The Many Titles of Chief of Staff

It’s no secret that there are many people out there doing the work of a Chief of Staff without the title. Read below to figure out if you’re doing Chief of Staff work, alternate titles for acting Chiefs of Staff, and a few easy steps to help you determine what your “Chief of Staff” title should be. ?

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Every single day, we chat with someone who is an existing, aspiring, or new Chief of Staff (CoS). We can tell you from these conversations that a lot of people are doing the work of a CoS just under a different title. ? ? Think this might apply to you? Let’s run a diagnostic check!?

? If you're doing most of these things, you are a Chief of Staff:?

• Work for a person vs. the overall business?
• Assume a wide variety of responsibilities, including filling gaps for your leader?
• Responsible for preparing your leader for everything they walk into?
• Lead Business Planning, and ensure the rhythm of business is documented, effective, and comprehensive?
• Help identify major gaps or problems in your organization and make recommendations for how to efficiently solve them?
• You drive alignment across your leader's executive team providing visibility, collaboration, and preparedness?
• Keep your eyes and ears on team culture?
• Lead the overall planning and execution of top-priority deliverables (board meetings, all-hands, offsites, QBRs, etc)?
• Act as a strategic thought partner to your executive, providing feedback or insights on how to innovate workflows or navigate challenges?
• You consistently create and refine processes to drive efficiency across your leader’s back office. ?

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If you answered YES to most or all of these, YOU ARE A CHIEF OF STAFF!?

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Whether your business or leadership team uses the specific “Chief of Staff” title, if your work matches this criteria, you’re doing the stuff that is bread and butter for Chiefs of Staff. It’s important to recognize these signals because once you identify that you are doing Chief of Staff work, a world of resources will open up for you.?

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How to Determine Your Title ?

Are you interested in moving into a Chief of Staff role but your company doesn't use the title? Here’s an exercise you can do to prepare to better define your role.??

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Pick a title below based on the body of work you'll be doing AND your company's likeliness to adopt it:???

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• executive business???
• executive operations???
• executive planning??
• executive support??
• business planning???
• business programs???
• business operations???
• business support???
• business process??
• business process improvement???
• strategy & operations???
• strategic projects & initiatives???
• strategic partner???
• special assistant to the...??
• special programs??
• tech transformation???
• transformational business???

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Next, complete the title by combining it with the level of the role you're aspiring to AND what makes sense based on your company and your experience:???

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• Support??
• Junior??
• Partner??
• Associate??
• Senior??
• Manager??
• Director??
• VP???

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Finally, if this is a role you are building, DEFINE and DOCUMENT the role. Do your research! There are lots of job descriptions out there with varying levels and responsibilities across many, many industries. And no two CoS roles are exactly alike, so build the role you want. Don’t let the title itself hold you back from doing the work you know will have a big impact on the team you’re supporting and finding the resources that you need to succeed. ?

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At Nova, we help people understand the wide breadth of Chief of Staff work across the business landscape. If you’re looking to level up in your Chief of Staff role or have eyes on one in the future, head over to this page to request a copy of our Chief of Staff Certification course syllabus.??