Skip to Content
Exec Ops Brief
Roles
Tools
The Brief
Library
Shop
About
(0)
Cart (0)
Exec Ops Brief
Roles
Tools
The Brief
Library
Shop
About
(0)
Cart (0)
Roles
Tools
The Brief
Library
Shop
About
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

Translate consulting or finance experience into a chief of staff case built on implementation, executive relationships, and sustained ownership.

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

Explore common chief of staff exit paths and build the experience, evidence, sponsorship, and transition plan for the move you want next.

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

Build a credible case for a first chief of staff role through adjacent work, documented outcomes, a clear role proposal, and a focused external search.

Read More
When Does a Company Actually Need a Chief of Staff? A Timing Guide
The Role Adrienne Gaughan 4/7/26 The Role Adrienne Gaughan 4/7/26

When Does a Company Actually Need a Chief of Staff? A Timing Guide

A practical timing guide for deciding when a chief of staff fits the problem, how to scope the mandate, and when another hire makes more sense.

Read More
Chief of Staff to a Founder vs. to an Established CEO: How the Job Changes
The Role Adrienne Gaughan 4/2/26 The Role Adrienne Gaughan 4/2/26

Chief of Staff to a Founder vs. to an Established CEO: How the Job Changes

Compare chief of staff work for a founder and an established CEO across scope, pace, authority, operating systems, and hiring.

Read More
What an Executive Assistant to a CEO Actually Does (the Modern EA Role)
The Role Adrienne Gaughan 3/29/26 The Role Adrienne Gaughan 3/29/26

What an Executive Assistant to a CEO Actually Does (the Modern EA Role)

A sourced breakdown of the modern executive assistant to a CEO role, including calendar strategy, information flow, logistics, and decision support.

Read More
The Trust Equation: Building Trust as a Chief of Staff
Operator Mindset Adrienne Gaughan 3/24/26 Operator Mindset Adrienne Gaughan 3/24/26

The Trust Equation: Building Trust as a Chief of Staff

Use the Trust Equation to examine credibility, reliability, safety, and self-orientation in a chief of staff's working relationships.

Read More
Avoiding Burnout in a High-Intensity Operations Role
Operator Mindset Adrienne Gaughan 3/19/26 Operator Mindset Adrienne Gaughan 3/19/26

Avoiding Burnout in a High-Intensity Operations Role

A practical guide to reducing burnout risk in operations by examining workload, control, support, boundaries, and the design of the job.

Read More
What It Means to Be a Force Multiplier (Beyond the Buzzword)
Operator Mindset Adrienne Gaughan 3/19/26 Operator Mindset Adrienne Gaughan 3/19/26

What It Means to Be a Force Multiplier (Beyond the Buzzword)

Force multiplier is common in exec-ops job posts. Learn what the term means, how to test the claim, and how operators create measurable leverage.

Read More
Influence Without Authority: The Core Skill of Every Chief of Staff
Operator Mindset Adrienne Gaughan 3/14/26 Operator Mindset Adrienne Gaughan 3/14/26

Influence Without Authority: The Core Skill of Every Chief of Staff

A practical guide to influence without authority: understand constraints, build credibility, make fair exchanges, and escalate the right decisions.

Read More
How to Read an Exec-Ops Job Post (and Spot the Good Ones)
Comp & Careers Adrienne Gaughan 3/9/26 Comp & Careers Adrienne Gaughan 3/9/26

How to Read an Exec-Ops Job Post (and Spot the Good Ones)

A practical guide to reading exec-ops job posts, testing the mandate, and spotting scope, reporting, and compensation questions before you apply.

Read More
Fractional vs. Full-Time Chief of Staff: Which Path Makes Sense
Comp & Careers Adrienne Gaughan 3/4/26 Comp & Careers Adrienne Gaughan 3/4/26

Fractional vs. Full-Time Chief of Staff: Which Path Makes Sense

Fractional or full-time Chief of Staff? Compare cost, commitment, and fit, from both the hiring company's and the operator's point of view.

Read More
How to Negotiate a Chief of Staff Offer
Comp & Careers Adrienne Gaughan 2/27/26 Comp & Careers Adrienne Gaughan 2/27/26

How to Negotiate a Chief of Staff Offer

A grounded, step-by-step approach to negotiating a Chief of Staff offer: base, bonus, equity, scope, and the terms people forget.

Read More
Chief of Staff Salary Guide: What the Role Pays and What Drives It
Comp & Careers Adrienne Gaughan 2/22/26 Comp & Careers Adrienne Gaughan 2/22/26

Chief of Staff Salary Guide: What the Role Pays and What Drives It

Compare Chief of Staff pay sources, understand what each figure measures, and build a range for a specific role.

Read More
Building a Single Source of Truth: Decision Logs and Operating Docs
The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 2/18/26 The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 2/18/26

Building a Single Source of Truth: Decision Logs and Operating Docs

How a chief of staff builds a single source of truth: decision logs, operating docs, and a written record that stops teams relitigating settled calls.

Read More
Managing Up: How Great Operators Make Their Principal More Effective
The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 2/13/26 The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 2/13/26

Managing Up: How Great Operators Make Their Principal More Effective

A practical guide to working with a principal: communication, decision support, feedback, expectations, and boundaries.

Read More
The First 90 Days as a Chief of Staff: A Practical Operating Plan
The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 2/8/26 The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 2/8/26

The First 90 Days as a Chief of Staff: A Practical Operating Plan

A week-by-week operating plan for your first 90 days as chief of staff: diagnose the situation, build trust, secure early wins, and set up the system.

Read More
How to Run an Effective Leadership Team Meeting: A Chief of Staff's Guide
The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 2/8/26 The Craft / Playbooks Adrienne Gaughan 2/8/26

How to Run an Effective Leadership Team Meeting: A Chief of Staff's Guide

A chief of staff's playbook for leadership team meetings: agenda design, pre-reads, decision discipline, and follow-through that make the hour count.

Read More
How to Position Your Resume and LinkedIn for Exec-Ops Roles
The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 2/3/26 The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 2/3/26

How to Position Your Resume and LinkedIn for Exec-Ops Roles

Position your resume and LinkedIn for Chief of Staff and exec-ops roles: keywords recruiters search, ATS-safe formatting, and outcome-led bullets.

Read More
The Skills That Actually Get You Hired as a Chief of Staff
The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 1/29/26 The Path In Adrienne Gaughan 1/29/26

The Skills That Actually Get You Hired as a Chief of Staff

The real skills companies screen for when hiring a Chief of Staff, and how to show evidence of each in your application and interviews.

Read More
Newer Posts
Older Posts
The Exec Ops Brief.
Executive Operations Intelligence / Weekly
Browse
The Library Open Roles The Shop Free downloads About Consulting
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. New $100k+ 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