What Does a CoS Do?

🤔 What does a Chief of Staff do?

The answer isn't as straight forward as you may think (in my opinion). It really depends on the type and stage of the organization you are working in and the principal you are partnered with. In short, it's probably going vary based on a whole bunch of criteria.

What I do know, and what I have seen from my peers is that there needs to be underlying personal and professional qualities. Let's use the case of a CoS (likely for the CEO) for a pre Series A startup. That person is going to likely be a linchpin, providing crucial support and stability for many areas of the business, while partnering closely with the CEO on various initiatives in the early days.

Regardless of the projects the CoS is involved with, they're going to be:

⚡ Operationally Efficient. I'm talking an absolute expert in streamlining operations, optimizing processes and removing as many inefficiencies as possible.

🌉 A bridge between the exec team and various other departments and stakeholders. They'll have a knack for sussing out problems, presenting solutions and building relationships across the board.

🗣 A communication hub. See all, know all, manage all. Ensuring communication between teams and stakeholders continues to be fostered and a transparent level of communication informs and engages the team to continue to work towards a common goal. You'll also be a sounding board for your CEO and there will never be a shortage of deliberation and dialogue.

🤹‍♀️ A next level project manager. In the early days, you may be building a top of the funnel for sales or building a hiring and onboarding process. The next you may be writing an investor update or working to define and track organizational metrics.

In the early days, you're likely going to wear a lot of hats, but regardless of what exactly you are owning in the moment, you're there to ensure the business is moving forward with precision and resilience.