Skip to Content
Exec Ops Brief
Home
About
The Brief
How to Become a Chief of Staff
Roles
Resources
Library
Exec Ops Communities
Shop
(0)
Cart (0)
Exec Ops Brief
Home
About
The Brief
How to Become a Chief of Staff
Roles
Resources
Library
Exec Ops Communities
Shop
(0)
Cart (0)
Home
About
The Brief
How to Become a Chief of Staff
Roles
Resources
Library
Exec Ops Communities
Shop
How to Grow Your Career as an Executive Assistant
The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 7/4/26 The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 7/4/26

How to Grow Your Career as an Executive Assistant

The executive assistant career ladder: senior and lead EA, chief of staff, and operations paths, plus the skills and moves that get you there.
Read More
Executive Assistant Salary and How to Get a Raise
Comp & Careers Adrienne Gaughan 6/29/26 Comp & Careers Adrienne Gaughan 6/29/26

Executive Assistant Salary and How to Get a Raise

What executive assistants earn, what an EA to a CEO makes, and a practical method for building the case and negotiating a raise.
Read More
Will AI Replace Executive Assistants? What Actually Changes
The Role, Defined Adrienne Gaughan 6/24/26 The Role, Defined Adrienne Gaughan 6/24/26

Will AI Replace Executive Assistants? What Actually Changes

A grounded look at whether AI will replace executive assistants: what it automates, what it can't, and how the best EAs use AI as leverage.
Read More
How to Become a Fractional Chief of Staff: An Operator's Playbook
The Role, Defined Adrienne Gaughan 6/19/26 The Role, Defined Adrienne Gaughan 6/19/26

How to Become a Fractional Chief of Staff: An Operator's Playbook

A practical guide to becoming a fractional chief of staff: readiness, finding clients, pricing, scoping engagements, and running the business well.
Read More
How to Create a Chief of Staff Role at Your Company
The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 6/15/26 The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 6/15/26

How to Create a Chief of Staff Role at Your Company

A practical guide to pitching a chief of staff role where none exists: proving the need, writing the proposal, and defining scope and mandate.

Read More
Do You Need an MBA to Be a Chief of Staff?
The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 6/10/26 The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 6/10/26

Do You Need an MBA to Be a Chief of Staff?

A straight answer on whether you need an MBA to be a chief of staff: when it helps, when it does not, and the alternatives that build the same skills.

Read More
Chief of Staff Interview Questions: What They Ask and How to Prepare
The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 6/5/26 The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 6/5/26

Chief of Staff Interview Questions: What They Ask and How to Prepare

The most common chief of staff interview questions, what each tests, how to prepare with STAR examples, and how to research the principal.

Read More
How to Become a Chief of Staff: The Real Path In
The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 6/5/26 The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 6/5/26

How to Become a Chief of Staff: The Real Path In

A sourced, practical guide to becoming a chief of staff: the backgrounds that lead in, the skills that matter, and how to position yourself.

Read More
Gatekeeping Well: How to Say No on Behalf of Your Principal
The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 5/31/26 The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 5/31/26

Gatekeeping Well: How to Say No on Behalf of Your Principal

Gatekeeping is a core operator skill. Here is how to say no on behalf of your principal without becoming the wall everyone resents.

Read More
How Great Operators Protect an Executive's Time and Focus
The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 5/26/26 The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 5/26/26

How Great Operators Protect an Executive's Time and Focus

An executive's attention is the scarcest resource in the company. Here is how a great operator defends it without becoming a bottleneck.

Read More
Equity for Chiefs of Staff: Understanding Startup Equity
Comp & Careers Adrienne Gaughan 5/21/26 Comp & Careers Adrienne Gaughan 5/21/26

Equity for Chiefs of Staff: Understanding Startup Equity

ISOs, NSOs, RSUs, vesting, cliffs, 409A, and strike price explained for chiefs of staff, plus where a CoS grant tends to land.

Read More
Building and Running an OKR Process (as the Operator Who Owns It)
The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 5/16/26 The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 5/16/26

Building and Running an OKR Process (as the Operator Who Owns It)

OKRs come from Andy Grove's Intel, not a productivity blog. A practical guide for the operator who has to run the process, not just admire it.

Read More
Leading Cross-Functional Projects Without Authority
The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 5/11/26 The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 5/11/26

Leading Cross-Functional Projects Without Authority

Most cross-functional projects fail on governance, not effort. Here is how an operator drives one to delivery without owning the org chart.

Read More
How to Write an Executive Memo That Gets Read
The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 5/7/26 The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 5/7/26

How to Write an Executive Memo That Gets Read

A chief of staff's guide to the executive memo that gets read: bottom line up front, the Amazon narrative, and a reusable structure.

Read More
Prioritization Frameworks Every Operator Should Know
The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 5/2/26 The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 5/2/26

Prioritization Frameworks Every Operator Should Know

The prioritization frameworks operators actually use: Eisenhower matrix, RICE, ICE, MoSCoW, and value-versus-effort, with correct origins.

Read More
Board Meeting Prep: The Chief of Staff's Playbook
The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 4/27/26 The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 4/27/26

Board Meeting Prep: The Chief of Staff's Playbook

A chief of staff's playbook for board meeting prep: building the deck, running pre-meeting one-on-ones, and driving follow-through.

Read More
How to Build an Operating Cadence: The Rhythm of Business
The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 4/27/26 The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 4/27/26

How to Build an Operating Cadence: The Rhythm of Business

A chief of staff's guide to building an operating cadence: the daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly rhythm that keeps a team executing.

Read More
Breaking Into Chief of Staff From Consulting or Finance
The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 4/22/26 The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 4/22/26

Breaking Into Chief of Staff From Consulting or Finance

How consultants and finance pros can move into a chief of staff role: the skills that carry over, the habits to drop, and how to make the case.

Read More
Chief of Staff Exit Paths: What Operators Do Next
The Career Adrienne Gaughan 4/17/26 The Career Adrienne Gaughan 4/17/26

Chief of Staff Exit Paths: What Operators Do Next

A sourced look at chief of staff exit paths: the roles operators move into next, why the role is a springboard, and how to set up your exit.

Read More
How to Land Your First Chief of Staff Role Without the Title
The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 4/12/26 The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 4/12/26

How to Land Your First Chief of Staff Role Without the Title

A practical, sourced guide to landing your first chief of staff role when you have never held the title, using internal moves, proof, and networks.

Read More
Older Posts
The Exec Ops Brief.
Executive Operations Intelligence / Weekly
Browse
The Library Open Roles The Shop Tools & Resources About
Tools
Salary Benchmarker First 90 Days Plan Readiness Quiz Offer Evaluator Become a Chief of Staff
Search

Every guide, role, and product on the site.

The Brief

One email each week. Curated roles and operator playbooks. Free, no noise, unsubscribe anytime.

Reader-supported. Never sold.
© 2026 The Exec Ops Brief
Privacy & Terms / Refund Policy / Affiliate Disclosure
LinkedIn Instagram Threads