Book rating: 4/5
The reason why I read:
Currently, I work at Microsoft. My team members call me “a coordinator,” and others call me “Chief of Staff” To know what the industry will regard me as, I want to find a book to list possible deliverables of a Chief of Staff. According to this book, it turns out I am a Chief of Staff.
Rewinding the clock, I was hired to manage stakeholder communications by a Chief of Staff at eBay. After reading this book, I wondered why he hired me to do his job. Funny!
I have also seen a lot of organizations eliminating chief of staff roles and building an equivalent arm known as “Strategy and Operations”. So is Chief of staff neccessary?
My opinion AFTER reading:
- Program Managers can become Chiefs of Staff.
- I am still questioning the need to hire a full-time Chief of Staff
- If a Chief of Staff is desired, it’s better to do it as an internal rotation of vetted employees. Roles and responsibilities will organically emerge.
Takeaways I find helpful to document:
Common deliverables from Chiefs of Staff:
- Rhythm/Cadence of the Business
- Communications
- Business & financial analysis
- Executive office budget
Definition of Chief of Staff: What distinguishes chiefs of staff from executive assistants: Chief of staff as part analyst and decision framer, part brand manager, part speech writer, and part coach.
