Hey GirdleyWorld!
Today I want to tell you about the one hire that doubled my productivity. That’s right, I’m telling you…
- why you need a Chief of Staff
Let’s get into it!
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When I hired a Chief of Staff last year, my productivity doubled. And I’m having a ton more fun.
I regret not doing it years ago.
So today I’m going to lay out:
- What a Chief of Staff is
- How to use a Chief of Staff effectively
- What kind of person is suited to the job
… then I’ll give you my hiring process and the job description I used to hire my Chief of Staff, Robyn Smith. (Hi Robyn!)
Here we go!
What is a Chief of Staff?
Let’s start with what a Chief of Staff isn’t.
This is NOT an Executive Assistant.
While there are bits of menial work, the role is high-level.
The CoS covers my “messy middle” of necessary projects: too complex for an EA, but things that someone else could own/accelerate.
Those tasks will vary depending on the person. Robyn does high-level projects like:
- Leading a hiring process
- Running due diligence for one-off M&A
- Choosing a vendor
- Running annual employee review processes
Here’s how I break it down:
The position is getting more popular, which means there are more and more “flavors” of Chief of Staff out there.
In my company, Robyn reports directly to me. She functions as a “smoke jumper”, parachuting into strategic spots.
She’s a teammate and force multiplier in every big project.
How to use a Chief of Staff effectively
When you find the right person (more on that below), the Chief of Staff has massive potential.
But they’ll only reach that potential when you give them the tools for success.
Done right, a Chief of Staff has full access: they come to many of your meetings, they’re looped in on your near-term and long-term plans, and at some point they work with all your direct reports.
I’m an all-in kind of guy, so I give Robyn access to my email, accounts, the works.
Your Chief of Staff must have the trust and access to operate independently.
The impact they can make is directly proportional to the responsibility you give them.
So how do you find the right person for this job? Quick ad break, then I’ll tell you what I look for.
How do you find the right person for a CoS?
Here’s the basic attributes I’m looking for:
- Smart
- Good decision-making, and can make (somewhat) risky calls
- Gritty
- Attention to detail
- Enjoys multitasking
- Likable
- Ambitious
You’ll spend a lot of one-on-one time with this person, at least up front, so make sure you find someone who you get along with.
I look for people on their second or third job after graduating from a degree. People on the cusp of being ready to branch out on their own.
That makes them intelligent, gritty, and quick to learn.
This is a great opportunity for people in that bucket.
They get exposure to the whole business, which an early career person would never otherwise see. They get to learn a ton from you. And, when they move on/up in a year or two, it accelerates them to a senior role.
Much better than a regular job!
As far as actually finding the person, I recommend two paths:
- Network for referrals. Lots of people know a hungry young professional.
- Identify hustlers in your current organization and pitch them on the role.
This is all easier for me because I’ve spent the last few years building an audience — all I have to do these days is tweet about it.
Give it a shot!
If it helps get you kickstarted, you can check out the job description I used to find Robyn at the link below.
(I’ve packaged it with my hiring process, so you can dive right in!)
Girdley's Chief of Staff JD + Hiring Package.pdf
3 things from this week
- Appetizer: I spent the week at a men’s retreat in Texas. Sahil Bloom wrote this great piece about what he learned over the course of the few days there — read it on X!
- Main: Brian Feroldi wrote a great little piece on Shopify’s money-losing strategy (which they’re crushing). It all comes back to moats. He writes a fantastic newsletter on investing with a long-term mindset called, well, Long-Term Mindset — it’s a great read! Subscribe here.
- Dessert: This is a first — a newsletter reader sent me this. They framed a tweet of mine, and put it up in the hallway of their company. I’m honored!
Last note: we’re building a mini video course to come out in the next few months. It’s focused on how to find a great deal when buying a business.
MY ASK FOR YOU: what would you want to see in that course?
Hit reply and let me know! Have a great week!
Michael
