Tracy Van Grack and Michael Patino talk about working with a Chief of Staff, sharing real stories from startup and established companies, including how early-stage teams can build a culture of communications even with limited resources. They cover the difference between hiring internal or external communications experts, using examples like tech startups handling crisis PR and the importance of authentic messaging. The episode also touches on practical steps for establishing company narratives, handling milestones like funding rounds, and common pitfalls in brand building.

Links Mentioned:

• Email Tracy Van Grack
• Connect with Tracy Van Grack on LinkedIn
• Follow Tracy Van Grack on X
• Connect with Michael Patino on LinkedIn
• Email Michael Patino

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

02:52 Working with a Chief of Staff
05:31 Communications Strategy for Startups
07:29 Building a Communications Culture
11:32 Internal vs. External Communications Resources
16:59 Traits of a Good Communications Officer
20:48 Onboarding Communications Resources
23:12 Crisis Communications and Lessons Learned
25:42 Challenges in Scaling Technology
27:55 Budget and Resource Allocation
30:18 Building Effective Communication Strategies
35:42 The Role of Chief Communications Officers
39:51 Brand Building and Storytelling
47:09 The Importance of Community in Brand Building

Chief of Staff can be a lonely job, even when you're surrounded by people. Emily shares real ways to handle this, like joining Chief of Staff networks, leaning on trusted coworkers or friends outside the company, and working with a coach. She also talks about knowing when to just acknowledge the loneliness and when to actively address it.

Links Mentioned:

Episodes featuring founders of the following Chief of Staff communities and networks:

• Chief of Staff Association
• Chief of Staff Network
• Chief of Staff Roundtable
• Ask a Chief of Staff

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

00:56 Acknowledging the Loneliness
01:36 The Unique Role of a Chief of Staff
05:12 Leveraging Internal Colleagues
07:07 Support from Family and Friends
09:23 The Value of a Coach
11:39 Self-Acknowledgment and Reflection
12:49 Addressing Confidentiality Challenges
14:02 Conclusion: Embracing the Unique Role

Frank Noyola shares how he went from turning down the Chief of Staff role at Quest Global to shaping it into a job focused on strategy, team building, and supporting a rapidly evolving CMO/Chief Strategy Officer. He talks about building a small team to handle operations, collaborating with the only other Chief of Staff at the company, and making sure the position stays a “driver” role instead of just administrative support. Frank also offers advice for principals on defining and maximizing the impact of a Chief of Staff.

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

00:33 Marathon Journey
01:40 Chief of Staff Role Introduction
02:25 Initial Hesitations
03:38 Open and Transparent Conversations
05:01 Defining the Role
11:57 Building a Team
15:02 Collaboration with Other Chiefs of Staff
17:58 Navigating the Role
23:05 Interaction with the CEO
26:55 Advice and Reflections

Emily, Ed, and Rory break down how to use a Flash Report to keep leadership teams aligned and focused on key business metrics. They give a real example of a Flash Report, show how it highlights things like cash, sales, and training completion rates, and explain why keeping it simple matters. The episode covers choosing the right KPIs, what to include in the written updates, and how the Flash Report improves transparency and better questions from private equity partners.

Links Mentioned:

• Previous Leveraging Leadership episode on the Flash Report
• Ed Barton’s guest spot on Leveraging Leadership
• Rory Liebhart’s guest spot on Leveraging Leadership
• Example Flash Report + Template

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

00:37 Epic Sports Team Collapses
02:21 Worst Investments and Purchases
04:30 Funniest Pitch Fails
07:01 Top Mistakes Founders Make with Private Equity
16:38 Founder vs. PE-Backed Company Dynamics
17:32 The Importance of Hitting Financial Targets
22:31 Collaborative Forecasting with PE Sponsors
27:54 Understanding Exit Strategies
30:39 The Emotional Impact of Business Transactions

Tarra Stubbins shares her journey from dropping out of high school to travel with rock bands as a personal assistant—including wild hotel room requests from Mick Jagger—to founding the Take It Easy Group, where she now provides Chief of Staff and executive support to high-profile clients. She talks about handling unusual demands like putting a toothbrush in a hotel dishwasher, building a strong network, and helping CEOs, athletes, and high-net-worth individuals manage their complex lives. Tarra also discusses her new podcast "Fuck the Fluff," focused on real, no-nonsense advice for women in business.

