6 Steps To Being A Successful Chief Of Staff

Chiefs of staff act as “air traffic controllers” for an executive, helping to manage the executive’s time and energy. A chief of staff ensures the executive focuses on making solid decisions on the most critical elements for the team and organization. Here are six things to keep in mind to help you succeed as a chief of staff:

1.     Know the substance and how to operate.

Know the subject matter. If the team is focused on managing products, you should have some background in product management. If it is a legal team, you should have experience in law and policy or be a lawyer. When you understand the substance, you will have the proper background to make judgments on prioritizing tasks and advise on issues.

Also, understand how the organization and your manager’s team operates. What are the organizational processes people use to communicate, receive approval and accomplish goals?

In addition to formal operations, establish operating principles with your manager and the team. For example, identify mutually agreed upon timeframes in which you expect people to respond to emails. Basic operating principles set expectations that ensure forward progression, respect for team members and team cohesion.

2.     Triage information to react and, at the same time, be proactive.

As a chief of staff, there is a lot of information coming at you. At any given time, you are receiving numerous emails and requests of your manager. Synthesize the information to know what is important and what is not. Know what you need to act on now and what issues can be set aside for the moment. 

Be intentional about being proactive. When you are inundated with tasks, it is easy to fall victim to the onslaught of requests and only be reactive. Try to carve out 20 to 30 minutes each week to think ahead. Ask yourself, “What needs to happen to ensure my manager and the team continue to be productive?” “Who do I need to speak with?” “Should I set up a meeting?”

The ability to effectively react and be proactive rests on having good judgment and understanding the issues at play.

3.     Establish a system that keeps you organized and enables communication with key players.

What system are you using to triage tasks and incoming requests? Are you using a spreadsheet, and is the spreadsheet working for you? Are you using a shareable document?

If your current organization method is inefficient, consider working with your colleagues on the product team to create a team dashboard that keeps you organized. Is there a system your organization already uses that could be customized for your team’s purposes?

Visualization of tasks allows others to see the progress being made on their requests, which can cut down on your efforts to continuously communicate small updates in between standing meetings with your manager and colleagues.

4.     Develop a rapport with colleagues so you know who to go to and get things done.

Get to know your colleagues so you know who to turn to for a particular issue, whether that be within or outside of your function. Invest the time and energy to establish meaningful relationships. The more you invest in your connections with your colleagues, the more you both will enjoy working with each other and the more motivated the other person will be to cooperate on tasks.

To expand on the concept of team operating principles, you also need to be flexible within those norms, particularly relating to how people communicate. The clearest way to determine how people like to communicate is to ask them. Otherwise, observe patterns in people’s behavior. Does your manager prefer using an instant messaging platform for quick, back-and-forth communications? Does one colleague like to pick up the phone to hash out an issue? Meet your colleagues where they are to get things done for the team.

5.     Make decisions, and know when to escalate issues to your manager.

An important part of being a chief of staff is making decisions on behalf of your manager. You have been selected for the role because of your judgment. Have the confidence to exercise that judgment. 

Your manager’s success and the team’s success depend on your ability to make decisions on your manager’s behalf. You need to make decisions to alleviate some of your manager’s workload and allow them to focus on making the most important decisions that you bring to their attention. 

You may not make the correct decision 100% of the time. That is okay. You are human. You were selected for the role because they trust you will make the right decisions most or almost all of the time.

For issues that come with high risk or are unclear as to how to navigate, bring these issues to your manager’s attention. As chief of staff, you are not supposed to make all the decisions. You are supposed to make a lot of decisions to allow the few critical decisions to filter to the top for your manager to focus on.

6.     Seek feedback.

Whether you made an incorrect decision or are finding your approach inefficient, ask for advice on how to be better in your role moving forward. 

Successful chiefs of staff don’t just give advice. They take it, too. The more effective you are, the more effective your manager will be. The more effective your manager, the more effective the team will be.

The chief of staff role helps organizations be productive and make sound decisions. To help you succeed in this type of role, know the substance and how the organization operates to be able to filter through the information to respond appropriately and take proactive, strategic steps. Develop a system that allows you and the broader team to stay organized and communicate progress with teammates. Be intentional about establishing solid relationship with teammates. Make decisions, and seek feedback.

What helps you to manage executive decision making and maintain team productivity? Share with me your stories and thoughts via Twitter or LinkedIn.