Chief of Staff What to Do & Not to Do

We talk a lot about what a Chief of Staff is and what a Chief of Staff should do. But just like anyone, Chiefs of Staff can easily make the wrong move. If you answered yes to any of the questions below, you're not alone, but you’re also not acting in your best interest.

✔ Did you share confidential information with a work bestie about your leader?

✔ Did you speak more than most in the last meeting?

✔ Did you rush to make a change and forget to get buy-in first?

✔ Did you say yes to too many things last week?

As a Chief of Staff, the stakes are higher. The bulleted list below covers common missteps and practical, trust-building alternatives to help Chiefs of Staff stay aligned with their leader’s goals and maintain effectiveness.

Common Missteps as a Chief of Staff

• Buddy up to certain execs on your leader's team, but not all of them.

• Share privileged information from your principal with others.

• Put yourself in the spotlight when it’s not necessary.

• Take on a project just for recognition's sake.

• Believe that you know better than your principal.

• Believe that you are superior to others due to your role's adjacency to your leader.

• Believe that you are irreplaceable.

• Begin company-wide projects before you've assessed your leader's back office.

• Try to solve too many problems right away.

• Make yourself difficult to find or otherwise inaccessible.

• Say yes to everything.

• Turn to your leader too quickly to solve personnel issues.

• Dictate instead of collaborating when implementing changes.

• Treat the Executive Assistant as a means to an end.

• Be a louder voice in the room than your leader and their executive team.

• Withhold information to make yourself seem more powerful than others.

Instead, as a Chief of Staff, take measures to build trust, respect the team’s expertise, and stay aligned with your leader’s priorities. Following these steps as a regular practice prevents unnecessary friction and positions you as a thoughtful, trustworthy partner in the organization.

Helpful Steps to Take as a Chief of Staff

• Ensure you are treating all leaders on your principal's team the same.

• Be a trusted confidant to your leader.

• Take on projects based on the importance level to your leader & the team.

• Understand your value.

• Address your executive's back-office needs before solving company-wide problems.

• Prioritize what items you should tackle to create the most value and impact for your leader.

• Position others in the spotlight before yourself.

• Make yourself readily available to everyone.

• Say no to things that take time away from creating value for your leader.

• If you consistently believe that you know better than your leader, find a new leader.

• Be humble.

• Work to address personnel issues directly before bringing your leader in.

• Gain buy-in, ask for feedback, and share your ideas before making changes.

• Build genuine relationships with your team, including the EA.

• Amplify others, facilitate balanced conversation, and get comfortable saying less.

• Provide transparency and visibility at all times.

Chiefs of Staff are held to a high standard. Every Chief of Staff faces challenges, but sidestepping common pitfalls can strengthen your role. Follow these practices to become a reliable force, elevating your leader, team, and yourself.

To learn more about Nova’s Chief of Staff Certification course, download our Syllabus. For more information on best practices as a CoS and leadership, follow Nova Founder Maggie Olson on LinkedIn.