Why a CoS needs to be the "GOAT GSD-er"
Breaking down an acronym cornucopia, plus a few new Chief of Staff reqs we're working on at an early-stage VC fund, a family office in Puerto Rico, and a non-profit!
Hello, and welcome to the Right Hand Talent newsletter! I’m Zaharo, and I write about all things Chief of Staff, talent, and career excellence.
In every post, you’ll get new CoS jobs that are on my radar, reqs we’re working on, my thoughts on growing in the CoS role and as a professional, top stories I’m following on X, and more.
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What’s a GOAT, what’s a GSD’er, why you should care, and why I’m claiming the 🌶️ emoji
GOAT = Greatest of All Time. If others would describe you like this, you’re doing great. If you’re aspiring to being this, you’re also doing great.
GSD-er = “Get Shit Done”-er (credit goes to Amy Omobono for making this a noun 😊 )
Why you should care = because if you’re on the hunt for an early-stage CoS role (Seed, Series A/+), those founders don’t really care about how good you are at “strategy”. They care about the problems you’ve actually solved or executed and how that moved the needle for the business.
🌶️ = I’m officially claiming this emoji now because people tell me they enjoy my spicy takes on LinkedIn (unfort the content literally writes itself these days 🤦). We have spiciness levels for all palates:
🌶️/🌶️ 🌶️ is mild
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ or more is v spicy and I’m probably going to hurt people’s feelings (unintentional but I won’t sugarcoat because it’s unhelpful)
Here’s a related post that caused a bit of a stir recently:
To illustrate further, I’ll share a story about a CoS candidate who reached out to me asking about what roles we’re recruiting for for which she could be a fit.
Candidate: “Since you're known as a recruiting matchmaker what type of role does my background fit? I ask because I’d rather not apply to some of the great RHT openings if I'm not the right fit.”
She highlighted culture and strategy among her top strengths.
Me: “Almost all CoS roles we recruit for don’t have culture or strategy as top skills that our founders are looking for.
The target profile is more so BizOps generalists with finance and management consulting experience, and ideally, folks who have spent time in an ops role at a venture backed startup that’s scaling, e.g. Seed —> Series B, Series C—> E, etc.
I would take our [job] postings literally in terms of the ideal candidate specs. We rarely go outside of that and if anything, we get even more granular as the search continues.”
She decided to revamp her resume to highlight her ops experience, which is paramount for any and all Chief of Staff roles, and left strategy and culture by the wayside. 👋
A short sidebar to rip into strategy & culture
It’s worth repeating: you’re not going to be setting strategy at the seed stage.
You need to execute everything that the founder needs help with, and you need to do it really well. They’re trying to maximize their leverage by having a mini-me integrator type on the team, so they can actually free up time for themselves and lean harder into building the product, closing customers, building partnerships, hiring, etc.
To be honest, these founders had better execute the strategy they pitched to investors before taking their money and hit the milestones they said they’d hit before the Series A, or they’re going to need to pivot hard, and in that case they’ve already thought about Plan B, C, and D — the strategy —before you came along as CoS (sorry).
Time and again I see founders rake candidates over the coals if they lead with “strategy” as a strength. Here’s a good thread about what I’m seeing fairly regularly.
Excerpt from the thread and Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
Like strategy, you’re not really helping build the culture in any tangible/hands-on way at an early-stage startup outside of how you show up, either. If the team is regularly putting in 60-80 hour work weeks, then they need a CoS who’s fired up to do the same and grind out on hard problems or put out massive fires.
If the team has a really high bar for excellence and expects a lot from each other, then how have you exemplified that? How you live, breathe, approach your work, EXIST is literally “the culture” in the very early stages, not a bunch of words (values) that you draft up in a Google doc and then make sure they get published on the website.
Most founders don’t even hire their first people person until they approach a headcount of ~100. Sounds crazy regarding the hiring timing of this person but it’s the norm — tech founders will prioritize engineers, product, sales, customer support, bizops, etc. before anything on the people side because those hires are the ones who’ll help them hit early-stage milestones that are on the critical path to actually raising the next round and living to see another day. You can’t build a great culture if you’re dead : (
I wanted to sound this alarm because I think you’re shooting yourself in the foot if you’re leading with strategy and culture as strengths in your resume, LinkedIn, cover letter, etc in the hopes of landing an early-stage role.
Maybe (?) these skills are slightly more important later stage (Series B and beyond).
But think about the amount of real estate available on your resume to showcase your outcomes and things you’ve done. It’s not a ton, so you have to choose very carefully what you highlight as impactful and meaningful for the role you’re courting and what founders actually care about at the early stage.
Personally, I’d file away strategy and culture as largely irrelevant skills to highlight for most CoS roles, and strongly suggest focusing on quantitative accomplishments and things that highlight that you’re the GOAT GSD-er on the operations side of things.
xoxo,
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️
Chief of Staff @ Seed Stage Venture Fund
I cannot speak more highly about this opportunity -- it is THE team you want to join if your dream is to break into venture and build your career alongside true dynamos 😍 PERFECT for more junior candidates & aspiring Chiefs of Staff!
