This advanced programme provides a comprehensive roadmap for current and aspiring Chiefs of Staff who support C-suite leaders, drive strategic initiatives, and ensure organisational alignment. The course offers deep insights into executive decision-making, cross-functional coordination, business operations, communication strategy, and organisational performance.
Participants will learn how to operate as trusted advisors to senior leadership, translate vision into action, oversee strategic priorities, manage high-level projects, and build systems that enhance efficiency and executive impact. This course blends strategic thinking, operational excellence, and interpersonal influence—core competencies of top-performing Chiefs of Staff.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand the full scope and strategic value of the Chief of Staff role.
- Support executive decision-making using data-driven and systematic approaches.
- Coordinate cross-functional teams and manage strategic initiatives effectively.
- Build alignment between leadership goals, departmental operations, and organisational priorities.
- Enhance communication, influence, and conflict navigation at the executive level.
- Develop systems for workflow optimisation, governance, reporting, and follow-up.
This course is ideal for:
- Current and aspiring Chiefs of Staff.
- Senior Executive Assistants transitioning into strategic roles.
- Directors and managers supporting C-suite leaders.
- Strategy, operations, and PMO professionals.
- Leaders responsible for cross-functional coordination.
The programme uses case studies, executive decision-making simulations, strategic planning frameworks, communication labs, and system-design exercises to build practical, immediately applicable skills.
Day 5 of each course is reserved for a Q&A session, which may occur off-site. For 10-day courses, this also applies to day 10
Section 1: The Chief of Staff Role — Scope, Mindset & Executive Expectations
- Understanding the CoS mandate: advisor, operator, integrator
- Differences between Chief of Staff, COO, and Executive Assistant
- The strategic mindset: thinking like a C-suite leader
- Managing up: supporting the CEO and shaping executive priorities
- Building trust, confidentiality, and executive presence
- Identifying success indicators for the CoS role
Section 2: Strategic Planning, Alignment & Executive Decision Support
- Supporting strategy formation and translating vision into action
- Frameworks for decision-making: SWOT, OKRs, KPIs, and dashboards
- Communicating priorities across teams with clarity and authority
- Analytical thinking for executives: structuring recommendations and reports
- Facilitating executive meetings, briefings, and leadership offsites
- Ensuring alignment between strategy, operations, and performance
Section 3: Cross-Functional Coordination & Operational Excellence
- Designing systems for coordination across departments
- Building workflows that enhance speed, clarity, and accountability
- PMO-aligned project tracking and reporting systems
- Managing competing priorities and resolving organisational bottlenecks
- Supporting digital transformation and operational efficiency
- Principles of scaling processes, teams, and decision channels
Section 4: High-Level Communication, Influence & Stakeholder Management
- Executive communication strategies (written, verbal, strategic)
- Stakeholder mapping and power dynamics in senior leadership
- Conflict management and negotiation techniques
- Representing the CEO in meetings and cross-functional discussions
- Influencing without authority: tactics for high-impact collaboration
- Maintaining organisational relationships and internal reputation
Section 5: Governance, Risk Awareness & Long-Term Organisational Health
- Governance structures for executive teams and leadership committees
- Mitigating operational and strategic risks
- Building performance tracking tools, dashboards, and feedback loops
- Ensuring continuity in leadership operations during change or crisis
- Designing systems for reporting, accountability, and continuous improvement
Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded a Holistique Training Certificate of Completion. For those who attend and complete the online training course, a Holistique Training e-Certificate will be provided.
Holistique Training Certificates are accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC) and The CPD Certification Service (CPD), and are certified under ISO 9001, ISO 21001, and ISO 29993 standards.
CPD credits for this course are granted by our Certificates and will be reflected on the Holistique Training Certificate of Completion. In accordance with the standards of The CPD Certification Service, one CPD credit is awarded per hour of course attendance. A maximum of 50 CPD credits can be claimed for any single course we currently offer.
Discover the key differences between a Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant to choose the right support role for your organisation.
- Course Code MG1 - 122
- Course Format Classroom, Online,
- Duration 5 days
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