On annual goals, themes, and expecting excellence
Plus a simple framework for goal-setting if you didn't get around to it yet
Happy New Year, everyone! 🎉 I hope everyone rang it in with loved ones and in good health.
I began my morning by reflecting back on 2023, and the concept of “annual themes” came up. My theme of 2023 was fearlessness…but that wasn’t how it started.
Rewind to January last year: I was 3 months pregnant and for the first time in my life, didn’t know what the next step in my career would be. At that point, I had created a course on the fundamentals of the Chief of Staff role on Udemy which was doing pretty well, and through that experience learned a couple of things about myself:
I love any and all things about the Chief of Staff role
I love creating
Something else that I learned along the way was that I had no interest in applying for a job. It didn’t leave me many options for making an income, but pressure makes diamonds and whatnot. For a few weeks, I noodled on the idea of creating a highly niche recruiting firm around the Chief of Staff role, and I finally pulled the trigger, spinning up Right Hand Talent one weekend in late January.
And so my business was born the same day that I entered my second trimester. This was my first pregnancy, and I felt fantastic (and blessed). I had boundless energy and poured all of it into building from zero. That weekend turned out to be a big one for decision-making because I opted into a natural water birth instead of a hospital birth. Come July, it would be with the midwives, at home, and epidural-free.
Fast forward to August 10th, and I was at exactly 42 weeks. “Overdue” as they say, and pushing up against a real deadline. In Texas, if you’re under the care of midwives and don’t give birth by 42 weeks, you must transfer to the hospital and have the baby there. But I didn’t have to worry about any of that. Because that afternoon I went into labor, and 10 hours later, our little Anastacia arrived earthside, perfect as could be.
A woman’s body is truly profound: the ability to co-create, carry, and deliver another being, the connectedness you feel with your child throughout the birthing process, the transcendental state that you enter, the hormones that flood your body when you first lay eyes on your baby…Anastacia’s birth was a mystical, transcendental experience even, and I would do it again the same exact way in a heartbeat. It turned out exactly how I had envisioned.
Why share these stories now? Because birthing a business and a baby in the same year are huge life transitions. And it’s in the mess of uncertainty and self-doubt where we find out who we really are.
Plus, I’m human. Right Hand Talent isn’t a faceless company — it’s me!
So it turns out that fearlessness was last year’s theme, and I kind of stumbled into it. My biggest takeaways from 2023 are that decisions are easy when you have extreme conviction, and things are more likely to turn out the way you expect if your level of trust in the universe is equally as extreme.
The result of all this has been a thriving business, and I’m excited to share that I’ll be making my first full-time hire for a recruiting specialist very soon. Which brings me to another story about how I discovered my theme for 2024…
I posted the job on December 18th and received over 500 applicants within 2 weeks. A quick scan of where these applicants worked revealed some big names in tech. Names that everyone would recognize.
I thought to myself, “Wow, this is crazy. People at ____ want to work for me?”
I’m grateful to have the awareness to recognize my patterns, and so interrupted my thoughts.
Time out.
Is it crazy? In my eyes, excellence is an extremely high bar, and I hold myself and others to it. Knowing that, why wouldn’t the universe send excellent people my way? Why wouldn’t I expect it?
If I’m meeting my end of the bargain — grinding, getting results, my heart and mind being in the right place, feeling aligned, genuinely enjoying my day-to-day — I needed to begin expecting excellence…from the universe. And so my theme for 2024 was born.
I went into planning 2024 with that theme in mind. Usually the theme gets teased out after you know what goals you’re going after, but the timing was too obvious and too perfect. Below is the writing process I used for setting goals. It might not work for everyone, because I used it for business planning, but it did for me. Do what feels most natural.
How to set goals for 2024
I follow these steps in this order, because each of them builds upon the prior. If you have clarity at each step then everything should flow pretty smoothly and be relatively easy.
Write your vision. This is where you’re going to dream big and get really ambitious. What are you driving towards with your business? What does an ideal future look like? Think about every aspect of the business: clients, customers, employees, partners, you name it. Let your stream of consciousness take over and write freely without inhibition. Stop when you run out of gas in the tank.
Refine your vision. Tidy up your writing and make sure it makes sense when you read it back to yourself. If you’re good at storytelling, you might be surprised how little you need to do here. Mine is 1.5 typed pages.
Set your theme for the year. Choose a focal point like growth, innovation, customer satisfaction, etc. Don’t forget that even more important than creating the theme is embedding it in your actions, and reminding yourself of it every day, e.g. expecting excellence from the universe (more of a general mindset now that I think of it but we’ll rock with it).
Crystallize your North Star. Your North Star is the overarching goal that guides every decision and action. If the theme is the umbrella, the North Star is the handle.
