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The Chief of Staff Career Guides

Get the role, excel in it, and move on with confidence. Built on over 2,800 career histories, interviews, and salary surveys since 2019. Receive the latest guides and resources in your inbox.

Where are you now?

Considering the role

What the job is, and if it fits you

  1. 1

    What the job is

    28 min

  2. 2

    Chief of Staff vs COO

    21 min

  3. 3

    Chief of Staff vs EA

    22 min

  4. 4

    A day in the life

    19 min

  5. 5

    Skills

    25 min

  6. 6

    Salary

    31 min

  7. 7

    Getting the job

    30 min

See every guide for considering the role

EA moving up

From EA to Chief of Staff

  1. 1

    Chief of Staff vs EA

    22 min

  2. 2

    What the job is

    28 min

  3. 3

    A day in the life

    19 min

  4. 4

    Skills

    25 min

  5. 5

    Getting the job

    30 min

  6. 6

    Calendar and inbox

    19 min

See every guide for EAs moving up

New in the role

Your first few months

  1. 1

    First 90 days

    30 min

  2. 2

    Your mandate

    23 min

  3. 3

    Operating rhythm

    31 min

  4. 4

    Weekly update

    19 min

  5. 5

    Briefing your CEO

    23 min

  6. 6

    Leadership meetings

    27 min

See every guide for new in the role

Experienced

Harder problems, better tools, AI

  1. 1

    Stakeholder map

    22 min

  2. 2

    Writing for the CEO

    23 min

  3. 3

    Research

    21 min

  4. 4

    Board meetings

    24 min

  5. 5

    Set up your AI

    25 min

  6. 6

    Using Claude

    25 min

See every guide for experienced Chiefs of Staff

Moving on

Fractional work, pay, what's next

  1. 1

    Fractional roles

    26 min

  2. 2

    Chief of Staff vs COO

    21 min

  3. 3

    Salary

    31 min

See open roles on the job board

RoleCareerPractice and toolkitAIHiringWhat's next

Clear filters
Chief of Staff AI Prompts: A Library for ChatGPT and Claude

AI prompts for Chiefs of Staff

No items found.
AI Chief of Staff Tools: What to Use, Buy or Build

The best AI tools for Chiefs of Staff

No items found.
Claude for Chiefs of Staff: Setup, Skills and First Week

How to use Claude as a Chief of Staff

No items found.
Chief of Staff Board Meeting Guide: Prep, Pre-Read, Updates

How a Chief of Staff runs board meetings

No items found.
Chief of Staff Research: Scope It, Use AI, Write the Memo

How a Chief of Staff researches a decision

No items found.
Chief of Staff Stakeholder Management (Map Template)

How to map your stakeholders as a Chief of Staff

No items found.
Executive Calendar Management: A Chief of Staff's Guide

How to manage an executive's calendar and inbox

No items found.
Chief of Staff Internal Communications: Write for the CEO

How to write for your CEO and run internal comms

No items found.
Chief of Staff Weekly Update: Template and Examples

How to write a Chief of Staff weekly update

No items found.
Chief of Staff vs Executive Assistant: Roles, Pay and Path

Chief of Staff vs executive assistant

No items found.
Chief of Staff vs COO: Roles, Pay and Which to Hire

Chief of Staff vs COO

No items found.
Chief of Staff Skills: The 8 Competencies, by Level

Chief of Staff skills by level

No items found.
Chief of Staff Salary 2026: Pay by Level, Size and City

Chief of Staff salary in 2026

No items found.
Operating Rhythm: How a Chief of Staff Builds One

How to build an operating rhythm

No items found.
Leadership Team Meeting Agenda: A Chief of Staff's Guide

How to run a leadership team meeting

No items found.
Chief of Staff Mandate: What It Is and How to Write One

How to write a Chief of Staff mandate

No items found.
Chief of Staff Job Description: Template and 3 Examples

Chief of Staff job description, with examples

No items found.
How to Become a Chief of Staff: Paths, Steps, Timing

How to become a Chief of Staff

No items found.
How to Hire a Chief of Staff: Steps, Pay and Interviews

How to hire a Chief of Staff

No items found.
Fractional Chief of Staff: Role, Cost and How to Start

What is a fractional Chief of Staff?

