Many people ask me about the value of being part of a networking and professional development community. And what is the value of being or having a Chief of Staff.
I find it fascinating that we are a people deeply connected to relationships, yet in practice we often lack a clear vision that investing in building and nurturing relationships is worthwhile. It can sound like fluff (or something “too expensive, too much work”). As if it would just happen “naturally.” Would it?.. All I know is that, for a Chief of Staff working constantly on the frontlines, loneliness strikes—and it strikes hard.
When I embraced the possibility of becoming a Chief of Staff more than 10 years ago, I had no idea what it meant: would it be projects, initiatives, governance, complementing the founder, acting as a bridge between departments, the “glue” that holds crises together, the guardian of strategic alignment…? The fact is, I sat in the ambiguity of this role for many years—and I received many nicknames, some affectionate (like “PMMom” lol), others not so much (“here comes the luxury secretary”).
Today, after becoming a member and more recently Regional Director LATAM of The Chief of Staff AssociationI am certain that the mission of supporting the development and blossoming of this role’s (often “hidden”) potential in Latin American countries is far greater, more honorable (and why not fun!) than I could ever have imagined.
If you are a Chief of Staff here and are not sure about the value that a qualified network can add to your career, just take a look at the insights from the session called “Circle of Influence”, held today with dozens of Chiefs of Staff from The Chief of Staff Association across the Americas and worldwide. The theme was… “Defining Success: Measuring Impact & Value in the Chief of Staff Role.” Oh, if only I had known this 10 years ago 😇 😉
Key takeaways:
– Takeaway #1: Embrace the broad nature of the role → a Chief of Staff must know how to communicate the value they generate within the organization rather than just listing the tasks performed on behalf of their principal.
– Takeaway #2: Act as a gravitational pool to talent → a Chief of Staff must bring leaders and teams together around the organization’s strategic objectives and not hide or cover up problems.
– Takeaway #3: See your ambiguity as a feature, not a bug → a Chief of Staff must act “invisibly” to facilitate change management and cultural evolution, rather than expecting trophies for individual achievements.
