See the below takeaways from a Chief of Staff Network panel on 3/11/22 led by Cassie Ammons and Megan Wheeler.
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On CoS career path:
- *it’s possible* to stay in your CoS role for longer than 2 years
- why there needs to be new and current CoS content and voices, compared to articles written 3-5 years ago. (Yes, let’s do it!)
- how the public sector may have influenced the private sector about how long people can stay in the role
- why people in the community love the role and want to keep doing it
- the importance of influencing others to get the career progress and resources you need and want
- how in the Private Equity sector a Chief of Staff generally stays on for the length of the deal (i.e. 3-4 years)
- how a Chief of Staff can be brought on to help companies connect if a company feels more disconnected (i.e. M&A, multiple business lines, etc)
- one way to level-up: set boundaries and get things off of your plateÂ
- changing your Principal can help your career
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Open questions:
- has anyone gotten promoted internally in their current role as a Chief of Staff with the same principal (e.g. level 3 > level 4)?
- how to stay in the role for a longer time while still stretching yourself?
- how to move up the corporate ladder while in the role AND still learning and growing a lot?
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General CoS advice:
- getting quick wins can be a great way to succeed in this roleÂ
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Quotes:
- "This is my career. This is what I love to do. This is what I find enjoyment and fulfillment in."
- "You don't always have to be the one to do it. It just has to get done.”
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Top 3 Skills Learned in the CoS Role
1. Diplomacy and tactfulness through high EQÂ
2. Communication and building bridges across stakeholders
3. Creating structure
Book Suggestions
1. Rocket Fuel
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Thinking about exit paths after your CoS role
You have to first be self-aware. What type of person are you? Are you a visionary, executor, or strategist? More details and reflections can be found reading Rocket Fuel. If interested in being a COO, please see this blog post.
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Let's keep the conversation going! Do you have any answers to the open questions? If so, share in Slack or let David or Scott know directly!

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