Draft Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). I limit this to 3 objectives each with a maximum of 3 key results. Realistically, there’s not much more you can handle as a solopreneur. Some key aspects here:
Both Os and KRs can be quantifiable.
Under each O, I put "How this ties to the vision:…”. If you did the vision part right, you can copy and paste bits of your vision into this section. This keeps you honest to your vision and also keeps you explicitly aligned as you draft key results.
Under each KR, I write “To achieve this, I need to do X.” — this is a bit more of a narrative format, because stories make things stick for me. Then, I tack on “I will do this by…” under which I list all the nitty gritty tactics.
Fin.
What’s big for me is ensuring that everything ties — vision to theme to North Star — and looking at my goals every day. Hopefully this framework is helpful for your business or even personal goal setting in 2024!
Something new for this newsletter
In addition to my usual long-form content, below are a couple of new sections that I’m testing out. They include:
A roundup of Chief of Staff jobs from the prior week(s). I also share this on LinkedIn, but thought I’d add here as well in case those audiences don’t overlap. I think Substack is also more easily shareable than a LinkedIn post.
My latest bookmarks on X. I consume a fair bit of content (and I’m not so sure that’s the best thing?). But while I figure out the answer to that, I wanted to share what piqued my interest in case you enjoy it, too.
If you have ideas or suggestions on stuff you want to see here, just reply to this email! I’m always open to learning how to provide more value to my Chief of Staff community.
Without further ado…! ↓↓↓
Here’s a quick roundup of Chief of Staff jobs I came across last week & my thoughts:
🌍 Chief of Staff @ Blueland - eco-friendly cleaning products
Why I like it: Blueland’s goal is to eliminate the need for single-use plastic packaging, and as a Certified B Corp and Climate Neutral Certified company, they truly embody their commitment to sustainability.
What more, one of the company’s north stars is to “make the best decision for the planet every time”, and the co-founders knew they’d be able to do that if they achieved financial independence (and they did, raising a $20M Series B *and* becoming profitable in 2022).
Now, they’re looking to hire a CoS who’s equally passionate about sustainability and brings operational excellence, financial savvy, and strategic planning experience to the C-suite. Ideal candidates have 3+ YoE with working knowledge within the CPG industry (startup & DTC experience preferred).
The JD is perfect, and my only suggestion to
Salary range is $95-135k.
📍 This role is hybrid in NYC.
🤖 Chief of Staff @ PaintJet — automating the industrial painting market
Why I like it: PaintJet manufactures a mobile lift attachment that quickly applies paint or industrial coatings to large-scale commercial projects. They announced their $10M Series A *last week* and a major inflection point like this is when it might be time to hire a CoS.
They’re looking for a generalist CoS with 2-3 YoE in a similar role, such as CoS, consultant, or project manager, ideally at a startup.
I think the salary range of $75-90k is reasonable for the YoE and location, but they might have to loosen up expectations around folks having significant time in the CoS seat with few YoE. Instead, I’d look for a high-aptitude generalist who’s gunning to make the 1st-time jump to CoS.
📍 This role is remote, but they'd want you to be onsite in Norfolk, VA 3 days/month and travel 1-2x/month with the CEO.
💸 Chief of Staff @ Corient - wealth mgmt for HNW & UHNW individuals
Why I like it: Corient is a combination of “client” and “oriented”. They’re one of the fastest growing RIAs in the US, and wealth management is a fun space to be in if you enjoy helping people meet their financial goals, building relationships, an intellectual challenge, and variety in your daily work.
They’re looking for a CoS with strategic and operational expertise to help the CEO develop & execute key strategies, oversee pivotal projects, and enhance team comms.
Their preference is for candidates with 10+ YoE in consulting, professional services, and financial services/wealth management and an MBA.
📍 This role is onsite in Miami.
My latest bookmarks on X:
Things that
would do differently as a 2nd time founderSam Altman’s belief that you can bend the world to your will
Jack Benzaquen’s advice for founders on what kind of problems to work on
What cutting out caffeine did for
’s healthHow the Chief of Staff at Rupa Health shot her shot with
Hello, and welcome to the Right Hand Talent newsletter! I’m Zaharo, and I write about all things Chief of Staff.
Every week, you’ll get 3 new job opportunities that are on my radar, reqs I’m working on, my thoughts on growing in the CoS role and as a professional (plus some spiritual stuff sprinkled in), top stories I’m following on X, and more.
Also, I launched a podcast! You can check out the latest episode here.
Join our community of over 3,500 readers by subscribing below👇 (if you’re already a subscriber, this button will show up as “pledge your support”)
🚿 3 quick shower thoughts before we dive in:
Fortune favors the bold. Shoot your shot with anyone and everyone.
