoothly manage both the time demands of internal and external stakeholders and personal commitments. The chief of staff can facilitate discussions of difficult topics and help ensure that these issues are addressed. Like most other staff functions, they must master both strategic and tactical activities.

Staff must have professional development plans and access to training, training and courses. In order to maximize their effectiveness, it is important for organizations to understand what a chief of staff does and how they can be utilized to their fullest potential. By understanding their role within an organization, companies can ensure that they are getting the most out of their chief of staff.