A great chief of staff is an executive’s best-kept secret, says Kathryn Montbriand, a former Fortune 500 Chief of Staff who now runs a Chief of Staff practice. But wait, what does a Chief of Staff do? 

If you’ve heard of this senior role but are not sure what it entails, you’re not alone. “I encounter curiosity more than misperception with this role. People have heard of it, but truly have no idea what a Chief of Staff does, or saw one on a TV show about the president but don’t really know much about it,” adds Montbriand. 

What does a Chief of Staff do? 

Perhaps it’s because the job doesn’t come with a standard set of duties and each organization approaches it a little differently. Montbriand describes it as “a combination of business strategy, leadership coaching, communications, execution, and creating systems and processes – all with a big dose of EQ.” 

The first thing you need to know about the Chief of Staff position is that it provides support to the CEO of an organization without being focused on one area of expertise like, say, a CFO or CMO. It’s a role that touches upon different administrative areas but extends beyond the scope of an executive assistant. 

“Although each leader should tailor the position to his or her own needs, the CoS should handle several principal duties, all focused on making time, information, and decision processes more effective,” according to Harvard Business Review. 

The benefits of having a Chief of Staff 

The benefits of having a Chief of Staff will make you seriously consider creating the position in your organization – or even becoming a CoS yourself. 

“No one in an organization (outside the CEO or leader) is responsible for making the ecosystem of teams, people, systems, communication, etc. work well. A Chief of Staff steps in to build, manage and optimize that system,” according to Montbriand. This results in an environment where people are aware of priorities and have visibility into who is doing what and how projects or products are performing. Sounds like a dream, right? We all know what a lack of alignment and clarity can create culture-wise. “An unmanaged ecosystem results in delays, re-work, disengaged employees, and friction,” says Montbriand. 

For leaders, a Chief of Staff creates time and focus, she adds – two things anyone could benefit from having more of: “They take on the work of managing the team’s ecosystem and processes so the leader can get back to doing the things they excel at (building a product, inspiring a team, etc).” 

According to her, a Chief of Staff can also be the “heart of the team,” ensuring team members’ needs are known and considered as the organization develops new policies and implements changes. “A Chief of Staff is like an early warning system that knows when trouble might be brewing in the organization,” she says. A Chief of Staff can bridge gaps between different levels of the company and has a finger on the pulse of what is going on at the associate level as much as the C-suite. 

Plus, a CoS makes leadership a little less lonely, acting as a confidante and sounding board to the executive they work for. “The more senior a leader becomes, the less actual feedback they get. A Chief of Staff provides real-time input that helps leaders grow and overcome their blind spots,” adds Montbriand. 

Factors to consider to be a successful Chief of Staff 

If you want to become a Chief of Staff, there are a few key factors to consider for success. Montbriand offered the following tips: 

• Be comfortable working without a true boss. You are there to support your boss vs. the other way around. 
• Don’t take on every project at once – the organization can only absorb so much change at one time, so prioritization is critical. 
• Get used to feedback. Everyone in the organization will have an opinion. It’s up to you to sort through them and find useful insights. 
• Relationships are critical. You need to develop connections throughout the organization to be successful. 

If you enjoy learning, growing and making an impact, you will love being in this role. “You get exposure to every facet of a business and can make a meaningful impact on the business and on the people who work there. You will face new challenges and priorities every day, which can be invigorating and also daunting,” says Montbriand. 

If you are hiring a new Chief of Staff, you also need to be intentional about your approach – it’s a different beast than hiring a subject matter expert. “You are bringing in an expert multiplier. Instead of writing a specific job description, ask your Chief of Staff where the points of highest leverage are and focus there,” according to Montbriand. “They will see things differently than you do (which is a great thing) and add value by expanding your perspective.”

If you’re creating the role from scratch, asking candidates how they would approach the job and what they believe is most important is a good idea to assess whether they are a good fit. They’ll need to be proactive, both strategic and operational, and have outstanding people skills, so look out for those traits.