Get hired internally as a Chief of Staff

Landing an internal Chief of Staff job is 10x easier than getting an external Chief of Staff job.

Especially in our 2023 labor market, since you’re not competing against external candidates.

That’s what I tell my career coaching clients.

But how do you make the case to an internal leader and convince them that they need a Chief of Staff? And that you’re their #1 candidate?

Here’s a 14 step teardown to make an effective case to a leader that you admire that you should be their second in command.

1/ Review your career path and assess your skills

Take a look at your career path so far. Do you have the Chief of Staff skills that you need to succeed in the job? Do you have the titles and functional experience that will make you an A+ candidate? Do you have the credentials that put you at the top?

Take my free High Performance Chief of Staff Assessment (if you haven’t already) to rate yourself on hard skills, soft skills, leadership traits, wellbeing, and work experience.

2/ Create a development plan & gain new experiences

After you’ve done the self-assessment, you can identify gaps in your skillset and experiences. Next up, you need to create a development plan to fill in those gaps.

Think about what you can take on in your current job that will allow you successfully get exposure to things like conflict resolution or financial analysis. Get buy-in from your manager and then go execute. Blow past your stretch goals to show excellence and get that gold star.

3/ Take on additional responsibilities & expand your job scope

Now, you’re accumulating gold stars like you’re the #1 player in Mario Party. You can’t be stopped. Go ahead, ask your boss to take on additional responsibilities and formally expand your job scope. They will be your biggest supporter since you are now a star player. Maybe you’ll even get a promotion while you’re at it…!

4/ Create new organizational relationships

Along the way, with increased scope and new development plan projects, you’re going to meet more people. Create unforgettable first impressions with new folks. Ask them who they are, what their working style is, and then get intimate. Ask about their life story, their personal values, and what they are trying to achieve in their career. Share yours as well to create intimacy and trust. And then go execute something on behalf of the most senior folks.

5/ Strengthen existing relationships with your colleagues

Your current relationships need constant nurturing as well. Don’t forget to water and grow your existing ones and go deeper into the points that I mentioned above. Really figure out what makes people tick and bring them over to your side.

6/ Learn your leader’s goals, pain points, and leadership style

Now that you’ve built up social capital and have developed your professional star, it’s time to really start the Chief of Staff job hunt. Identify a leader that you admire in terms of their life story, their personal values, and their leadership style. Get to know their exact goals and pain points. Figure out what they are struggling with most.

7/ Highlight CoS benefits & why YOU are the #1 candidate

Schedule a formal meeting with your leader next. Highlight the benefits of a Chief of Staff to solve their exact pain points and paint a picture of you helping them reach their business, career and life goals. Show them how you are the only one that can do it by making a logical case, referencing your experiences, skillsets, relationships, and social capital. Demonstrate the ROI of the Chief of Staff position. Don’t forget the emotional case too, describing your own career aspirations and how they fit in with theirs.

8/ Address any concerns the leader might have

It goes without saying that there will be objections. This could be budget, timing, other candidates, or your perceived lack of experience. Be ready for these objections and prepare a short statement to handle them.

9/ Offer to scope out your roles and responsibilities

Whew, you’ve convinced them to move to the next step. You’ve got a tentative yes. Offer to scope out your roles and responsibilities. Tailor the JD to match what they need as a leader. Don’t forget to add in what the company needs as well. Match the R&R to your strengths and experiences to ensure maximum success.

10/ Schedule a follow-up convo to agree on job spec

Ok, this one is self-explanatory.

11/ Reiterate the CoS benefits to the leader AND the company

From all of the conversations that you have had so far, create a masterful narrative of how YOU + YOUR LEADER = SUCCESS. Hit up the benefits big time. Go on, it’s your show. And they’re watching. Bring in Aristotle’s logos, ethos and pathos as you make your final case.

12/ Gain buy-in from your leader

If you successfully leverage Greek philosophy in the last step, you’ll succeed in getting buy-in from your leader. Congrats! Just a few more administrative steps to take.

13/ Coordinate with your HR team to create the position

Get with HR to iron out the details of this new role and stay in close contact with your leader to ensure that the momentum isn’t lost.

14/ Finalize details on your transition plan

Woo hoo! You’ve made it. Create a transition plan with your existing manager and then look forward to creating a smooth onboarding experience, which I detail in my Onboarding Teardown here.

So that’s it. The 14 step process to take on an internal Chief of Staff role. Follow this teardown, go out there, and get it! I’m rooting for you.

Need help to find an internal Chief of Staff?

If you’re a C-suite executive looking to hire your next Chief of Staff, and want to do it internally, I’m available for Advisory Services. Reply to this note.

Or need help to become an internal Chief of Staff?

If you’re an aspiring Chief of Staff looking to take on an internal Chief of Staff role, reply to this email to learn more about 1:1 career coaching.

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