How a one-page role charter saves me from Chief of Staff headaches

One of my most-recommended tools as a Chief of Staff is the quarterly role charter — simple yet remarkably effective.

It consists of a four-box detailing your top priorities for the next three months: 3 projects/initiatives and 1 development area.

Example:

Here’s how to create your own:

1. Start with a blank sheet of paper, and divide into four sections.
2. Identify potential meaningful outcomes for the upcoming quarter and select the top three. Write each in its respective box. Note: Ensure these priorities are high-leverage for the organization and will benefit from your dedicated time and focus.
3. Choose a key area for your growth and write it in the fourth box.
4. In each box, outline 2–3 strategies for making progress.
5. On the back side, create an “out-of-scope” list — items that may arise but won’t receive substantial energy. You can facilitate finding owners or revisit when they become a higher priority.
6. Share an initial draft with your boss, leaving room for discussion and tweaks before finalizing (note: this is where a messy paper version helps!).
7. Adjust if necessary.

Boom.
You’re on the same page.
You have confidence that you’re working on the right initiatives.
And, you can protect your time and energy!

The quarterly role charter is particularly helpful for Chiefs of Staff because it:

• Clarifies assumptions (in your head or your boss’s head) and converts them into a tangible format
• Transforms what can be a high-level job description into specific priorities
• Keeps you from getting bogged down by cross-organization initiatives that aren’t strategically important (ie. the out-of-scope list)
• When priorities change, you can refer back to the charter and be transparent about what is moving from in-scope to out-of-scope
• Gives the rest of the leadership team and org visibility on your priorities (things that can otherwise be hidden)

Keeping charters over time will give you a comprehensive record of how you contributed to the organization (useful at self-appraisal time!).

Side note — quarterly charters are useful across many roles, especially where there is a broad scope or many areas you could put your energy.

I did a longer piece on energy management with Generalist World that offers more tips for those of us who try to juggle several balls at a time — check out the full article here.

I write about Chief of Staff roles, Generalists, and how to find and use your own story. Thanks for reading, please say hello or connect with me on LinkedIn!