The first step in hiring a chief of staff for your startup is determining whether your company actually needs one.
That’s according to Cheston Newhall, the recently appointed chief of staff for Louisville-based Bamboo Health.
Newhall became Bamboo Health's first chief of staff (CoS) when he took on the role at the beginning of 2022. During a Venture Connectors luncheon on Wednesday, Newhall discussed the importance of the chief of staff role in startup companies and how it can take on different forms depending on a company’s needs.
Bamboo Health was previously Appriss Health and it renamed after acquiring PatientPing in March 2021. It employs about 460 people, and roughly 27% of them are based in Louisville and there's another 11% across Kentucky. It also has offices in Boston and Warsaw, Poland.
As the company’s chief of staff, Newhall leads special initiatives and projects for Bamboo Health CEO Rob Cohen, who is also new to the company's top leadership position. Newhall also partners with other senior leaders to drive the business’ priorities through strategy, development and operations.
Though many different companies are adding this position to their teams, Newhall said most of the CoS roles popping up have been in tech companies. He said it’s a fad title many companies want to add, but they’re not sure what the CoS would actually do. He encouraged companies to not hire a CoS just because it’s trendy, but because it’s needed.
If used correctly, a CoS can be a strategic growth lever, Newhall said.
“[With] the chief technology officer or chief revenue officer, there's usually specific guard rails,” Newhall said. “[With] the chief of staff, there's already an expectation in the role that it's whatever the business needs, whatever that CEO, or that principal, needs. It’s something unique. You're setting up that individual to go in with that mindset.”
Companies have recently seen a need for a chief of staff due to issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Newhall said. The pandemic's challenges added to the host of challenges CEOs already have.
Newhall outlined three ways the chief of staff role could take shape. The first is a more administrative role, the second is more of a vice president role and the third is almost a co-CEO.
Whatever role the CoS takes, Newhall emphasized that it is key for them to build trust with the CEO and other team members. They are typically those who “get stuff done,” and are able to bridge the vision/execution gap for the CEO, turning the vision into reality.
The CoS can take on additional projects from the CEO and work across departments, serving as the CEO’s eyes and ears.
Once a company determines what they need, Newhall said it's key it determines who to hire for the CoS position based on aligning values. Shortly after, he recommends establishing a 90-day success plan with that hire to make sure they match the company’s needs.
He said this period is especially crucial for a CoS because the role is so ambiguous. Also in this time period, make sure they have a public win in the company.
“Although this role is intentionally ambiguous, they're still guardrails and principles for what they should focus on,” Newhall said. “So establish check-ins quarterly to ensure that you're doing that and then repeat the process over again, as they evolve in the role.”
Newhall used an analogy of a soccer match to illustrate what the chief of staff’s function is. If the CEO is the head coach, the CoS is the lead player, meaning the CEO outlines the vision, and the CoS implements it.
“As the game evolves, as the business evolves, as the market evolves, that feedback loop is critical,” Newhall said. “…That feedback loop is critical to ensuring that you're providing value as the chief staff.”
