Chief Of Staff: The Strategic Partner Who Will Revolutionize Your Organization

by Tyler Parris

How would you know if a chief of staff can benefit you or your organization? If you already have one, how can you thoughtfully evolve the role over time? To answer these and other questions, author and former corporate chief of staff Tyler Parris studied the role in depth and conducted scores of interviews with other chiefs of staff and with C-suite and HR executives globally and in different industries. Chief of Staff: The Strategic Partner Who Will Revolutionize Your Organization presents the results of his research in a clear and practical way. To help business leaders explore the value that a chief of staff offers as a trusted advisor and "chief get-it-done officer," Parris presents three "pivots" to consider: Organization dynamics Most commonly reported benefits of the role (for leaders, chiefs of staff, and organizations) Deliverables that chiefs of staff most commonly manage for leaders

He also explores the history and current context for the role, provides guidelines for how to find and hire the right candidate, suggests ways to make the most of the first 90-100 days, and offers advice on how to develop the role over time.

As several of the CEOs Parris interviewed point out, even if you never hire a chief of staff, the thought process that goes into considering the possibility can be a useful exercise in finding strengths and gaps in your current team or approach--and can help you lead more effectively.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Leadership, Management, Professional Development

176 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2015

Reviews

[Jay French · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early in my so-called career, I was introduced to the executive floor of the company I worked for, in the top 15 of the Fortune 500. They had an opening for what I’d consider an IT gopher for the executives. I was also introduced to a older man who was a Chief of Staff of one of the company executives. His job sounded like a higher class version of the IT job, and something I thought I might be good at. I later worked with this individual on a major project, where he further explained how the Chief of Staff role worked in his case. I picked up this book for more detail on the position, and to help me determine if I should consider looking for this kind of job. This book did a good job of explaining the role in its different variations. While it was focused on helping executives determine if they could use a Chief of Staff, it also explained the different talents and roles the job entailed. Given the descriptions, I think I will opt out of considering this job for future endeavors – political fluency is not something I enjoy. Overall, I found the book met my needs learning about the various versions of Chiefs of Staff, and I believe it would work well for executives or HR professionals hoping to learn what the job can bring to a company and how it can be described. Short and useful.

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid run-down of the job.

I was looking to gain understanding of the role of a Chief of Staff inside a corporation. This book was educational and concise. I only wish more of it was written from the perspective of the Chief as opposed to hiring one. With that said, it's still a valuable read.

[Liz Stiverson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm currently in a Chief of Staff role, and found this sort of helpful at a high level for framing my potential value proposition; skim-worthy, not a deep read for anyone other than a senior leader asking whether the role could be a fit.

[Sherene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fills a gap in the market for such a gap...this role is not well-understood, there is no clear career path into it or out of it, so it's quite illuminating to read this book.

[Julian Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this is a solid book describing the rise of the Chief of Staff role inside corporations, their various archetypes, and how the role differs from the political role of the same name.

That said, the book leans more towards justifying what use a CEO has for a chief of staff, and doesn't come close to explaining why it seems like every C-level executive these days wants or needs to have their own -- in addition to having an executive assistant. Too often, these chiefs-of-staff get in the way, unnecessarily shielding their executive from really being in the trenches (understanding, operating, and debugging the business) and add little value beyond creating yet another layer of bureaucracy & TPS reporting.

I'm afraid that many C-suite executives reading this little volume will come to the conclusion that they definitely need a chief of staff, as not enough has been done in here to dissuade them from that thought. Parris could have done the world a favor by framing the topic first as a skeptical "why do you need one?" rather than being an unabashed cheerleader for the role, particularly at the CEO-1 level. But of course, given that his consulting practice is based on him creating more chiefs of staff in the world, the incentives don't align for applying more skepticism, which is unfortunate.

[Laura Skladzinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently became Chief of Staff for my company, and was recommended this book to better understand the expectations. The author has interviewed hundreds of Chiefs of Staff and their executives, and uses this to outline the many ways that the role varies from company to company (or even executive to executive at the same company) and how it can be effective. Although the book targets executives who may be looking to hire a Chief of Staff (and the reasons why you should / shouldn't do so, how to find the right person for the role), I found it incredibly useful as a Chief of Staff to see the various ways the role can go as I shape it for myself. This book helps me not only perform better in the role, but also better articulate my role to others. This was a really easy and high-level read, and while it could have gone into much more detail, I found it very helpful for where I am now / what I was looking for.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written from the perspective of a CEO and explores whether you should get a chief of staff and what to look for in one. The rest of the book is about what a chief of staff can provide and describes what the role actually is.

Like a lot of people who read this book, I did it to determine what exactly is a chief of staff and would I want that to be my next career step? It was chock full of great information and I found it to be extremely enlightening and helpful. Even though it was dry in parts, it was so information dense that it took me a long time to finish the book and really digest it. Great book, extremely useful resource whether you are considering your next career move or if you are a CEO considering adding a chief of staff to your executive group.

