Category 16
Chief of Staff Operations
Keeping leadership focused and the business moving: operating rhythm, priorities, decisions and follow-through.
Representative samples rebuilt from my live work. Names, roles and figures are anonymised.
Weekly Leadership Operating Rhythm
The cadence that keeps leadership focused and the team aligned
Mon
Priorities set
Leadership sync prep
Tue
Pipeline review
Client call prep
Wed
Ops working session
Blocker clearing
Thu
Ops meeting snapshot
Decision follow-ups
Fri
Weekly report
Wins & next week
Daily: shift-start priorities, inbox and calendar sweep, end-of-day check-in with the team.
Weekly Outputs
Priorities Brief
Monday, to leadership
Ops Snapshot
Thursday, ops meeting
TA Report
Friday, wins and next week
Operating cadence Weekly Priorities Brief
One page leadership reads in two minutes
To: Leadership team · From: Chief of Staff · Week 34
Top 3 Priorities
- Two strong candidates on every red role by Thursday
- Finish talent database cleanup
- Launch candidate nurture emails
Risks & Blockers
Candidates report missing automated emails. Possible deliverability issue, root cause needed.
Decisions Needed
Approve a rate confirmation step before client interviews.
FYI
New creator partnership is already bringing in applicants.
Leadership priorities memo Decision & Action Log
Every leadership decision captured with an owner and status
Date Decision Owner Status Aug 13 Keep all sourcing work in one shared channel for full visibility CoS Done Aug 17 Endorse two strong candidates per role as the standard Talent Done Aug 20 Add rate confirmation step before client interviews CoS Live Aug 24 Route candidate status queries through one owner CoS Live Aug 25 Close invite-only pool, move outreach to evergreen roles COO In progress Aug 31 Investigate automated email deliverability Ops Open Decision & action log Quarterly Initiative Tracker
Cross-functional projects owned to completion
Talent database cleanup100%
Profile optimisation video series75%
Candidate nurture email campaign60%
African talent pipeline40%
Talent referral programme20%
Initiative tracker Call Prep & Follow-Up Pack
So good intentions turn into done deals
Before the Call
- Who is attending and why
- The one outcome needed
- Three talking points
- Open asks and context
After the Call
- Recap sent within 2 hours
- Owners and due dates set
- CRM and notes updated
- Follow-ups calendared
Call prep & follow-up Team Ownership Map
Who owns what, so nothing falls between people
Function Owner Support Cadence Daily sourcing Sourcing team CoS Daily Screening & Match QA CoS Talent lead Daily Interview prep CoS Talent lead Per interview Client communication Client lead CoS As needed Database integrity Network lead CoS Weekly Ownership & accountability