No items found.
First 90 Days as a Chief of Staff: A 30/60/90 Plan

Your first 90 days as a Chief of Staff

No items found.
A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff (Hour by Hour)

A day in the life of a Chief of Staff

No items found.
Chief of Staff Context Management and Decision Log Templates

How a Chief of Staff manages context

No items found.
Briefing Memo Template: How to Brief Your CEO or Principal

How to brief your CEO

No items found.
How to Build an AI Chief of Staff: A Setup Guide for CoS

How to set up an AI Chief of Staff

No items found.
What Does a Chief of Staff Do? The Role, Explained (2026)

What does a Chief of Staff do?

No items found.
Show all guides

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Try a shorter search, or clear the filters. If you're new to the role, the handbook covers the whole job on one page.

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Templates and data from our reports, when a guide is added or updated.

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Read a series, in order

1. Start here

The role from every angle, for anyone considering it or new to it.

Start the series

What Does a Chief of Staff Do? The Role, Explained (2026)

What does a Chief of Staff do?

Start here

No items found.
Chief of Staff vs COO: Roles, Pay and Which to Hire

Chief of Staff vs COO

Start here

No items found.
Chief of Staff vs Executive Assistant: Roles, Pay and Path

Chief of Staff vs executive assistant

Start here

No items found.
A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff (Hour by Hour)

A day in the life of a Chief of Staff

Start here

No items found.
Chief of Staff Skills: The 8 Competencies, by Level

Chief of Staff skills by level

Start here

No items found.
Chief of Staff Salary 2026: Pay by Level, Size and City

Chief of Staff salary in 2026

Start here

No items found.
How to Become a Chief of Staff: Paths, Steps, Timing

How to become a Chief of Staff

Start here

No items found.

2. Excel in the role

For your first two years: scope, rhythm and how you report.

Start the series

Chief of Staff Mandate: What It Is and How to Write One

How to write a Chief of Staff mandate

Excel in the role

No items found.
Operating Rhythm: How a Chief of Staff Builds One

How to build an operating rhythm

Excel in the role

No items found.
Chief of Staff Weekly Update: Template and Examples

How to write a Chief of Staff weekly update

Excel in the role

No items found.

3. AI and the Chief of Staff

How AI changes the role, then set up your own.

Start the series

How to Build an AI Chief of Staff: A Setup Guide for CoS

How to set up an AI Chief of Staff

AI and the CoS

No items found.
Claude for Chiefs of Staff: Setup, Skills and First Week

How to use Claude as a Chief of Staff

AI and the CoS

No items found.
AI Chief of Staff Tools: What to Use, Buy or Build

The best AI tools for Chiefs of Staff

AI and the CoS

No items found.
Chief of Staff AI Prompts: A Library for ChatGPT and Claude

AI prompts for Chiefs of Staff

AI and the CoS

No items found.

4. Toolkit

The documents and meetings you run every week, with templates.

Start the series

Briefing Memo Template: How to Brief Your CEO or Principal

How to brief your CEO

Toolkit

No items found.
Chief of Staff Internal Communications: Write for the CEO

How to write for your CEO and run internal comms

Toolkit

No items found.
Leadership Team Meeting Agenda: A Chief of Staff's Guide

How to run a leadership team meeting

Toolkit

No items found.
Executive Calendar Management: A Chief of Staff's Guide

How to manage an executive's calendar and inbox

Toolkit

No items found.
Chief of Staff Context Management and Decision Log Templates

How a Chief of Staff manages context

Toolkit

No items found.
Chief of Staff Stakeholder Management (Map Template)

How to map your stakeholders as a Chief of Staff

Toolkit

No items found.
Chief of Staff Research: Scope It, Use AI, Write the Memo

How a Chief of Staff researches a decision

Toolkit

No items found.
Chief of Staff Board Meeting Guide: Prep, Pre-Read, Updates

How a Chief of Staff runs board meetings

Toolkit

No items found.

5. Hiring a Chief of Staff

For founders, executives and recruiters.

Start the series

How to Hire a Chief of Staff: Steps, Pay and Interviews

How to hire a Chief of Staff

Hiring

No items found.
Chief of Staff Job Description: Template and 3 Examples

Chief of Staff job description, with examples

Hiring

No items found.

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