Inside the Modern Chief of Staff Role (only audio)

205: What does a Chief of Staff actually do — and why are more CEOs hiring them than ever before? In this episode, Clara Ma breaks down the real role of a Chief of Staff inside fast-growing startups and modern leadership teams. From executive strategy and hiring to AI, remote work, and scaling companies, this conversation explores why the Chief of Staff role is evolving so quickly. We talk about: - Chief of Staff vs Executive Assistant - How CEOs hire the right strategic partner - Startup leadership and operations - AI tools and AI literacy for Chiefs of Staff - Emotional intelligence in executive roles - Remote vs in-office collaboration - Career growth after becoming a Chief of Staff - Building high-performing leadership teams Clara also shares lessons from building one of the fastest-growing Chief of Staff communities and working closely with founders, executives, and operators across the startup world. This episode is packed with insights for Chiefs of Staff, Executive Assistants, startup founders, operators, and business leaders preparing for the future of work. -- Clara Ma is the founder and CEO of Ask a Chief of Staff, a bootstrapped community and recruiting platform for Chiefs of Staff at every stage of their career. She launched it after serving as a Chief of Staff herself, most recently at Hugging Face during their Series A, and built it into a 500+ member community.  Her work sits at the intersection of the Chief of Staff role and the business of community, and she's been recognized as an Inc. Magazine 2026 Female Founders 500 honoree for it. Through AaCoS, she's become a go-to resource for Chiefs of Staff looking to grow in the role, and for executives trying to hire the right one.   LINKS: - Diana Brandl on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-brandl/ - Clara Ma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarama/ - Chiefs of Staff Community: https://askachiefofstaff.com/ - Executive Office Insights Newsletter: https://the-socialista-projects.com/#newsletter - Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qBSDjTfYOG2x6qos7dKkS - Podcast on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-future-assistant/id1493106661 The Executive Office Insights Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3QH8HL8oWIC0HzHWvb5KLd Guest Picks Run the World by Beyoncé