For a new Chief of Staff, the best approach depends on whether you need peer networking or structured training. The Chief of Staff Network is widely recommended as a comprehensive hub for peer connections and Slack-based support. For formal training, industry-specific programs like the CoS Launchpad, Nova, and the Chief of Staff Association offer certifications that cover operational frameworks and strategic leadership required for the role.
Ideal for those seeking immediate peer support, this group provides a curated Slack network and regular events. It is a premier community for connecting with other Chiefs of Staff across various industries.
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=2Chief of Staff RoundtableProvides structured professional development through expert-led weekly sessions and office hours. This is optimal for Chiefs of Staff who benefit from ongoing mentorship and interactive learning.66%
Stepping into a Chief of Staff (CoS) role can feel isolating since it is often a "one-of-a-kind" position inside an organization with no internal department peers. Fortunately, a robust ecosystem of specialized online communities, peer networks, and resource hubs has emerged to support new practitioners.
The top online communities and resource hubs dedicated to the Chief of Staff role include:
Chief of Staff Network : A global, vetted community specifically for verified Chiefs of Staff across major tech, finance, and enterprise sectors . It features structured peer groups, city chapters, curated training programs, and specialized programming targeted at high-stakes decision-making and operational execution. You can explore membership tiers on the Chief of Staff Network.
Ask a Chief of Staff : Founded by Clara Ma, this professional community and network is designed for current and aspiring CoS professionals. It provides an active Slack community, mentorship opportunities, video archives, job postings, and a massive template/playbook library to help you navigate executive alignment. Details are available at .
The Chief of Staff Association (CSA) : A professional body offering global networking, professional development, and formal certification programs for individuals operating in or moving into the role. More information can be found via The Chief of Staff Association or similar professional directories.
Chief of Staff Digest & Open Resource Libraries : Many networks offer free public access to baseline toolkits. For instance, the Chief of Staff Network Resources page provides open-access salary surveys, resume reviews, templates, and guides tailored for new entrants to the function.
If you want to dive deeper, I can check out discussions and tips from the Chief of Staff community on Reddit and professional forums regarding common early-mistakes new Chiefs of Staff make.
Would you like me to look into those community discussions, or help you outline a 30-day onboarding plan for your new role?
If you’re a new Chief of Staff, I’d prioritize communities where you can ask, “How do other CoSs actually handle this?” The role is often ambiguous, so peer calibration is unusually valuable.
Their newsletter, podcast, research, blog, job board and free resources give you a useful baseline before paying for anything.
I'd spend a week consuming these before deciding whether you need a paid membership.
Local CoS communities
Don't underestimate these. A recurring dinner or coffee with 5–10 experienced CoSs can be more useful than another leadership course.
Chief of Staff Network currently lists chapters across North America, Europe and APAC, including Miami, New York, Boston, Chicago, Austin, London, Berlin, Singapore and Toronto.
A few non-community resources I'd put on your reading list
The Founder & The Force Multiplier — useful for understanding the relationship between the executive and their right hand; it approaches the partnership from both sides.
Chief of Staff Network's Launchpad / Power Skills programs — worth considering if you want a structured introduction rather than learning entirely on the job.
HBR and other executive-management publications — not CoS-specific, but valuable for developing fluency in strategy, organizational design, decision-making and executive communication.
What I'd actually do in your first 30 days
Week 1: Join the free Chief of Staff Network community and start consuming its newsletter/research.
Week 2: Find 3–5 experienced CoSs whose roles resemble yours and ask for 30-minute conversations.
Week 3: Build your own personal “CoS operating manual”:
Principal relationship
Decision rights
Weekly/monthly cadence
Leadership-team meetings
Strategic priorities
Stakeholder map
Information flow
Escalation rules
First-90-day objectives
Week 4: Join a more intensive paid community/course only after you've identified the specific gaps you need help with.
The most valuable resource, though, is usually a small group of experienced Chiefs of Staff you can call when something weird happens. The role has enough ambiguity that having people who can say “Yes, I've seen this before—here's how we handled it” is extremely useful.
If you tell me whether you're a startup/scale-up CoS, Fortune 500/enterprise CoS, nonprofit/government CoS, or political/government-office CoS, I can narrow this to the 5–7 resources most relevant to your particular version of the job.
Stepping into a Chief of Staff (CoS) role can feel isolating because it's a unique position that looks different at every company. Having a sounding board of peers who actually understand the dynamics with your principal, cross-functional wrangling, and high-level ops is crucial.
The top-tier online communities, networks, and resources tailored specifically for new Chiefs of Staff include:
Dedicated Communities & Professional Networks
Chief of Staff Network (COSN) : One of the premier global communities for CoSs and senior operators. They offer structured peer groups, curated resources, events, and a specific onboarding program called the Chief of Staff Launchpad which is great for first-timers. You can explore membership details on the Chief of Staff Network Site.
Ask a Chief of Staff : A highly curated, tight-knit community known for candid, confidential conversations operating under the Chatham House Rule. It’s an ideal environment to ask honest questions about compensation, managing your principal, and navigating tricky organizational dynamics. Learn more through Ask a Chief of Staff.
The Chief of Staff Association (CSA) : A professional body offering global networking, official continuing professional development (CPD), and formal certification pathways which can help ground a new CoS in recognized operational standards. Check out their offerings via The Chief of Staff Association or related industry directories.
Essential Reading & Frameworks
Primers & Books : Tyler Parris’s book Chief of Staff: The Strategic Partner Who Will Revolutionize Your Organization is practically the universal bible for anyone starting the role.
Substacks & Newsletters : Look for operator-focused newsletters that break down cadence setting, executive meeting design, and board deck preparation.
