Guides for anyone considering the Chief of Staff role

What the job is, what it pays and how people get in. Start with the handbook, then read what a Chief of Staff does before you look at salary and the routes in.

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What is an AI Chief of Staff?

One in four Chief of Staff postings now ask for AI skills. What an AI chief of staff is, what AI changes in the role, and the part it can't replace.

The Chief of Staff handbook

The Chief of Staff Network's handbook to the role: the six levels, the weekly work, pay ($167,954 average base), how people get in and where they go next.

Tools and templates for Chiefs of Staff

The Chief of Staff toolkit: the templates, tools and weekly documents behind the job, mapped to what 1,800+ job postings ask for, with 40+ free templates.

What does a Chief of Staff do?

A Chief of Staff is the primary strategic operator reporting to a senior executive. The 4 core responsibilities, reporting lines, 6 levels and pay.

How to set up an AI Chief of Staff

Set up an AI chief of staff in a week: a context file, connected calendar, notes and email, and clear rules. 86% of operators we surveyed use AI daily.

How to brief your CEO

How a Chief of Staff writes meeting briefs, decision memos, pre-reads and a CEO daily briefing that get read: 4 templates, 2 AI prompts and the data.

Your first 90 days as a Chief of Staff

Your first 90 days as a Chief of Staff: take one task off your principal's plate, own the rhythm by day 60, prove the role by day 90. With templates.

What is a fractional Chief of Staff?

What a fractional Chief of Staff does, what 15 hours a week costs, and how to become one. Fractional moves rose from about 1% to nearly 4% since 2020.

How to hire a Chief of Staff

How to hire a Chief of Staff: set the mandate and level first, pay to that level ($180k median posted pay), then source, test, make the offer and onboard.

How to write a Chief of Staff mandate

A Chief of Staff mandate names 3 outcomes, the decisions the role owns and what it won't do. Use our one-page template and agree it in four weeks.

Chief of Staff job description, with examples

A Chief of Staff job description template built on 1,800+ real postings, with 3 examples, pay bands by level and the red flags candidates should spot.

How to build an operating rhythm

An operating rhythm is the set of meetings and reviews a company runs on. How to design one at 50, 200 or 2,000 people, with 4 copyable templates.

Chief of Staff vs COO

A COO runs operations and owns the number. A Chief of Staff runs the leader's agenda. Compare authority, career moves (7% become COO) and when to hire each.

How to write for your CEO and run internal comms

How a Chief of Staff runs internal communications: writing in the CEO's voice, the all-hands, hard announcements and cascades. 46% of job postings ask for it.

How to use Claude as a Chief of Staff

How a Chief of Staff sets up Claude: a project per principal, a free chief of staff skill and a first-week plan. 86% of operators we surveyed use AI daily.

How to run a leadership team meeting

A weekly leadership team meeting agenda that runs in 60 to 90 minutes, plus L10 basics, notes, AI notetakers and follow-ups, with 3 templates to copy.

Chief of Staff vs executive assistant

An executive assistant protects a leader's time; a Chief of Staff moves their priorities. Compare duties, pay ($180k vs $95k median) and the EA path.

How to write a Chief of Staff weekly update

A weekly update in 4 parts turns your 1:1 from triage into strategy. Get our template, a 1:1 agenda and a worked example to send this week.

The best AI tools for Chiefs of Staff

Which AI tools a Chief of Staff needs, when to buy an AI chief of staff app or build one, and how to get it approved. Only 12.5% of operators connect AI.

A day in the life of a Chief of Staff

What a Chief of Staff does all day and all week, hour by hour, with real schedules from startup, enterprise and fractional Chiefs of Staff.

How to manage an executive's calendar and inbox

How a Chief of Staff manages an executive's calendar and inbox: a calendar audit, a time budget, booking rules, focus time, inbox triage and your own week.

AI prompts for Chiefs of Staff

AI prompts for Chiefs of Staff: decision memos, leadership agendas, company updates and project status, plus how to save them. Works in ChatGPT and Claude.

How a Chief of Staff manages context

How a Chief of Staff keeps what the leader knows, decided and promised in one place: a context file, decision log and commitments list, with 2 AI prompts.

Chief of Staff skills by level

The skills a Chief of Staff needs at each level, from judgment to AI fluency, based on 1,800+ job postings, our Leveling Framework and salary data.

Chief of Staff salary in 2026

The average Chief of Staff base salary is $167,954 (median $160,000). Pay by level, company size, city, bonus and equity, from our 2025 Salary Report.

How to map your stakeholders as a Chief of Staff

How a Chief of Staff maps and tracks 20 to 60 stakeholders: who belongs on the map, what to record, how to keep it current, and 2 templates and 2 prompts.

How to become a Chief of Staff

Most Chiefs of Staff start with about 11 years of experience, and operations is the top route in, 3x more than consulting. Steps and routes by background.

How a Chief of Staff researches a decision

How a Chief of Staff researches decisions: scope the question, ask people first, use AI deep research safely, write a one-page memo. 2 templates, 2 prompts.

How a Chief of Staff runs board meetings

How a Chief of Staff runs board prep: a 4-week work-back plan, the pre-read memo, CEO question prep, follow-ups and monthly investor updates. 4 templates.

Land the role, then start it well

Chief of Staff Launchpad is our guided program for getting into the role and running your first months, with peers who are doing the same.

See Launchpad Or start with Fundamentals, a $49 email course