Checklist: Indicators of High-Performing Leadership with the Right Chief of Staff

With the right Chief of Staff supporting your leadership team, you gain a strategic partner who unilaterally elevates performance. This checklist provides clear indicators of a high-performing leadership team ready to scale and succeed.  

Use this checklist to evaluate your current leadership team’s alignment with your company’s growth goals and whether you might need a Chief of Staff to build trust, growth and alignment across your leadership team and thereby at every level of the organization. Gauge your results with the key at the end of this article.  

Our current leadership team…

• Understands and drives strategic alignment across teams. At least one member of your leadership team acts as a bridge, ensuring each department’s objectives align with the CEO’s broader vision. This person maintains a holistic view of the organization, ensuring all leaders understand and are working toward unified goals.

• Guides team development to meet future needs. Your leadership team identifies skill gaps within the overall team and helps create a development roadmap. They proactively ensure everyone is prepared for the demands of a scaling company, fostering the growth necessary for success in a larger organization.

• Promotes accountability and ownership. Your leadership team empowers high performers to take ownership of their departments while staying accountable to the CEO’s overarching objectives. They establish frameworks that encourage managers to deliver results without micromanagement, building a culture of accountability and trust.

• Implements effective communication systems. There is at least one person on your leadership team who ensures information flows smoothly across departments, enabling top executives, peers and managers to make informed decisions. This person sets up systems for regular check-ins, updates and feedback loops, reducing misunderstandings and enhancing collaboration.

• Anticipates and solves problems before they escalate. By monitoring key metrics and trends, at least one member of your leadership team takes ownership of spotting potential issues early and addressing them before they impact the business. This person instills a proactive approach across the leadership team, encouraging pre-emptive problem-solving and agility in the face of challenges.

• Supports data-driven decision-making. At least one person on your leadership team provides all leaders with accurate, actionable data aligned with strategic goals, allowing the CEO and team to make informed decisions quickly.

• Encourages a culture of continuous improvement. Your leadership team promotes a growth-oriented mindset, encouraging managers and the team to seek out efficiencies and innovations within their departments. They facilitate regular reviews and feedback sessions, building a culture that values progress and adaptability.

• Ensures the right people are in the right seats. There is at least one person on your leadership team who evaluates whether every leader in the company is suited to their role as the organization grows. This individual supports the CEO in making strategic talent decisions, ensuring that the leadership team is comprised of individuals who are ready to meet current and future challenges.

• Balances operational execution with strategic focus. There is one person besides the CEO on your leadership team responsible for keeping all leaders focused on immediate execution and long-term strategy. This person also supports leaders across the board in managing day-to-day responsibilities while keeping an eye on the CEO’s high-level goals, enabling a balanced approach to growth.

Results 

• If you checked 3 or fewer boxes:
  This may signal you have the wrong people on your leadership team. A high-performing Chief of Staff can be instrumental in identifying and addressing these gaps, whether that means restructuring roles, developing leaders or sourcing new talent better suited for the organization’s evolving needs.

• If you checked 4-8 boxes:
  Your team likely includes some strong contributors, but they may be too junior or inexperienced to fully support the demands of a growing company. These leaders may have been effective at an earlier stage, but as the company scales, they may require additional development or resources to operate at the higher level. A Chief of Staff can help guide their growth, build needed competencies and align the team with the CEO’s broader vision.

• If you checked all 9 boxes:
  Congratulations! You have a high-performing leadership team well-equipped to drive the company forward. With a skilled Chief of Staff at your side, this team can continue to scale effectively, aligning seamlessly with your vision and accelerating organizational success.

Vannin Chief of Staff, founded in 2020, is a premier talent partner with a focus on roles supporting the CEO. We have a proven track record of helping executives find the right talent, full-time or fractionally, and up-level their talent via our proprietary advisory program. Vannin Chief of Staff has served over 250 clients globally, including Shopify, Orange Theory, Cordis, Lilac Solutions, GRIN, Propelus, WALR, Wish for Wheels and more. Get details at vanninchiefofstaff.com.