The most important aspect of the Chief of Staff role
Among the many pluses of this role, the Chief of Staff role is the best way to work with and observe a leader upclose. But the biggest factor in how your Chief of Staff role shapes up is also the leader. Just like how every person is different, every leader is different in terms of their expectations, their need for oversight, the amount of transparency and their approach. The kind of relationship you have with the leader can make or break this role for you. So, how do you build a good relationship with the leader to stay aligned with their expecations? Here are few thoughts :
a) Revisit priorities constantly
The CoS role can be a catch-all for all tasks that dont clearly fall into someone’s KRA. This is especially common in startups where roles and responsibilites arent as well defined and everyone wears multiple hats. While there is no harm in picking up many distinct tasks, the key is to determine what delivers most value to the leader and the organization. Hence, it is important to set expectation on what kind of tasks / assignments are suitable to your skills and can deliver most value to the leader. And this is not a one-time exercise as priorities can change. I recommend having this discussion frequently to understand what is top-of-mind for the leader.
b) Give them the right amount of detail
Some leaders like to be in the know of everything. They want to be cc’ed in every communication and like to understand the process you are taking to solve a problem. They may even have particular inputs on the process. Some others just want to know that the problem is taken care of and dont want the details. It is likely that at the start of your CoS role, your leader might want to know all the nuts and bolts, but as time goes on and a level of trust has been built, the leader will transition to latter type. So, have the conversation to understand the level of detail your leader wants from you.
c) Be a sounding board
Since this role requires working in close quarters with a leader, it is a given that high integrity has to be displayed. A leader may often share ideas, thoughts and org updates with you in high degree of confidentiality and look for perspectives and inputs on them. They should be able to trust that the information is safe with you, and also know that you would provide honest feedback. As a CoS, you are at a vantage point of knowing and understanding the sentiments of the team, as they may not be comfortable sharing with the leader. So, an effective CoS will also provide the insights from the team back to the leader.
On being a sounding board, a leader says about his Chief of Staff, “It’s not that he gives me the answer but that our discussions make the answer clearer. He’s the best listener.”
As a CoS, it does take time to build a good relationship with the leader and win their confidence. Being consistent in aligning your priorities, giving them the right amount of detail and being a sounding board are some of the foundational traits to exhibit to help build the relationship on.
