THE CHIEF OF STAFF CAREER PATH

The Chief of Staff role is made for people like you - people who are going places. 

THERE'S A ROLE FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU 

The Chief of Staff is the trusted right hand that helps leaders reclaim their A-game while building theirs.

utilize your strengths

You’re a consummate connector. A relator. Masterful at managing anything that gets thrown your way. You love a challenge. And being right in the middle of solutions. You’re a fixer and a facilitator. You’re the Swiss Army Knife who believes you’re destined for great things. Well, have we got a job for you. 

CREATE meaningful IMPACT

Being a Chief of Staff puts you in the middle of the action at the very top levels of an organization, where you play an essential role in creating impact from the executive office. 

SUPERCHARGE YOUR CAREER

You'll have an all-access pass to the whole organization to develop leadership and communication skills and build organizational awareness and relationships. What's more, many organizations use the Chief of Staff role to grow their leadership teams.

THRIVE IN YOUR ROLE

The Chief of Staff role can be intense. We ensure smooth onboarding and the industry's best coaching to help you succeed in your Chief of Staff role. 

Are you a prospective Chief?

Subscribe to our list to be alerted of new Chief of Staff opportunities. 

Are you a current Chief of Staff?

Receive the latest insights on the role and participate in research. 

Looking for Chief of Staff coaching?

Navigate the rigors of this critical position with our certified coaches.

THE CHIEF OF STAFF ROLE

What kind of Chief of Staff are you?

While every engagement is tailored to each leader's and organization's distinct needs, the Chief of Staff's role falls into these primary functions, each offering critical leadership skills you can use forever. 

The Goalkeeper
The Goalkeeper
The Goalkeeper manages and triages your workflow and prioritizes, delegates, and completes work on your behalf.
The Operator
The Operator
The Operator adds structure and process for better communication within the office and across teams, and ensures activities run optimally.
The Implementer
The Implementer
The Implementer drives business priorities from start to finish. They execute special projects and initiatives on behalf of you or the organization.
The Integrator
The Integrator
The Integrator creates cohesion among teams and departments, connecting the dots across the organization for improved alignment and engagement.
The Proxy
The Proxy
The Proxy acts on your behalf for greater visibility and accessibility to prevent bottle-necking and promote decision-making when you cannot be present.
The Advisor
The Advisor
The Advisor serves as a strategic thought partner, sounding board, and confidante who helps to inform organizational strategy and decision-making.

"As a former Chief of Staff, I've built Prime to support the specific needs of this role. It's rewarding and demanding, so having a support system behind you is hugely helpful to your long-term career success."

CATHERINE BERARDI, FOUNDER
PRIME CHIEF OF STAFF

WE'RE HERE FOR THE LONG HAUL

Focus on your development with coaching.

The Chief of Staff role is demanding – and your drive, acumen, and emotional intelligence make you excellent at what you do. But you still may feel overwhelmed, isolated, and like you need your own sounding board.

Prime offers coaching specifically for the Chief of Staff role. Our certified coaches are experienced in coaching Chiefs of Staff. They understand the breadth and rigors of this critical position to offer role-specific advice while also coaching you to become the leader you want to be. In fact, our development support is one of the hallmarks of the Prime brand. Because we want you to find your A-game, too. 

Coaching Benefits

Get an objective sounding board and accountability partner.

Address any skills or training gaps

Find more balance – personally and professionally

Promote your own development and growth

Stay committed to continuous self-improvement

Coaching Results

Enhance your confidence, your credibility, and focus.

Increase resilience, reduce self-pressure and stress

Heighten your professional command in any situation

Discover your development plan of action

Elevate your self-awareness

Calendar Analysis

KNOW YOUR TIME, THEN WIELD IT WISELY.

Understanding how your principal and colleagues are using their time allows you to better drive progress toward goals. It can also help your team get out of the weeds and devote more time to deep work and strategy. By securely collecting, classifying, and analyzing calendar data, Prime Chief of Staff is empowering executive offices to use their time more effectively and be more impactful. The calendar analysis is now an essential component of our coaching offering and can:

Eliminate superfluous meetings
Reduce the amount of people and time involved in decision making 
Improve delegation matrices
Enhance the productivity of standing, habitual meetings
Promote awareness of varying priorities across the executive office

Meet our coaches.

We partner with certified professional coaches to provide the highest quality coaching services to our clients. Learn more about our coaches below. 

Chris Hagood
Coach and Advisor

Trishia Lichauco
Coach

Katrina Lempenski
Coach

Myla Skinner
Coach and Advisor

LET OUR PLAYBOOK GUIDE YOUR IMPACT

The Executive Office Effectiveness Diagnostic

Prime Chief of Staff's Effectiveness Diagnostic is a tool used by executive offices to discover, develop, and measure the strengths of their team.

The diagnostic is performed each quarter, providing a picture of where your team currently excels, areas for growth, and an opportunity to measure how your strengths develop over time. 

Your first Effectiveness Diagnostic and results meeting are complimentary.


CHIEF OF STAFF 101

Download these resources.

Wondering how a Chief of Staff can enhance executive effectiveness?  Download this free eGuide to learn how the Chief of Staff role can amplify your A-game.

