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Collectively navigating uncharted waters
Evan Billings
5 min read
How Evan Billings is helping shape the chief of staff role at HP Legal
When people hear ‘Chief of Staff’, they often picture a single person seated just outside the CEO’s door. That model still exists, but at HP, we’re reimagining the role as a distributed network of strategic partners embedded throughout the business.
In HP Legal, we’ve built a cohort of nine chiefs of staff, each supporting a senior executive. Our roles are dynamic and intentionally designed to meet the needs of our principals. Together, we form a connective layer across a global, complex, and geographically dispersed organisation, helping turn vision into execution and strategy into sustained momentum.
My own journey into this role wasn’t planned, but it was a natural evolution.
Like most, I stepped into the role without a longstanding relationship with my principal and, in some ways, that was a gift. My principal and I had worked in the same orbit, and we both came into this partnership having heard great things. My previous manager had been a strong champion of my work and believed I’d thrive as a chief of staff. I therefore entered the role with trust in the bank, but expectations were high, and there was no playbook: just an opportunity to build something new, together.
From the start, my principal was clear: ‘Make this role what you want it to be, and more importantly, what you don’t want it to be’.
What I actually do and where I’m most effective
People often ask me what a chief of staff actually does. The truth is, it depends on the day, and that’s part of what makes the role so energising. At any given moment, I might be translating strategy into action, aligning stakeholders across continents, redesigning a meeting to make it matter, or solving problems before anyone else sees them.
The bottom line is simple: I make it easier for my principal and our organisation to move forward with confidence.
In practice, that means everything from shaping messaging and driving planning cycles to tackling sensitive people dynamics and making cross-functional collaboration actually work. I’ve helped redesign how we run leadership meetings so they feel inclusive, engaging, and memorable, not just another update loop. I’ve humanised communication from the top, strengthened how we show up for each other, and created space for bold ideas to surface and stick.
I feel most effective and fulfilled when I’m making the complex clear, the disconnected cohesive, and the abstract not only understandable, but actionable.
But innovation doesn’t always look like invention. Sometimes it’s asking the right question at the right time. Sometimes it’s making sure the people doing the work are seen, supported, and celebrated. And sometimes it’s saying, ‘This isn’t working; let’s change it’.
The most valuable tool in your toolkit is the question no one else is asking. Whether it sparks a new idea or exposes an outdated assumption, asking better questions often leads to better outcomes.
That one moment was a turning point. It gave me permission to innovate—not just to support, but to shape. Not just to respond, but to design. And it set the tone for a working relationship built on trust, candour, and mutual growth.
That’s also where empathy comes in. The best insights don’t always come from the loudest voices, they come from listening deeply, understanding what’s not being said, and creating space for people to feel heard.
As chiefs of staff, we often operate through influence, not authority. Our impact isn’t tied to a hierarchy: it’s tied to trust. You have to earn it every day, and once you do, it becomes the engine that moves things forward.
What I’ve learned along the way
This role has taught me more than I could’ve imagined; not just about leadership, but about myself. Here are five lessons I keep coming back to:
2. Operate in the grey. Innovation doesn’t always look flashy. Sometimes it’s stepping into ambiguity that no one else wants to touch and finding a path forward.
3. Lead through context, not just coordination. Your influence isn’t in the invitations you send, it’s in the clarity you bring. Help others see the why, and they’ll deliver a better how.
4. Don’t just manage up. Multiply up. Amplify your principal’s vision with clarity, consistency, and connective tissue.
5. Build belonging, not just alignment. True alignment isn’t just about shared goals. If people feel seen and included, they’ll bring more of themselves. That’s when the real work gets done.
Building the role and the community
As I’ve grown in this role, it’s become clear that success isn’t just about what I do, it’s about how we shape the role together. I’ve invested in building not just my own lane, but a community of peers equally committed to raising the bar. That shared growth has been one of the most energising parts of the journey.
In HP Legal’s chief of staff cohort, we’re sharing practices, leading new initiatives, and helping define what excellence in this role can look like. We’re rethinking how to drive engagement, foster culture, and serve as strategic amplifiers for our leaders.
One example is how we’ve reimagined leadership meetings. Rather than defaulting to updates and slides, we’ve created shared spaces for conversation, creativity, and connection. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and it’s already fostering deeper alignment and stronger relationships across the organisation.
Beyond those formal efforts, we’re seeing a ripple effect: grassroots recognition programmes, informal spotlight features, and new rhythms that help people feel more connected. We’re creating community.
Outside of HP, I serve as the Regional Director for the Chief of Staff Association’s South Central region. There, I get to extend what I’ve learned and absorb even more from others walking the same path.
From Town Halls to peer circles, CSA has been a place of shared wisdom, candid conversations, and real connection. In a role that often sits at the intersection of many things but can feel like it belongs to none, this kind of community is priceless.
In closing
Being a chief of staff is less a job title and more a unique vantage point, a seat at the intersection of strategy, leadership, and innovation. It’s a role that demands creativity, resilience, and a willingness to build new paths where none exist.
For me, it’s about shaping not just what gets done, but how it gets done, turning complexity into clarity and ideas into impact. And while the journey is far from mapped, it’s one I’m proud to navigate alongside a remarkable community of peers, partners, and principals.
What I thought might be a behind-the-scenes role has turned out to be the most creative, connective, and career-defining chapters of my life.
Author Bio
Evan Billings
Chief of Staff, HP
As a Chief of Staff to senior executive leadership, Evan operates at the intersection of strategy, execution, and people. Evan thrives in high-stakes environments where clarity, momentum, and trust are essential—and she brings all three to every challenge she takes on.
With a background in managing org-wide operating rhythms, facilitating cross-functional alignment, and driving strategic initiatives from vision to delivery, Evan acts as a force multiplier for leadership. Her approach blends business acumen with a deep care for people. Whether she's building an engagement strategy, leading a turnaround plan for a struggling team, or navigating shifting priorities, Evan moves with intention, empathy, and a bias for action.
Evan believes in creating clarity where there's complexity, and momentum where there's potential. She is especially energized by opportunities where she can support bold innovation and foster cultures of collaboration, excellence, and inclusion.