Chief of Staff

What’s a Chief of Staff?

Chief of Staff. What does that even mean?

When we founded Cedar, we talked to 100+ CEOs, founders and Chiefs of Staff about their own definition of a Chief of Staff. We found a wide range of answers ranging from a very senior Executive Assistant to a full-on CEO proxy who is able to make crucial business decisions on behalf of the CEO.

Through our research, we learned that there isn’t an industry standard definition, nor is there a one-sized-fits-all description of this role.

We decided to put a stake in the ground.

At Cedar, we believe the Chief of Staff’s main goal is to multiply and extend the impact of the CEO.

A Chief of Staff can be a:

  • Strategic Advisor

  • Trusted Confidante

  • CEO Proxy

  • Master Organizer

  • Communications Director

  • Process Guru

  • C-suite systems Administrator

  • Executive Coach

  • Change Agent

Chief of Staff Benefits

Hiring, onboarding and training a Chief of Staff is an investment in time and energy, but it pays off handsomely in the long term with huge ROI for your leadership team and your company or organization.

High impact CEO

Strong C-suite teams

Clear mission and vision

Improved cross-functional collaboration

Better operational efficiency

Strong culture

Sustainable growth

How we deploy a Chief of Staff
at your company or organization

Assess

Assess your CEO, C-suite and company needs

Design

Define the job description, identify the ideal candidate profile and new operating model

Hire

Execute an executive search plan and close your exceptional new Chief of Staff

Onboard

Onboard the CEO, C-suite & Chief of Staff to Executive Operations function

Deliver coaching and training to CEO, C-suite & Chief of Staff to guarantee success

Develop

Build

Begin to build the Office of the CEO

Our Services

For Leaders

  • CEO & C-suite Executive Coaching

  • Chief of Staff ROI & Business Case

  • Chief of Staff Organizational Design

  • Chief of Staff Hiring & Recruiting

  • Chief of Staff Onboarding

  • Chief of Staff Performance Management

  • Chief of Staff Compensation & Benefits

  • Chief of Staff Succession Planning

  • Chief of Staff Employee Network

  • Future Chief of Staff High Performer Program

For Chiefs of Staff

  • Chief of Staff Executive Coaching

  • Chief of Staff Career Pathing

  • Chief of Staff Learning & Development

The Cedar Talent Network™

Our Cedar Talent Network™ gives you instant access to highly qualified and pre-vetted candidates that are looking for their next job working for an extraordinary leader.

We've developed a strong Cedar Talent Network™ of current and aspiring Chiefs of Staff that follow our CEO Mackenzie Lee’s near-daily writing on LinkedIn (8,000+ followers) and weekly newsletter (1,000+ subscribers).

Our Cedar Talent Network™ includes former consultants, ex-operators and current Chiefs of Staffs among others.

Apply to join the Cedar Talent Network™ here.

The Chief of Staff Playbook, 2nd Edition

Hi there! Over the past few years, I have been writing about all things Chief of Staff, Executive Operations and Office of the CEO on LinkedIn. I’ve compiled these writings into The Chief of Staff Playbook, 2nd Edition.

Who this playbook is for

-Founders & CEOs who want to let go and do more by hiring a Chief of Staff
-Chiefs of Staff looking to leave a legacy by building the CEO's Office
-Executive Assistants exploring the next step in their ExecOps career
-Chief of Staff Job Seekers looking to become an executive’s right hand
-Professionals who want to partner better with their fellow Chief of Staff

Join 3,000+ other readers by downloading my 79-page, 72-topic playbook.

Happy reading,

-Mackenzie Lee, Cedar CEO

Ready to get started?
Let’s talk.