In 2018, Grove founder Chris Hutchins wrote about work that had no clear home in his growing company. Recruiting and onboarding needed attention. So did projects that crossed departments. Those tasks kept finding their way onto his own to-do list.
That was more than a scheduling problem. An assistant might have helped Hutchins manage his calendar; the company also needed someone to keep shared work moving.
Hutchins tailored the role to Grove’s needs. He asked candidates to rank their interest and ability across 12 functional areas. That was his hiring exercise, not a standard test for chief-of-staff candidates. According to Chris Hutchins;
The main purpose of a chief of staff is to add firepower to the person he or she has been hired to support.
— Chris Hutchins
The Chief of Staff Association describes the position as strategic and operational support. Executive assistants usually focus on administrative work, though duties can overlap. What matters is the job the company needs done and the authority the founder gives the person hired to do it.
1. Routine Decisions Wait For the Founder
A customer wants a discount. A manager needs to replace an employee. A supplier asks for early payment. If these questions regularly sit in the founder’s inbox, employees may not know where their authority begins and ends.
Some decisions should reach the founder. Many routine ones do not need to. The founder could set thresholds for customer concessions, spending approvals and hiring, with exceptions escalated when the risk or amount warrants it.
A chief of staff might help develop and communicate those rules. But the founder has to stand behind them. If managers still need permission for every choice, a written decision guide will not change much.
2. Teams Do Their Own Jobs, But Shared Work Slips
Consider a product launch: sales has announced a date, operations is waiting on a supplier, and marketing has booked a campaign before finance approves the budget. Each team has a piece of the work. The trouble lies in connecting those pieces.
A chief of staff can help managers surface dependencies and unresolved decisions. Department heads still lead their own functions; someone has to keep the shared project from falling between them.
For Black founders weighing investment, the same coordination challenge can extend to hiring, product and spending plans. A financing announcement does not establish profitability, customer retention or how much ownership founders retain. A coordinator can help organize the work, but cannot guarantee the outcome. Andrew Goodman says;
The COS keeps a finger on the pulse of the organization
— Andrew Goodman
Goodman’s phrase points to the value of hearing what is happening across the company. It only works when managers are willing to raise problems before they become crises.
3. The growth Plan Is Always Waiting For a Quieter week
There is always another customer problem, staffing gap or cash issue. A plan for expansion or a new product can keep sliding, not because anyone rejected it, but because nobody has made time to decide what happens next.
A chief of staff can put names and dates beside priorities, then bring the delays back to the leadership team. Sometimes the right answer will be to add resources. Sometimes the company should change the plan or stop it.
Coordination is not a replacement for expertise. Andreessen Horowitz’s hiring guidance advises founders to set expectations and cautions against using the role as a substitute for a functional leader. If the business lacks finance or sales capability, hire for that gap.
4. The Same Commitments Return To the Meeting Agenda
A leadership team agrees on a deadline. At the next meeting, the deadline has passed and the task is still open. The group revisits the issue, but nobody can say who owns the next step.
A simple record can prevent that loop: decision, owner, deadline, obstacle. A chief of staff may keep the list moving and flag issues that need a manager’s attention.
This is close to the problem Hutchins described. Projects without a departmental owner were sitting on his list and losing out to more urgent work. His chief of staff took on some of them, while they assessed whether others belonged with a specialist.
That boundary is worth preserving. The role should not become a catch-all for work the rest of the company avoids.
5. The Founder Has To Chase People To See Whether Work Is On Track
When updates arrive late or contradict one another, the founder may not see a problem until the available options have narrowed. A delayed warning can affect staffing, spending or a promise made to a customer.
A chief of staff can organise progress updates around the decisions leaders need to make. The measures should suit the business. A retailer’s indicators will not look like a consulting firm’s.
The position cannot fix unreliable records or make managers speak openly. The founder must give the role a clear remit and ensure leaders understand it. McKinsey’s guidance on the job also stresses that senior colleagues should know its scope and authority.
6. Big Projects Cross Departments Without One Person Coordinating the Whole Effort
Expansion, restructuring, a product launch or a major partnership may involve several teams. Each department can complete its part while the overall timeline slips.
A chief of staff may be suited to coordinate a project like this, provided the founder gives the person access to the teams and authority to move decisions along. If the work calls for specialist knowledge or ongoing control of a function, a functional leader is likely a better fit.
A Blackelites profile of Tristan Walker’s entrepreneurial challenges offers context on building a consumer brand. It does not show that a chief of staff would have changed his results. For another founder, the question is whether cross-department projects keep stalling because nobody has responsibility for the whole.
Before You Hire, Define What Needs To Change
Start with the recurring problem, not the job title. Is the founder making routine calls? Are teams struggling to coordinate? Do important projects lack owners? A role built around a real, repeated need will be easier to explain and assess.
Write down the boundaries as well. Which decisions can the chief of staff make? Which require consultation? What stays with the founder or department heads? Without those answers, follow-up may look like interference, and the role may drift into an undefined second-in-command position.
Then consider the cost. Salary, benefits and onboarding draw on resources the company could use elsewhere. If the founder needs help with travel, scheduling or meeting preparation, an executive assistant may be enough. A project manager could handle a single initiative. The Chief of Staff Association’s role comparison distinguishes strategic coordination from administrative support.
Agree on a few measures before the hire starts. These could include clearer decision ownership, completed milestones or more dependable updates. Review the person against the work they were hired to do; revenue and customer retention depend on many factors beyond this role.
For Black business owners, a chief of staff may protect the founder’s time and give shared priorities a clearer route through the company. The hire makes sense when coordination has become regular work and the founder is prepared to give someone the authority to handle it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a chief of staff do in a small business?
The responsibilities depend on the company. The role may involve clarifying decision rights, coordinating department heads, tracking strategic projects or organising progress updates. The founder should set the remit before hiring.
How is a chief of staff different from an executive assistant?
An executive assistant usually manages administrative work such as scheduling, travel and meeting preparation. A chief of staff typically supports broader priorities and coordination across teams. Some duties may overlap.
Does every growing business need a chief of staff?
No. The role may help when coordination problems recur and routine decisions keep reaching the founder. If the main need is administrative support or specialist expertise, hire for that instead.
Is a chief of staff the same as a COO?
No. A COO generally leads operations across the organisation. A chief of staff usually supports the founder or CEO and helps coordinate priorities. Their responsibilities and authority should be clear.
How should a chief of staff’s success be measured?
Choose measures linked to the agreed remit, such as completed milestones, clearer decision ownership, closed meeting actions or more reliable updates. Revenue alone may not reflect what the chief of staff can control.
Can a chief of staff make decisions for the founder?
Only when the founder delegates that authority. Set out which decisions the person can make, which require consultation and which remain with the founder or department heads.