[Nathan Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughtful Meta-analysis

I read through the book in prep for a new role that I’ll start in a few weeks. In many ways, the book affirmed what I learned through the interview process, which reassured me that I’m on the right track. Though written primarily from the executive’s point-of-view, it still gave me all of the detail I needed. I’d highly recommend the book for anyone jumping into a CoS position that wants to start on the right foot. It won’t give you a blueprint to work from but certainly provides some excellent questions and perspectives to tailor the job around you and the executive.

[Constant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provides perspective on the Chief of Staff role

Short read, 151 pages. Could probably finish in a single sitting if you wanted.

Did point me in the direction of Al Chase's article on Chief of Staff: A Force multiplier.
http://whiterhinoreport.blogspot.com/...

Came across more resources here that were far more helpful (and largely free):

https://medium.com/chiefofstaffnetwor...

https://medium.com/chiefofstaffnetwor...

Worth reviewing but not many substantive take-aways.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up out of sheer curiosity over what exactly is a chief of staff anyway?

Are they some kind of "super assistant" or are they an executive in their own right?

Well as described here, they are definitely an executive in their own right with the key point being that they are an "extension" of their principle.

I enjoyed the second part of the book more which got into some practical aspects on how to actually find a chief of staff and what you should expect them to do.

A very specialized topic but good solid info if this is what you're looking for.

[Snehaa Suryanarayanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book that actually explained what the role does. I don't believe I've ever read a startup book that didn't just give me a very high overview and gloss over multiple topics without going into it. But this one went into the details, and I found that helpful. It wasn't overly specific ( it was only 150 pages or so), but it referenced a lot or related work and helpful sources.
It's definitely worth a read if you're looking to hire for the role.
If you're looking to join the role, some parts of it may get you think if you'll ever get appreciated enough in the role.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parris makes it clear in the title and synopsis that he wrote this book for an audience of executives interested in adding a chief of staff to their team, and he delivers on his intent. That said, this could be a useful read also for people who want to know more about this kind of work. I especially appreciated the chapter on what to prioritize during the first 90-100 days on the job. Since this was set up as a workbook, it could have used more space for the reflection/application exercises at the end of most chapters.

[Yanis Mellata · Rating 2 out of 5]

Provides overall context on the positioning of a chief of staff, potential responsibilities, what profile to look for and how to fit this position well within an organization. Good for someone that has no clue what a chief of staff is.

Lacks depth of insights on how a chief of staff can deliver maximum impact within an organization. More superficial then I would have liked!

[Neelie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good resource. Would reorganize a bit for a busy executive—spends a lot of time making the case. Some input for this book comes from actual chiefs of staff, but feels selective and anecdotal. Begs an authoritative study as the number of CoS is so large now; happy to help, given the value to the field.

[Brian Farber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly good manual for my new job. This book is really written for my supervisor rather than me, but it has a lot of applicability about how I can best fill the role has a chief of staff. There are some useful tools in here that I will used to have conversations with my boss in the coming months.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to provide high level information around the chief of staff role, defining it and eventually transitioning out. There are not a lot of books on this topic and it does provide some valuable information.

[David Kutas]

Unique in its scope and fluency

I don't think I've ever read another business book like this - fluent, vivid, and clear. Credit to the author for taking what could be dry material and making it highly engaging.

[John Tyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a helpful book for helping me think about the roles that a COS, project manager, or planning manager employee could play on my team or another colleague’s team. Skimmable book, once you understand each chapter structure.

[Bennett Tobias · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provides a high-level introduction to the CoS role with some real-life anecdotes sprinkled throughout. A lot of the content probably could have been summarized in a long form article. If you’re brand new to the idea of this position, it’s a good, quick read.

[Parker Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m a chief of staff and while this gave some, in my experience, very accurate reflections around the role and how senior execs should look at it, I think it could have been a long form article in HBR.

[Maja Pejcic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good summary

Good summary for a controversial and disruptive role in the industry. Recommended for everyone who would be interacting with CoS or striving to be one.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little disorganized and not too much new useful information

[Baylee Pendleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good flyover of a difficult-to-define role.

[Frederik Wolff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Special interest

[Jeremiah Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview for those considering the role

A solid read on the topic, even if you're not an executive. Good reflection questions and actions at the end of each chapter.

[Christopher Bernaudo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah, pretty good! Interesting points and stuff I’d come back to

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well-researched, carefully laid out, and genuinely helpful. Anyone looking to add this role, or even take this kind of role, would benefit from reading this book. It helps clearly define what a chief of staff is, why an executive might need one, how they increase productivity, and traits to look for in a candidate.

[Jake Singer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I was on my way to interview for a Chief of Staff job. It was fine. If you are a CEO thinking about hiring a CoS, or in a situation like I was in, then this book might be worth your time. It also might not.