A Chief of Staff works closely with the CEO. Getty Images
It is one of the most important and at the same time least noticed roles in the startup scene: the Chief of Staff. The role itself is not new; Napoleon and Eisenhower also had a Chief of Staff, or COS for short. Even today, many heads of state rely on a COS – also called chief of staff in this context. The concept has proven itself historically and can now be found in many companies. There, the Chief of Staff usually acts as the CEO’s right-hand man. This is also the case with startups.
We spoke to three experts to find out what makes a Chief of Staff, what skills it takes, which companies it makes sense for, what tasks it does – and what it earns.
Why the Chief of Staff is the “right hand of the CEO”.
“The basic idea is that a Chief of Staff sits between the executives and the CEO,†explains Sebastian Wesserle. Together with Christian Graser he is the founder of the recruiting agency Angeheuert in Innsbruck.