The Chief of Staff

Servant leader, leader without authority, confidant to the CEO, sounding board and strategist: contributors to this issue share different perspectives on leadership and authority in the chief of staff role.

Nicole Wilett, Chief of Staff at Open Society Foundations, talks about the challenges and rewards of a career that spans the private sector, the public sector, and philanthropic foundations.

Luis Visot discusses the beliefs and skills that have served him in two completely different working environments: the military and higher education.

As an experienced communicator in a major media organisation, Laban-Cliff Onserio is in the best possible position to raise the profile of the chief of staff role.

It's not just the role: it's the person. Dr David Cohen describes how one chief of staff navigated the White House power dynamics and politics at a critical time in the Reagan presidency.

While there are some responsibilities that are common to all sectors, the challenges to the chief of staff can vary significantly according to context. Dr Dominika Bukalova looks at critical strategies in the public and private sectors.

David McClimans has followed some great leaders and thought deeply about his own leadership at each stage of his career. Here, he presents his personal leadership philosophy, refined over many years of experience.

Ben Conard discusses his five commitments that help build a foundation of trust between a chief of staff and CEO.

Nicole Chapaval and Lily Nygren discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way in which we work and how that affected notions of authority.