For Chiefs of Staff navigating the complexities of growing organizations, the ability to streamline team operations, maintain accountability, and establish a solid routine is key. Yet the tools and processes to make managing an executive team are few and far between.
Anyone who’s been in this role for more than a few weeks knows that shared docs, email, calendar invites, and slack channels aren’t doing you any favors. It’s a constant battle to stay organized, keep priorities straight, and keep it all from falling through the cracks. Everyday.
From Chief of Staff to Operational Superhero
The role of the Chief of Staff goes beyond administrative support; it encompasses strategic planning, leadership alignment, and ensuring that projects are moving forward as planned. It involves a comprehensive approach to managing the leadership team's daily operations, ensuring that strategic objectives are met while also tackling the inevitable challenges that arise.
Yet, without the right support and structure, the role can quickly devolve into flustered busywork - which is a shame, because your time needs to be spent on higher value tasks, not herding the email cats just to get an agenda pulled together for the afternoon LT meeting.
An effective Chief of Staff doesn't just manage; they elevate the entire leadership team, amplifying performance and fostering a culture of excellence.
Master the Art of Flexible Discipline
Creating a reliable and consistent routine is crucial for any leadership team's success. Like most things in life, the process isn’t necessarily hard, it’s the discipline that’s wicked difficult. And when busywork gets in the way, the discipline gets that much harder. As an example, here are three best practices:
- Use Shared Agendas for Meetings: Ensure meetings are focused and productive, with a clear purpose and objectives that align with the organization's goals.
- Track Action Items: Keep everyone accountable for their responsibilities, ensure that tasks are completed on time and objectives are met.
- Review Strategic Priorities: Allow the team to stay aligned on long-term goals, assess progress, and make necessary adjustments to strategies.
These aren’t novel ideas, but actually putting each into practice is a different story. When the information for each of these isn’t in a single place, it means you’re back in scavenger hunt mode digging through email and chat to find what you need.
Stay Agile with the Right Tools
The right tools can be a game-changer for managing your everyday workload. These tools aid in organizing the week, managing tasks, and keeping the leadership team informed and engaged. By streamlining these processes, Chiefs of Staff can focus more on strategic initiatives and less on administrative tasks, driving the organization towards its goals with increased efficiency.
The trick from a technology standpoint is finding the balance between flexibility and ease of use with the structure and discipline to keep the machine running. With Trelliswork, we give you a platform and practical tools to put your best practices into action.
Not sure yet? Learn how other high performing companies like Outbound.ai use Trelliswork to elevate their game, and see how it makes a difference for their cross-functional team alignment and everyday execution.
Ready to level up your manager game?
Try now with your next team meeting