This will be an adventure to kickstart the possibilities of your career -mentorship, exposure to inner workings of venture capital and private equity, insight into operations across industries, ownership of business results, a network of brilliant and collegial people, and never a dull moment.
Key Responsibilities:
Become an extension of the Managing Partner & a voice of the Partners
Serve as a knowledge conduit & build systems to structure knowledge
Support the fund's investments - both potential and current
The ideal candidate:
Is detail-oriented: Pays keen attention to detail with no errors in math or spelling.
Thrives in dynamic environments: Enjoys multitasking and sees travel as a desire, not an obligation.
Is systematic and organized: Uses existing templates, processes, and systems efficiently without reinventing the wheel.
Has strong writing and design skills: Possesses high sophistication in design and a passion for writing, from emails to reports.
Is professional and service-minded: Comfortable with contracts and negotiations, sets ego aside, and focuses on getting to the truth.
Is a quick learner: Receptive to feedback and adapts swiftly.
Is motivated and impact-driven: Measures success by accomplishments, values career growth, and seeks to make a positive impact with their talents.
What They Offer:
💰Base Salary: $70-90k
🏥 Health, Vision and Dental Coverage
📍Location: Miami Beach, FL. You’ll work in-person 4-days/week in our beautiful office space conveniently located across the street from Whole Foods. Travel as necessary.
If you're interested and want to learn more about the company, just apply here! We’ll get back to you ASAP if your experience aligns with what they’re looking for.
Chief of Staff @ Non-profit Organization
We don't always take on non-profit CoS roles, but when we do, they are for epic founders and organizations, and this one is a true gem. If you are in media or watch the news, then you have definitely heard of this person. 😎
Our client develops and supports innovative solutions that disrupt the broken systems of prisons, poverty, pollution, and polarization, and they are looking for a Chief of Staff to join their team in their critical phase of company building.
Key Responsibilities:
Facilitate communication between the CEO and executive team to ensure clarity and alignment on priorities.
Help develop, implement and refine internal operational systems and processes to improve efficiency across the team.
Contribute to the development and implementation of strategic planning with clear goals and metrics for the team in alignment with the CEO’s priorities.
Manage the CEO’s EA and ensure they have access to the information and resources they need to succeed, and much more!
The ideal candidate has:
A minimum of 5 years of experience working directly with a high-level executive or executive team.
Experience in media (highly desirable)
Strong business instincts and experience with strategic planning and project management.
What They Offer:
💰 Base salary $150-200k
🏥 100% Health, Vision and Dental Coverage
🌴 Unlimited PTO
💸 401k with 5% company match after 6 months, and more!
📍This role is remote.
If you're interested and want to learn more about the company, just apply here! We’ll get back to you ASAP if your experience aligns with what they’re looking for.
Chief of Staff @ Technology-Driven Family Office
If you're looking for a senior Chief of Staff role within a growing family office (and want to move to Puerto Rico🌴), then this is the role for you! 😍
Our client is a dynamic and rapidly expanding organization at the intersection of technology, lifestyle management, investments, and philanthropy. They are committed to leveraging innovation to optimize the lives of their principals and enhance their impact on the world.
Key Responsibilities:
Serve as the primary point of contact for the Principal, managing all
communications, scheduling, and strategic initiatives.
Direct the Research Analyst in conducting in-depth research on investments, philanthropic opportunities, and lifestyle enhancements.
Develop and implement strategies to streamline processes, increase productivity, and enhance the overall effectiveness of the family office.
Develop and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of operational processes and team/employee performance and identify areas for improvement.
The ideal candidate has:
An MBA, JD or other advanced degree.
Proven experience in a senior leadership role, preferably within a family office or high-net-worth environment, with at least 2 years of leadership experience.
Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to prioritize and delegate tasks effectively.
What They Offer:
💰 Base salary $200-300k
💸 Performance bonus
🏥 Health, Vision and Dental Coverage
❤️ A collaborative culture and work environment with a focus on work-life balance and employee well-being
📍 This role is onsite in Puerto Rico (in the event of relocation, temporary and potentially permanent housing will be provided as part of the compensation package)
If you're interested and want to learn more about the company, just apply here! We’ll get back to you ASAP if your experience aligns with what they’re looking for.
Check out our job board for the full list of opportunities with our clients!
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- shares dumb questions that will make you look smart in meetings
If you’re a candidate looking to get placed as a Chief of Staff with Right Hand, just submit this application.
If you’re hiring a Chief of Staff and need help accelerating your search with Right Hand, I’d love to talk. Just respond to this email!
Where else you can find me: X and LinkedIn, where I post daily on all things Chief of Staff, personal growth, and consciousness.
Finally, if you liked reading this, feel free to click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Substack 🙏
Until next time, Right Hand fam! 👋