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The Chief of Staff Playbook, Delivered to Your Inbox
15 lessons. Proven frameworks. Real stories from the field. The Fundamentals Course is the fastest way to get up to speed in the Chief of Staff role, or prepare to step into one.
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Course Overview
The Chief of Staff role is one of the most impactful positions in business, and one of the least defined. There's no standard job description, no traditional career path, and no playbook handed to you on day one.
Until now.
The Fundamentals Course distills everything we've learned from working with hundreds of Chiefs of Staff into 15 actionable lessons. Each one is built around real frameworks, backed by original research, and brought to life with stories from CoS practitioners at companies like Morning Brew, Adobe, Barstool Sports, and TechStars.
Whether you're in your first 90 days or preparing to make the leap into the role, this course gives you the tools to build trust with your principal, lead without authority, prioritize ruthlessly, and measure your impact from day one.
By the End of This Course, You Will:
- Know your operating style using the CoS Archetypes Framework, including your growth levers and potential blind spots
- Build a stronger relationship with your principal through structured communication tools, user manuals, and trust-building exercises
- Lead cross-functional work without formal authority using the 3 P's framework (Process, People, Portfolio)
- Prioritize like a senior operator with the Run the Biz / Change the Biz decision framework
- Understand where AI fits in your role and how to position yourself at the center of your company's AI adoption
- Plan your career trajectory using data from our Pathways Report on ~400 CoS alumni
Document your impact with a living Impact Journal that becomes your toolkit for promotions and transitions
Course Details
- Format: 15 lessons delivered via email
- Pace: 2-3 lessons per week over 4 weeks
- Time per lesson: 10-15 minutes
- Includes: Templates, frameworks, podcast episode highlights, and action steps
- Bonus: Office hours with former Chiefs of Staff
Course Benefits:
- Lessons: Top resources, templates, and exercises to __
- Office Hours: Every Chief of Staff Fundamentals student will recieve a special invite to join office hours led by former Chiefs of Staff and Executive Coaches.
- Certification: A course certification badge that you can put on your LinkedIn profile
Who This Course Is For?
- New Chiefs of Staff who are eager to magnify their value and contribution within their organizations.
- Leaders transitioning to the Chief of Staff role who want to hit the ground running.
Great training on the essentials for people who are new to the role but also have been in role for a while to remember what else is there beyond their daily go-to. I really like the simple and effective templates and guidelines. The most though I enjoyed the calls where we could exchange experiences and ask each other questions.
Adelheid Kutscher
Chief of Staff, Songtradr
Syllabus
1. Your User Manual
Create a personal guide to how you work, communicate, and make decisions. Share it with your principal to accelerate alignment from day one.
2. Building a Strong Relationship with Your Principal
The most important relationship in your role. Learn the question frameworks, communication cadences, and trust-building tactics that top CoS use.
3. Getting Early Wins
As with any new job, demonstrating competence and getting wins straight out of the gate can really help. This lesson will discuss how to best do that.
4. Understanding Your CoS Archetype
Discover which of the six CoS operating styles you default to: Consigliere, Air-Traffic Controller, Swiss-Army Knife, Sparring Partner, Integrator, or Catalyst. Learn your shadow expression before it finds you.
5. Understanding and Navigating Your Unique Role
Use the CoS Leveling Framework to pinpoint where you are across four competencies and where you need to grow next.
6. Strategic Role-Scoping
Move from executing your principal's task list to owning strategic, company-wide initiatives. Learn how to negotiate the shift.
7. Leading Without Authority
The 3 P's framework: Process, People, Portfolio. How to influence, persuade, and get things done when you can't pull rank.
8. Building Relationships Across the Senior Leadership Team
Run a structured SLT listening tour, build a stakeholder map, and become the connective tissue your organization needs.
9. Setting Your Organization's Operating Rhythm
Design the cadences, meetings, and communication norms that keep your company aligned. Includes real examples from Amazon, Shopify, and Netflix.
10. Operating the Company Like a Product
Treat your organization as the product you're building. Apply product management thinking to internal ops: feedback loops, sprints, service blueprints.
11. How to Prioritize What You Own and What You Don't
Two frameworks every CoS needs: Ownership & Delegation and Run the Biz / Change the Biz. Learn to protect your time and focus on what moves the needle.
12. AI Fluency for Chiefs of Staff
84% of companies are using or testing AI. Learn the AI Triad model, the Adoption Spectrum, and practical prompting frameworks so you can lead your org's AI strategy, not just participate in it.
13. Recording Your Impact
Build a living Impact Journal that captures your operational wins, strategic contributions, and influence narrative. You'll need this for every career conversation going forward.
14. How to Measure Success in the Role
Use the Performance Management Framework to gather structured feedback across six dimensions of the CoS role.
15. Planning Your Next Move
Data from ~400 CoS alumni on where they went next. The most common paths, seniority outcomes, and a step-by-step transition playbook.
Hear From Chiefs of Staff Who've Been There
This course features stories and insights from CoS practitioners at companies like Morning Brew, Adobe, Barstool Sports, Order.co, RAD AI, Frame.io, TechStars, and more. Every lesson includes real quotes and hard-won advice from the field.
Design note: Consider embedding 2-3 short podcast clips or a carousel of guest names, companies, and one-line quotes. Featured guests include:
- Kyle Hagge, Chief of Staff at Morning Brew
- Anna Buckley, two-time CoS at Barstool Sports
- Bryan Silverman, COO at Suzy (former CoS)
- Dara Chen, Chief of Staff at RAD AI
- Sophie K., Chief of Staff at Frame.io / Adobe
- Ali Sardinia, Chief of Staff at Order.co
- Sue Broderick, Chief of Staff at We Know Training
- Remi Guarini, three-time Chief of Staff
- Alexis Summit, Chief of Staff at Kroll
- And many more...
Built by Chiefs of Staff, for Chiefs of Staff
This course was designed by the team behind the Chief of Staff Network, drawing on original research, 25+ podcast interviews, and insights from 900+ CoS professionals. Every lesson is grounded in real practitioner experience, not theory.
He founded Chief of Staff Network to address a critical gap he experienced firsthand: the inherent ambiguity and isolation of the CoS role.
I thoroughly enjoyed the lessons and just compiled everything into a book that I can refer to moving forward. The performance management matrix was especially timely as our performance cycle runs through the end of May. I discussed the matrix with my principal last night after our course and he's extremely excited to see how we can implement it in our upcoming discussion. Thanks for this guidance and framing!
What's Included
15 email-based lessons with frameworks, templates, and real CoS stories
Action steps in every lesson so you're applying what you learn, not just reading
Monthly office hours with former Chiefs of Staff and executive coaches
Completion badge for your LinkedIn profile
Discount on COSN PRO membership to continue your development
Self-Paced • ~4 weeks • Certification Issued
Chief of Staff Fundamentals
FAQs
Here are the most common questions we receive. If you have any further questions, the best thing to do is reach out to a member of our team!
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