Links Mentioned:

• Connect with Tarra Stubbins on LinkedIn
• Take It Easy Group Website

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

00:35 Tarra's Early Dreams and Career Beginnings
02:12 First Steps into the Rock and Roll World
03:39 Life on Tour with Rock Stars
04:54 Crazy Requests and Problem Solving
06:44 Mental and Physical Preparation for Performers
12:06 Transitioning from Roadie to Entrepreneur
14:58 Building a Personal Concierge Business
16:20 Managing High Net Worth Individuals
18:48 The Importance of Networking
20:27 Take It Easy Group's Services and Clients
28:07 New Podcast and Final Thoughts

Emily shares practical delegation tips like breaking up complex tasks such as invoice processing into smaller, easier pieces, moving teammates upstream in a process, and letting others help with basic steps like data collection. She explains how small steps—like making quick guides, recording simple training videos, or copying others on emails—can add up, lighten your load, and help others grow. Emily also stresses that if delegating a task is more trouble than it’s worth right now, it’s okay to wait until the timing makes more sense.

Links Mentioned:

• Clarity Call with Emily

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

00:41 Breaking Down Invoices for Delegation
03:48 Simplifying Verification Processes
07:30 Delegating Case Management Tasks
10:35 Training and SOP Development
14:44 Finding Small Opportunities for Delegation
16:50 Long-Term Benefits of Delegation
19:44 Conclusion and Final Tips

Scott Amenta, founder of Chief of Staff Network, shares key findings from their recent AI report, including that 84% of surveyed companies are already piloting AI tools and that change management and ethical concerns are major barriers. He talks about the new role of the Chief of Staff in AI adoption, working closely with CEOs and CTOs, and highlights the launch of several new programs like the Chief of AI Fellowship and Launchpad for aspiring Chiefs of Staff. The episode also covers real-world examples of AI change management and how Chiefs of Staff are navigating this fast-changing landscape.

Links Mentioned:

• Chief of Staff Network Website
• Chief of AI Fellowship
• Launchpad Program
• Power Skills Programs
• Chief of Staff Connect Conference
• Chief of Staff Network Jobs

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

01:36 Overview of Chief of Staff Network
03:27 The Role of Chief of Staff in Modern Organizations
05:23 AI's Impact on the Chief of Staff Role
09:09 AI Adoption and Challenges
27:37 AI Training Initiatives
29:46 Chiefs of Staff and AI Decision Making
32:45 AI Use Cases for Chiefs of Staff
37:12 Challenges in Measuring AI Impact
42:16 Chief of AI Fellowship Program
45:14 Launchpad Program for New Chiefs of Staff
47:37 Power Skills Program
48:58 Chief of Staff Connect Conference

Emily shares a story about someone who gave their boss a basic org chart when asked about their department’s future, but missed the bigger picture the boss wanted. She explains how to shift from being just a task-doer to a strategic leader by connecting department changes to the company’s new vision, outlining system upgrades, communication plans, and several org chart options that align with that vision. Emily encourages thinking beyond simple answers and looking for ways to add value at a higher level.

Links Mentioned:

• Clarity Call with Emily

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

00:25 Introduction: From Doer to Strategic Leader
01:53 Understanding the Boss's Request
04:01 Context and Company Background
05:34 Revisiting the Org Chart
06:40 Vision Casting for the Future
09:21 Implementing the Vision
11:44 The Difference Between Tactical and Strategic Thinking
16:31 Encouraging Strategic Leadership
18:29 Conclusion and Takeaways