
Chief of staff The title, Chief of Staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer, who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide-de-camp to an important individual, such as a president.
Full Answer
What is a chief of staff, and what do they do?
Responsibilities for Chief Of Staff
- Meet with the board of directors for business updates
- Request monthly meetings with department heads
- Read and interpret departmental reports
- Compile data from departmental reports into one company report
- Devise improvement strategies for underperforming departments
- Coach department heads on management success
- Monitor market trends
What is the career path for a chief of staff?
Sources of Career Value
- Develop an executive mindset Repeated exposure to senior executives is the best way to develop an executive-level mindset. ...
- Learn how businesses work In addition to developing an executive mindset, the Chief of Staff role helps you learn how businesses really work. ...
- Figure out what you like
What are job duties of a chief of staff?
Steve Barclay is a cabinet minister and MP already (Picture: Getty/Reuters/Rex/Shutterstock) Boris Johnson’s new chief of staff will have ... to undertake all of his duties after the highly ...
How to write an effective chief of staff job description?
- Write a job summary, including the key functions of the position
- Outline the role’s duties and responsibilities
- Detail the qualifications of the ideal candidate
- Review the position description with the leader and his or her team

What does it mean to be Chief of Staff at a company?
In general, a chief of staff provides a buffer between a chief executive and that executive's direct-reporting team. The chief of staff generally works behind the scenes to solve problems, mediate disputes, and deal with issues before they are brought to the chief executive.
Is Chief of Staff higher than President?
The chief of staff is the most senior political appointee in the White House. The position is widely recognized as one of great power and influence, owing to daily contact with the president of the United States and control of the Executive Office of the President of the United States.
What rank is chief staff?
The chief of staff of the Army (CSA) is a statutory position in the United States Army held by a general officer. As the highest-ranking officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, the chief is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the secretary of the Army.
Is Chief of Staff same as CEO?
“The chief of staff role is an intensely personal one. This is a position scoped for the CEO, and it has elements of both an executive assistant and a COO. Like an EA, a chief of staff works only for the CEO and doesn't have direct reports, except maybe an intern or executive assistant.
Is chief of staff a good position?
A Chief of Staff with leadership aspirations is a great candidate for these organizations. Benefits: A new company affords you the opportunity to cut the dependency cord with your former boss and chart new territories that may better suit your long-term career goals.
What's next after chief of staff?
Chiefs of Staff can move on to virtually any role – from COO, to VP of Communications, to Director of Finance, to CEO. Some even start their own companies.
Is Chief of Staff a senior role?
WHO IS THE CHIEF OF STAFF? Many companies have a CEO chief of staff, but what that role entails can vary based on the company's context. The chief of staff is frequently a senior position, generally holding a title of vice president or higher—the larger the company, the higher the position in the hierarchy.
What is another name for Chief of Staff?
What is another word for chief of staff?commander in chiefU.S. Presidentoverseeradministratorofficerhonchoskippersachemcommandantguru29 more rows
Whats the highest rank in the military?
five-star generalWhat Is the Highest Military Rank? The highest military rank is O-10, or "five-star general." It is symbolized by five stars for each of the military services. Although it is currently a part of the military service rank system, no officer has been promoted to it since World War II, when the rank was created.
Which is higher COO or Chief of Staff?
The Chief of Staff serves the leader first. The COO serves the organization first. This doesn't mean that either role serves their primary stakeholder to the determent to the other, it simply means they have different primary responsibilities.
Is Chief of Staff same as COO?
But the focus of a COO is most often the health of the overall organization, whereas the focus of a COS is on supporting the CEO to be the best leader possible for the organization. A chief of staff supports a CEO directly in ways a COO would not.
Is a chief of staff an executive assistant?
A Chief of Staff will work alongside senior executives, attend executive meetings, organise strategic project information, pull together papers, and make sure all the OKRs and KPIs are on target. An Executive Assistant role is more likely to be backstopping you from your desk.
What is the role of a chief of staff?
A chief of staff acts as a nonprofit leader's right hand, helping free up time so they can better focus on those things that will have the most impact. This article looks at the role in-depth, highlighting potential responsibilities of a chief of staff, the benefits or having one, and several attributes of chiefs of staff that lead to success.
What is the role of Chiefs of Staff in a leadership team?
Chiefs of staff can provide essential assistance to leaders on leadership team engagement and also serve as culture champions during periods of change.
What are the roles of nonprofit chiefs of staff?
Two areas where nonprofit chiefs of staff can play a unique role include board management, and engaging funders and other key stakeholders. Board management: Chiefs of staff often establish the cadence of board meetings, as well as get ready for those meetings by preparing and sending out materials in advance.
Why do visionary leaders need chiefs of staff?
For example, visionary leaders will need chiefs of staff with strategic focus and operational efficiency to ensure they make the most of a limited and valuable resource: their time. Primarily, chiefs of staff act as leaders' right hands and trusted advisers. They work directly with CEOs and build strong relationships with team members across ...
How can Chiefs of Staff give back time?
Chiefs of staff can give back this time by doing or delegating work on the CEOs' behalves. They can also keep an eye on important deadlines, ensuring the work that only leaders can do is done well and on time. They're not satisfied with how their time is being spent.
What makes a good chief of staff?
Successful chiefs of staff are positive, empathetic, flexible, and curious. Most importantly, they are respected by their colleagues. Loyal and selfless: Leaders must be able to implicitly trust their chiefs of staff, and loyal chiefs of staff are constantly looking for ways to offer support.
Should chiefs of staff take charge of their own professional development?
Chiefs of staff should also take charge of their own professional development, including networking with chiefs of staff in other organizations and reading articles from those who have been successful in the role. (See resources in the sidebar, " Additional Resources ".)
What is the role of a chief of staff?
The chief of staff role is defined by its ability to provide strategic counsel to key leaders within organizations. While the day-to-day responsibilities vary dramatically across industries and companies, the position is an increasingly critical component in supporting a successful leadership team. At its core, a Chief of Staff is responsible for: ...
What is the office of the CEO?
Office of CEO team management: hires and directly manages others in the office of the CEO. This may include executive assistants, special projects managers, speech writers, or others. There are different approaches to on-boarding a chief of staff to an organization. Some companies require a person in the role full-time, ...
Project Management
Tracking high priority initiatives for the executive and identifying any obstacles
Financial
Running the annual budget cycle process (for example, helping department heads prepare their budget materials for presentation to the CEO)
Strategic Initiatives
Identifying and taking on ad hoc strategic projects (for example, executing key initiatives or closing any operational gaps)
Gatekeeper
Assessing all inquiries directed to the executive and determining the proper course of action
Integration
The Chief of Staff role is much more than the simple aggregation of the individual responsibilities listed above. The most successful CoS’s dynamically integrate these responsibilities and can track the flow of a relationship, project, or initiative from end-to-end.
Additional Resources
Fantastic compilation of CoS resources from Richard McLean, CoS at Elsevier — read it here

What Does A Chief of Staff do?
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide-de-camp to an important individual, such as a president, or a senior military officer, or leader of a large organization.
In general, a chief of staff provides a buffer between a chief executive and that executive's direc…
What Is Unique About The Role in The Nonprofit setting?
When Do You Know You Need A Chief of Staff?
How Do You Hire A Great Chief of Staff?
Where Can I Find A Chief of Staff?