The State of the Chief of Staff is created in partnership with the University of Colorado offering insights into the demographics and impact of the Chief of Staff role.

With more than 200 Chiefs of Staff participating, we have gathered thought-provoking results about the impact of the Chief of Staff role post-pandemic. 


OUR PErSPECTIVE

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The Six Key Functions of an Effective Chief of Staff

The most common Chief of Staff questions, answered.

What attributes do the best Chiefs of Staff embody?

The specific personalities, attributes, and skills we seek in Chief of Staff candidates vary depending on the position, the leader, and the organization. In fact, our ability to pinpoint the behavioral traits to create lasting partnerships between a Chief of Staff and leader is our bread and butter. We help your organization determine the right mix of technical and behavioral skills required for a successful relationship between the candidate and your leader.

What are the primary responsibilities of the Chief of Staff? 

We believe there are six key functions that almost every Chief of Staff performs to some degree. Of course, more specific responsibilities will depend on your organization and your leader(s). Check out the role functions above to learn more.

What background is ideal to be a Chief of Staff?

As with many roles, experience levels can vary and depend on a candidate's ability to perform the position's duties. Generally speaking, Chiefs of Staff have at least seven to ten years of business experience. The reason being: the role requires advisory and decisive action across a variety of business challenges. Having someone with adequate professional experience can be very beneficial. It is important to understand the right mix of experience and background necessary for your particular role before you begin a search.

Can a junior-level person be developed into a Chief of Staff?

Yes, depending on your needs. We believe pinpointing superstar, high-potential employees for a future Chief of Staff role is a great way to develop talent and provide them with exposure to your leadership and business. However, we think the Chief of Staff title should be reserved for those who fully perform the role’s key functions above. That doesn't mean, however, that a more junior person cannot be Chief of Staff.

What is an executive office?

An executive office is the ecosystem of processes, functions, and people dedicated to a principal's success. The Chief of Staff is often the leader of an executive office.

What's the difference between a high performing Executive Assistant and a Chief of Staff?

We get this question a lot. We believe many executives need both and that they are two distinct positions--both of which add tremendous value. Below outlines a few key differences:

Executive Assistant:
Tactically focused
Executes details
Completes tasks provided
Specific understanding of his/her executive
Typically does not manage others
Carries out directives of the executive

Chief of Staff:
Strategically focused
Formulates and executes projects and priorities
Determines appropriate person to complete tasks
Comprehensive understanding of entire organization
Typically manages others directly or indirectly
Works on behalf of the executive or organization

What's the difference between Human Resources and a Chief of Staff?

To be clear, we are not opting to replace their human resources departments with a Chief of Staff. We believe Human Resources serves an important function in every organization. The Chief of Staff does not typically handle HR administration such as salary and benefits, worker compensation, unemployment insurance, and many other necessary details of employment. The Chief of Staff can, however, partner with HR to be involved in people management and strategy.

Does a Chief of Staff actually manage people?

While the title sounds like managing people is a given, it isn't necessarily the case. The “of Staff” part of the title relates to creating a more productive and engaging environment for the entire organization and its people. Chiefs of Staff may manage people directly, typically starting with others in the executive office (e.g., executive assistants); however, it isn't a requirement for the position. The role is focused on people management skills because it works closely and collaboratively with a range of internal and external stakeholders.

What is a Chief of Staff's next career move? 

The hope for most organizations is that the Chief of Staff stays with the them in a leadership position. We've seen Chiefs of Staff become VPs of Strategy and Operations, VPs of Community Relations and Corporate Development, VPs of Sales, VPs of Marketing, COOs, Presidents, leaders of spin-off companies or business divisions, CEOs, and entrepreneurs.

While some companies use the Chief of Staff role as a shorter-term "tour of duty" for high-performing employees, others employ Chiefs of Staff who occupy the role for several years. We can help you determine the best way to utilize the position at your organization.

What is the origin of the Chief of Staff position? It seems like a relatively new trend.

It's difficult to say where the origins of Chief of Staff reside, but we didn't coin the term. The role is new to the private sector. For years, governments, health care organizations, and military organizations have used Chiefs of Staff to provide managerial and advisory support to their respective entities and principals. One of the simplest definitions of a Chief of Staff is a person who serves "at the pleasure of her or his principal." While a very broad definition, it's fairly accurate. Having a Jill- or Jack-of-all-trades on your team can be extremely beneficial to keeping your executive focused on company growth while ensuring other work is getting done. If you need more convincing, just read some articles we didn't write from CNBC, Forbes, Inc., and LinkedIn.


Are you a current Chief of Staff?

Participate in research to receive the latest updates and insights into the role. Check out our development services as well to get connected with other Chiefs.

Looking for Chief of Staff coaching?

Our coaches are experienced in guiding you through the rigors of the position to offer role-specific advice while also coaching you to become the leader you want to be.

CONNECT WITH PRIME

Ready to throw your hat in the ring?

We love placing ambitious people ready to take their career to new levels. Put the power of Prime to work for you by finding your once-in-a-lifetime Chief of Staff role. 

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