See the below takeaways from a Chief of Staff Network panel on 3/11/22 led by Cassie Ammons and Megan Wheeler.
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 plate
- changing your Principal can help your career
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?
General CoS advice:
- getting quick wins can be a great way to succeed in this role
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.”
Top 3 Skills Learned in the CoS Role
1. Diplomacy and tactfulness through high EQ
2. Communication and building bridges across stakeholders
3. Creating structure
Book Suggestions
1. Rocket Fuel
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.
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!