Chief of Staff: Startup’s New MVP
With CEOs involved in a multitude of functions, having a specialized CoS is becoming crucial.
Think of an air traffic controller. There is not a single flight that is flying in and out of an airport without her. She is guiding pilots, monitoring in-flight aircraft for security, and is the closest advisor to the airport chief. Basically, an airport can run without the chief for a few days, but the controller’s role is indispensable. This is exactly what the Chief of Staff (CoS) does in organisations, manages the inner workings of the place.
The 34th US President Dwight Eisenhower had introduced this concept, revolutionising the White House operations. Without the Chief of Staff, the country may come to a standstill.
Today, it isn’t just the American President. Amazon, Meta, and Elon Musk all have their CoS. In fact, according to Tyler Parris’ book Chief of Staff: The Strategic Partner Who Will Revolutionize Your Organization, approximately 68,000 people in the United States work as chief of staff.
In India, while the exact statistics aren’t available, the trend is beginning to set. Nishad Kenkre serves as the CoS at Swiggy, Supriya Shankar holds this position at hospitality firm OYO. Prior to the current stint as Accenture Managing Director, Neha Kumar served as the Chief of Staff to Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy.
The CoS’ job description may vary from one company to another, but at the core, this position involves building strategies for the staff and bridging the gap between C-Suite and other employees.
The big stars
Working closely with the chief has its benefits. The CoS gets to observe the inside-dealings of companies and slowly becomes the confidante of the CEO. So, it is not a surprise that those serving in the CoS position get promoted to the topmost ranks.
Former Amazon chief-of-staff Andy Jassy, considered Jeff Bezos’ right-hand man, is now the company’s CEO. Meta chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg was Chief of Staff to US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.
Sam Teller, the former chief of staff to Elon Musk at SpaceX, Tesla, and The Boring Company, is now a partner at Valor Equity Partners and takes billion-dollar investment decisions.
Depending on the stage at which the company is, the CoS is involved in maintaining cross-functional communication, ensuring transparency in operations, mediating disputes, and taking a decision on what matters should be brought to the CEO.
She is the mini-CEO, also authorised to make executive decisions in the CEO’s absence.
What the chief of staff is not
There are similarities between the CoS and the work roles of several top management executives. But to be clear, the CoS is:
- Not the HR head because the Chief of Staff role extends much wider than hiring, employee management and retention
- Not the COO because the chief operating officer’s role is purely focussed on company operations.
- Not the executive assistant to the CEO because while the CoS works closely with the chief executive, they do not handle the day-to-day schedule of the company head.
Are you qualified to become the CoS?
While there are no courses specifically catering to the CoS position, you need a few skills. Skills that don’t necessarily come from academics but from life experiences. Let’s go back to what Presidents need in their CoS. The CoS needs to be able to reach across the aisle and find support. That role also involves understanding and being able to navigate the complex political waters within the party. If you reflect that on to work. The CoS will need to be not just an advisor to the CEO but also someone who can bring insight. The CoS will need to be able to understand finance, marketing, technology and HR. A bridge that helps the CEO navigate and make day-to-day decisions. Some slightly softer skills that a CoS will need are:
- Lateral thinking and the ability to make quick decisions.
- Empathy to be able to connect with people across the value chain.
- Ability to lead multiple teams across different functions.
- Identifying future leaders and empowering them to make decisions.
Eisenhower famously said, “The Chief of Staff says I’m the guy.” He is the guy who spots the gem among the piles of rubble and ensures that it stays polished, that’s what differentiates the CoS from anyone else.
