All things Chief of Staff: advice from an expert
I recently fell into the trap that affects many leaders: living with an outdated process because fixing it required too much mental energy. Finally, I donned my Chief of Staff hat and got to work reviewing, revamping and revising the system to meet my current needs.
Chief of Staff roles can fall anywhere from EA-Plus to CEO-Minus in terms of responsibilities and experiences. Asking good questions up front ensures a great match!
A Chief of Staff and EA working together can produce incredible results, if you set the partnership up to succeed!
As organizations grow in complexity, more are turning to a Chief of Staff to manage the ecosystem and design processes that work across all the players.
A Chief of Staff will - quite literally - create time and focus for you. Tactical examples show how to make 40 hours magically appear.
Both the Executive Assistant and Chief of Staff roles offer incredible value. Know when to hire each and how to best position these resources for success.
A Chief of Staff becomes a multiplier by actively managing the ecosystem of people, processes and connection points across an organization - making them efficient and effective.
Hiring a Chief of Staff can feel like searching for a unicorn needle in a barn full of hay. To do the role well requires subtle attributes that, at times, seem paradoxical. There are 7 unique CoS qualifications to look for and 3 things to avoid.
A great Chief of Staff is a leader’s best-kept secret. Deployed stealthily from behind the scenes, things just seem to go better and faster when these clandestine multi-tools are on the team. There are a few unspoken issues that can be solved by a Chief of Staff. You might not know to ask for these outcomes up front, but will be so grateful for them in hindsight!
Your first Chief of Staff role comes with a steep learning curve. Six things to know before taking on a CoS assignment.
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When I Grow Up: career advice with humanity
When you take over a new team, sometimes your job as leader is to do a talent reset. This lengthy process requires clarity, empathy, and tough decisions along the way - find out how to do it well here.
When your team is experiencing the aftermath of a corporate layoff, you have to rebuild trust and re-set the culture. As a manager, there are several strategies that help and a few things to avoid at all costs!
This week we delve into the unexpected loss of a team member. This is one of the hardest things to lead through and requires empathy and understanding.
Planning for an upcoming 5-week sabbatical, our writer wonders how to get the most out of this unique company benefit. I share what I learned on my own break along with some tips to plan an amazing reset experience.
Our writer has been in the grind of the interview process and is feeling frustrated and fatigued. I provide mindset shifts and reframes that will help them survive and get to the end goal of landing a great new job!
Our writer this week is just starting to think about leaving their corporate job in the future. I dig into my own lessons learned so they can avoid the mistakes I made during my career transition!
This week’s writer got an exciting new opportunity that came with a hefty dose of awkwardness. We go through the emotions and strategies to effectively lead someone who is at the same (or similar) level and kind of resents you as their new manager.
Our writer wonders whether to pursue an opportunity with a startup that is exciting, but definitely less secure than their current position at a big company. We look at the questions to ask and the tradeoffs between big vs. small companies.
Our writer has decided to leave their current job, but not for a few months. Practical tips and tricks for how to make it through to the finish line when you know you plan to exit.
Our writer botched their last corporate exit and is looking for tips on how to depart more gracefully next time around. Practical tips for employees who are thinking about their next big thing but dreading the goodbye conversation.
This week we delve into the what, how and who of feedback. Deep breath - we can make it through this end-of-year process by adopting a growth mindset and applying these practical tips.
Our writer has been working hard at their post-MBA job for three years and is looking forward to proving herself ready for promotion. The variables that go into promotion readiness vary by organization - we take a look at capability, confidence and risk this week.
Our writer is less than a year into a new job and already feeling the drag of an outdated culture. Deeply investigating the culture, success in the current role and other potential life paths are on the menu this week - get ready for some soul searching!
A manager is worried about an impeding reduction in force and how to deliver the news to their team. We address the emotional and practical strategies around one of the toughest parts of being a manager.
Our introverted writer has to travel for work and is wondering how to get the most out of the in-person time while not completely depleting her batteries in the process. Luckily, I’ve been there and have plenty of tips to share.
Our writer just took a new role with a chance to prove herself at the next level. Two weeks in a manager was layered on top of her and she wants to know what to do to make it work.
Our writer feels like a deer in the headlights when asked an unexpected question in meetings. This week we explore how to get to the bottom of that panicky feeling and work to overcome it.
A future product leader wonders whether to take a step back from management to an individual contributor role and how that will affect long-term career success.
A recent graduate has joined a campus rotational program at a big company and wants to know how to establish a solid reputation early in their career.
A senior professional wonders what are the best first steps to take when joining a new organization. We offer tips including a listening tour, staying humble and building trust with the new team here.
With career advancement comes more work and expectations. How do you find the right balance between working hard and overworking?
An aspiring public speaker wonders how to find opportunities to practice, even if it is terrifying!
In year three of the pandemic, how does a busy worker carve out time during the workday?
Need a writer?: reach out to Katie about your project
10 point font: leadership and life in corporate America
Although I use generative AI every day as a writer, I never let it do the writing for me. Here are 4 ways to get better and faster without losing your unique voice.
Smart, accomplished people have a lot of ‘buts’ when I ask why they aren’t sharing content online. Do these six reasons sound familiar to you?
Employee appreciation - with or without a budget - is a breeze with these 10 easy-to-implement ideas.
I’m not an influencer or full-time content creator, but I have learned a few key lessons in six months of writing online.
Generalists are having a moment. I was delighted to find my tribe of like-minded non-specialists online and explore how being a generalist has helped me throughout my career.
In 2022, I received three terminal diagnoses for three separate cats. The lesson I learned was about living at intersections and being able to move forward in spite of it.