You're a busy company owner or executive. You've got three contracts from your attorney sitting in your inbox and they should have been reviewed a week ago. Before you leave the office today, you have to approve blueprints for an expansion to your satellite location. Right now you're stuck in a meeting with HR over a sensitive issue that can't be ignored, and the meeting has already run so late you not only had to cancel an appointment with your CFO but you might be late to your kid's softball game.
You can't clone yourself to get everything done, but you can hire a Chief of Staff (COS). I absolutely love the role of a COS! It's versatile, adaptable, and most importantly, adds immense value and ROI for the executive.
What exactly is a COS? The short answer is: whatever you need! I love how Prime Chief of Staff - a organization that educates on the role of a COS - puts it: "[the COS's mission is simple]: to ensure an executive is focused on his or her highest-level priorities." A good COS will be your Swiss Army knife, your right-hand-man, your problem solver, your jack-of-all-trades, your all-around team player. They will look at your docket for the week and attend 4 meetings on your behalf, help you finish 3 reports due to your board, prep your 2 presentations, and let you focus on the 1 task that is crucial for you and only you to complete.
A COS can't replace you, but they can be your right hand. They can keep nonsense items off your desk, help supervise your staff, finish that project, and teach your other employees to prepare things the way you need them. They can attend meetings on your behalf to convey messages you aren't able to deliver in person. They can write your speeches and plan your events. They free up valuable white space in your schedule and keep you on track to meet targets.
So what's the catch?
It's that you - the executive who needs help - have to let your COS see everything behind the curtain. And that can be scary, especially if you're hiring a COS from outside your organization and you're not familiar with their work and level of professionalism. It requires a lot of vulnerability and trust to let someone start taking things off your plate without asking. It also takes mutual respect, communication skills, and solid boundaries to keep your relationship functional.
I have loved my past COS experiences because they gave me exposure, opportunity, and insight. I realized that a good COS needs to be adaptable, flexible, and insatiably curious about how things work. My problem-solving brain got a buzz when I could make something impossible happen. I could look at a situation from the macro level and then attack it with all I had. Most rewarding of all, I developed genuine friendships with the executives I supported.
If you think you could benefit from a Chief of Staff but don't have the financial resources or workload to justify a full-time position, I offer Chief of Staff services on a contract, part-time basis via my company The Boman Group. I can also help you find the right person if you'd like to hire someone full-time. It takes a special skill set to be a good Chief of Staff, and I'd love to help you find that right person for your company.
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