Your intuition is an incredible guide for decision-making. Use it more.
Jim Carrey is one of the most enlightened celebrities out there.
💔 Being in the business of saying no
Rejection stings. I’ve had my fair share of it: not getting into med school was the first big one. At the time, I was in the proverbial fork in the road, facing either pursuing a post baccalaureate program and waiting 2 years before applying again, or deciding to go in a different direction.
That rejection was a blessing in disguise, because I realized that med school wasn’t really my dream. I think I said I wanted to be a doctor when I was a kid, my parents got excited, and it was always a topic of conversation when they sung my praises to friends and family.
The “dream” kind of took on a life of its own. I was too young to be able to discern whether it was really mine, theirs, or something else entirely. And so I glommed onto it.
And while I loved the idea of being a doctor and being in medicine, it took a hard cold rejection (actually multiple “no’s” from medical schools) to realize I didn’t want to pursue this path.
It was hard at the time, but it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I eventually went to business school, joined a venture firm, pursued my path of becoming a Chief of Staff, and the rest is history.
Looking back and connecting the dots, I’ve actually been in a few roles where I was in the business of rejecting, seemingly: first as an investor saying “no” to most founders and now as a recruiter saying “no” to most candidates. It’s not fun. BUT what I've learned is that saying "no" is just part of steering both your own journey and helping others in finding their path, too.
We can’t see what life has planned for us — the broader blueprint if-you-will. So being on the receiving end of a “no” is an incredible opportunity to trust the blueprint, that things will work out, and of course, to reflect on what we could have done better or differently.
I try to be as helpful as possible to candidates who work with me and are in a process with my clients. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, and the number one thing that candidates want is feedback. I always ask clients for it, but I’ve found that willingness to share feedback is on a spectrum, ranging from very tight-lipped to extremely forthcoming and frank.
If I don’t have specific feedback to share with the candidate that got rejected, then I share reasons why the client moved forward with others. I think it always comes down to making candidates feel heard, acknowledging their time and commitment to a process, and respecting their efforts along the way, even if they're not the right fit for the current role.
While these are my personal experiences and approaches in dealing with rejection, I wanted to share some insights from a few leaders in the recruiting industry in case it’s helpful for anyone reading this ⬇️
A “no” simply means “not now”. Every rejection is an opportunity to learn and grow. It’s an opportunity for you to better understand the gap between what they wanted and where you are. Every person chooses how they're going to respond to a “no”. And sometimes resistance is an opportunity to continue to pursue. In other words, sometimes the “no” isn't “no”. And you have to be wise enough to understand when those times are, to see that resistance as an opportunity to redirect, reframe, and go back again and pursue the very thing that you just were told no on.
— Jeff Kaye, Co-CEO Kaye/Bassman International (ranked among the Top 10 U.S. search firms by Executive Search Review)
Success rarely happens quickly and I can't tell you how many times over 15+ years in recruiting I've seen a candidate get rejected by one company only to end up in a better situation a few months later. Often times it's also an opportunity that better aligns with their personal and professional goals. Rejection can also free up space to evaluate your priorities and find situations that truly resonate with your long term goals.
— Brandon Glyck, CEO @ Quantum Search Partners (Inc 5000 '21, '22, '23, WBJ Best Places to Work '23)
When I graduated college, I was referred into a large software company to do sales. Although I was the top of my class according to their ratings system, they promoted 3 other people in the training program before me. So that's when I quit, became a recruiter, and the rest is history. A quick LinkedIn search shows me those 3 people aren't at the company anymore.
Before I took this software sales job, I kind of knew I wanted to be a recruiter because my brother was one in NYC. I figured if he could do it, so could I. I interviewed at probably at least 10 places in NYC and got rejected. All the big names - Randstad, Michael Page, Green Key Resources, Robert Half, Insight Global. I felt defeated because all my friends lived in NY or Hoboken and I was left out having to live at home in central NJ.
It turned out to be the best thing that's ever happened to me. Because when I did get the recruiting job, I ended up finding a few great mentors and getting close with the executive team. 9 years later, I've billed over $18M in profit for my company as their top recruiter. Doubt this would have happened had I been hired at one of the other guys.
—
The Random Recruiter
(agency recruiter who’s placed 700+ tech professionals at various Fortune 500s since 2014)
To anyone facing rejection: remember that it’s not a period. It’s a comma.
✨Search Spotlight✨
I’m excited to share a one-of-kind role for an Executive Assistant to a renowned post-exit, 4x founder and builder of a community of over 14 million.
He specializes in guiding entrepreneurs to step back from day-to-day operations, focusing on growth through engaging content and automation of core systems.
