The rise of the chief of staff

Discreet but extremely influential, the chief of staff position is bringing a new dynamic to the private sector

IF YOU THINK about who wields the power in any organization, from a company all the way up to a nation’s government, do you think of the actual head honcho? Or do you think about their proverbial right-hand man, pulling the strings and flying well under the radar?

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Increasingly in big private sector companies, it’s the latter — the chief of staff — who represents the real power centre.

“Once rare in business, the chief of staff position is becoming more important and popular in the upper ranks of many multinational companies and fast-growing startups,” reads a Financial Times report. About 65 per cent of CEOs at Fortune 500 companies now have a chief of staff, as do one in four series B startups, the report claims.

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“Bosses are increasingly turning to a chief of staff, trusted deputy or outside adviser to help shoulder the load of shaping strategy, managing the expectations of investors, staff and customers and protecting the reputations of the company.”

This is a relatively new development in the private sector — the chief of staff has long been associated with the military or government. According to the Institute of Management, Technology and Finance, the proof is in the postings. “A quick search on LinkedIn for ‘chief of staff’ consistently reveals thousands of open positions globally,” they wrote. “The demand is real, significant, and growing.”

And it can be a good job to land if you’re eyeing upward mobility. “The role is now widely viewed as a ‘CEO in training’ position,” wrote HR search and recruitment firm Elliott Scott. “It gives ambitious professionals exposure to board-level strategy and executive decision-making, often working side-by-side with the CEO.”

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So, if you’re already a CEO, do you need a chief of staff? Well, look perhaps to the great names who had one: Cicero, Napoleon Bonaparte, George Washington — all had prominent chiefs of staff who were much more than mere aides-de-camp.

“The right chief of staff can be an important source of assistance to leaders who are pushing their organizations and themselves to ever better performance,” wrote the Harvard Business Review.

Yes, your mid-sized regional tech consultancy may not be the First French Republic — but a bit of help never hurts. Kieran Delamont