Is this role strategic... or an admin?

@riseandoptimize

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Selling · SaaS › Other SaaS

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Why it worked

The video addresses a common point of confusion and offers valuable advice for founders, making it highly relevant and shareable within the startup community. The speaker's personal experience and directness add credibility.

Summary

The video discusses the Chief of Staff role in startups, highlighting that it's often misunderstood as purely administrative. The speaker explains that when properly scoped, this role is highly strategic, acting as a founder's second brain and driving company momentum. The key takeaway is that founders must be clear about their needs when hiring for this position.

Structure

1Introduction to the misunderstood Chief of Staff role
2Speaker's initial skepticism and desire for strategic work
3The true strategic nature of the role when scoped correctly
4The importance of clear scope and founder honesty
5The powerful impact of a well-defined Chief of Staff

Product placement

The video discusses the role of a Chief of Staff in startups, which is a service/position rather than a tangible product. The speaker mentions 'SaaS startup experience' and 'founder ops' as related concepts.

Call to action

be honest with yourself and others are you looking for clarity or just relief from some of those small tasks

Original caption

The Chief of Staff role is the most misunderstood job in startups. I used to avoid it because I thought it just meant admin work. Turns out, scoped right? It’s one of the highest-leverage hires a founder can make. #chiefofstaff #startuproles #fractionalCOO #earlystagefounders #startuplife #founderops #saasstartup

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On-screen text

Is this role strategic... or an admin? the most misunderstood role in startup life has to be that chief of staff right and I will be totally honest I used to give a lot of side eye to that title when I first saw those roles popping up I was just like is this a glorified executive assistant cause that's not really where I wanted to take my career I wanted a seat at the table I wanted to work on strategy not just calendars but people kept suggesting that I apply for that role and here's what I've learned in my 14 years of SaaS startup experience now that when scoped right a chief of staff really gets to be that founder's second brain and they're the one that turns the ideas into movement and momentum for the company and I mean here's the catch the title means nothing without a clear scope so some founders want strategic alignment others want someone to fix their notion and manage their calendar and I've seen Cos roles where the person's basically a project manager where they're quietly running the company behind the scenes so if you're a founder hiring this role be honest with yourself and others are you looking for clarity or just relief from some of those small tasks because a great chief of staff won't just take work off your plate they'll protect your roadmap they'll help your team's focus and they will keep that momentum like running and cruising and the job is really powerful but only when it's scoped to match what the company actually needs so make sure that you're being honest with yourself and the rest

Transcript

Is this role strategic... or an admin? the most misunderstood role in startup life has to be that chief of staff right and I will be totally honest I used to give a lot of side eye to that title when I first saw those roles popping up I was just like is this a glorified executive assistant cause that's not really where I wanted to take my career I wanted a seat at the table I wanted to work on strategy not just calendars but people kept suggesting that I apply for that role and here's what I've learned in my 14 years of SaaS startup experience now that when scoped right a chief of staff really gets to be that founder's second brain and they're the one that turns the ideas into movement and momentum for the company and I mean here's the catch the title means nothing without a clear scope so some founders want strategic alignment others want someone to fix their notion and manage their calendar and I've seen COS roles where the person's basically a project manager and other ones where they're quietly running the company behind the scenes so if you're a founder hiring this role be honest with yourself and others are you looking for clarity or just relief from some of those small tasks because a great chief of staff won't just take work off your plate they'll protect your roadmap they'll help your team's focus and they will keep that momentum like running and cruising and the job is really powerful but only when it's scoped to match what the company actually needs so make sure that you're being honest with yourself and the rest

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