This is an incredible opportunity to partner with a visionary founder who is laser-focused on building an amazing community, remarkable content, and insanely valuable experiences for other founders.
This founder is hiring an EA to:
Support him with various day-to-day operational needs
Ensure consistent and transparent communication, collaborating on current and future strategic initiatives
Develop and implement a comprehensive onboarding program, ensuring the smooth integration of new hires into the company
Enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of sales processes through systematic bottleneck reduction and organization of Notion and Asana
Additional key details:
💰 Base salary up to $85k
📍 This role is remote (global)
If you're interested and want to learn more about the company, just apply here! I’ll get back to you ASAP.
Here’s a quick roundup of Chief of Staff jobs I came across last week & my thoughts:
🌱 Chief of Staff @ FarmRaise - making finance accessible to farmers
Why I like it:
Keith Rabois
’ pinned post on X since 2017 has been “Formula for startup success: Find large highly fragmented industry w low NPS; vertically integrate a solution to simplify value product.” The ag industry is woefully underserved and it’s a MASSIVE market. FarmRaise is building the full-stack financial services platform for agriculture, empowering farmers to grow their farms into thriving and resilient operations.
Plus, the team is made up of farmers, farmers’ kids, and farmer-obsessed techies — very cool. (Side note: I know that Founders Fund’s portfolio company Seso is crushing, and I’m generally very bullish on agtech).
FarmRaise is hiring a Chief of Staff who will work with their CEO and COO on special projects, including spearheading special projects, like a major educational partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Ideal candidates will have at least 3 years of Chief of Staff, business development, or project management experience, preferably at smaller, early-stage companies.
💰 $110-130k base salary with a competitive equity package
📍 This role is remote.
📥 Apply here.
🎬 Chief of Staff @ Opus — the world’s #1 AI video clipping tool
Why I like it: First, it’s a product I’d use. If you’ve ever tried to repurpose long videos into shorts for platforms like YouTube or LinkedIn, you know how unreasonably painful the experience is. OpusClip is a generative AI video tool that does this in one click. And it looks like people are really loving it since they’ve grown to 3+ million users in just over 5 months after launching!
They’re looking for a Chief of Staff to act as a strategic advisor to the founders, oversee and manage special projects across the back-office, business, and product, and organize and lead executive meetings.
Ideal candidates will have at least 2 years of experience at startup, preferably within tech, content, or AI, and come to the table with analytical skills.
💰 $100-150k base salary + 0.01% – 0.5% equity
📍 This role is remote (though it looks like you have to live in California).
📥 Apply here.
📱Chief of Staff @ Aisle — in-store loyalty program, all within your texts
Why I like it: They created a product category. Customers of a brand’s products simply send a screenshot of their receipt to Aisle via text, and they’re rewarded within 24 hours. Aisle is currently working with CPG brands like SIMULATE, Vita Coco, Super Coffee, Sanzo, and more.
By the numbers:
🤝 400+ brands leveraging the platform
💰 4.5 million in cash back
🚀 >$2M in ARR and growing fast
They’re looking for a Chief of Staff to help manage their entire finance and legal function, current internal processes and workflows, and lead special projects.
Ideal candidates will 1) have investment banking experience, or 2) be a former founder or early employee at a startup, or 3) be a former project manager/operational wiz with later stage experience in a low/no infrastructure work environment.
💰 $130-180k base salary + equity
📍 This role is hybrid in NYC (in-office 1-2x/week)
📥 Apply here.
Classifieds
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My bookmarks on X:
Balaji
lists the reasons why intrapreneurship at BigCo’s fails
Great people leadership is akin to thinking like a farmer
A 21-year old made 9-figures on a game he built on Roblox
Some people think that X juiced Mr. Beast’s first video on the platform
Marc Andreessen
all but confirms his man crush on Argentina’s president
Other Stuff
The results are in from last week’s poll! 40 of you voted that you want to learn more about how to be a better leader and how to advance your career (roughly 60/40 split). I’ll be focusing on this more going forward in this newsletter, as well as on the pod.
I wanted to shoutout Jack Kuveke at Jabroni Capital because I laugh every time that I read his content on LinkedIn. If you like the irreverent content and memes that
Litquidity Capital
and
put out, then he’s an AWESOME follow!This newsletter is free and will remain that way, but I’m opening it up to sponsorships and want to start offering exclusive deals to my community on here. What kind of deals would you be most interested in? Vote below!
POLL
What kind of exclusive deals are you most interested in?
Educational resources & courses
25%
Tech & productivity tools
33%
Career coaching
42%
Something else (LMK by replying)
0%
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Until next time, Right Hand fam! 👋