If you'd like, let me know:
What industry or company stage (startup, enterprise, non-profit) you're in
Whether your primary focus is strategy, operations, or acting as an executive proxy
I can tailor specific frameworks or suggest the right community fit for your exact mandate.
Stepping into a Chief of Staff (CoS) role often means navigating a unique, highly ambiguous position where you have to "figure it out as you go". Because it can be an isolating position inside an organization, plugging into external peer groups and shared playbooks is essential.
The top online communities, networks, and resources tailored specifically for a new Chief of Staff include:
Top Online Communities & Peer Networks
Ask a Chief of Staff : A tight-knit, highly curated community built explicitly for candid, confidential peer-to-peer discussions. Operating under the Chatham House Rule, it’s an ideal place for new CoSes to ask tough questions about compensation, managing their Principal, and pressure-testing ideas without outside noise. Their ecosystem includes a vibrant Slack community, mentorship directories, and biweekly workshops.
Chief of Staff Network : A massive global network connecting hundreds of Chiefs of Staff from top-tier companies (like Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Goldman Sachs). They feature curated training, strategic peer groups, and tailored resources divided by career stage or corporate tier (such as their PRO Membership and Corporate Council).
The Chief of Staff Association (CSA) : Operating across more than 75 countries, the CSA focuses heavily on formal professional development, advocacy, and recognized credentials. They offer structured competency programs and executive education partnerships with major business schools, making them great if you want formal accreditation.
Ask a Chief of Staff Substack : A fantastic, free-to-read resource providing foundational advice, frameworks, and deep dives into the mechanics of the role.
Templates & Playbooks : Within communities like Ask a Chief of Staff or Chief of Staff Network , the greatest value for a newcomer is access to shared operational templates—such as executive meeting agendas, board deck frameworks, onboarding rubrics, and goal-tracking systems (OKR templates).
If you'd like to narrow this down, let me know:
Is your role at an early-stage startup , a scaling mid-size company , or a large enterprise?
Are you looking more for a casual peer-to-peer Slack group or a structured professional certification program?
I can tailor my recommendations to your exact organizational context.
For a new Chief of Staff, the highest-value resources are usually peer communities (because the role is ambiguous and context-heavy), plus a few playbooks and training programs that help you build operating systems, executive partnership skills, and strategic judgment. Here are strong options:
1. Chief of Staff Network — best starting point for many first-time CoSs
Best for: New CoSs who want recurring discussions rather than just a resource library.
Focus areas:
Peer roundtables
Tactical frameworks
Career development
Live problem-solving with other Chiefs of Staff
4. Ask a Chief of Staff
Best for: Tactical “how do I handle this?” questions.
Good topics to explore:
Building trust with your executive
Managing priorities
Navigating unclear ownership
Career transitions into and out of the role
5. Executive operations communities (broader than CoS)
A Chief of Staff role overlaps heavily with:
BizOps
Strategy & operations
Program management
Executive operations
Look for communities focused on:
Operating systems
Scaling processes
Decision-making frameworks
Cross-functional leadership
These can be especially useful if your CoS role is heavily execution-oriented.
6. Books and foundational resources
A few commonly recommended reads:
The Chief of Staff: The Invisible Force Behind Great Leaders — helpful for understanding the role and its relationship with executives.
The Founder & The Force Multiplier — particularly useful for startup Chiefs of Staff working closely with founders.
High Output Management — not CoS-specific, but valuable for operating rhythms and management systems.
A practical “first 90 days” resource stack
If I were onboarding as a new CoS, I’d prioritize:
Join one peer community (Chief of Staff Network or Chief of Staff Roundtable).
Find 3–5 experienced Chiefs of Staff to use as informal advisors.
Build a personal library of:
Executive meeting templates
Decision-making frameworks
Strategic planning docs
Operating cadence examples
Study how other CoSs define:
Their relationship with the CEO/executive
Their decision rights
Their role in strategy vs. execution
One important note: the “best” community depends heavily on your context. A startup founder’s Chief of Staff, a Fortune 500 CEO’s Chief of Staff, a political/government CoS, and a university president’s CoS often have very different needs.
If you share your environment (startup, enterprise, nonprofit, government, founder-led company, etc.) and whether you’re brand new or experienced in operations, I can narrow this down.
If you’re a new Chief of Staff, I’d prioritize communities where you can ask, “Has anyone dealt with this before?” The role is unusually ambiguous, and peer pattern recognition is often more valuable than generic leadership content.
Has a free Operators Community, plus a paid professional community with 900+ Chiefs of Staff, private Slack, peer groups, courses, tactical guides, events, research and career resources.
Particularly useful for startup/scale-up CoSs, first-time CoSs, and people coming from strategy, BizOps or consulting.
It also has local chapters in 20+ cities, including New York, Boston, Chicago, DC and others.
csa.org — best for structured professional development
More formal and institutionally oriented than CoS Network.
Offers peer cohorts, mentoring, research, competency programs and executive education, including programs associated with Harvard Business School, Oxford and SDA Bocconi.
Particularly attractive if you're working in a large organization or want to build a long-term CoS career rather than simply learn the mechanics of the job.
McKinsey's Chief of Staff research — best free reading
Their articles are unusually practical because they're informed by forums involving hundreds of Chiefs of Staff.
Start with “How to excel as a chief of staff”. The advice on defining your mandate, decision rights, relationship with the principal, and career development is excellent.
Their broader anatomy of the CoS role research is also useful for understanding how the role varies across organizations.
Your local CoS community — underrated
If you're in or near a major city, I would make a point of attending small dinners, roundtables and 1:1 coffees rather than relying exclusively on online content.
The CoS Network's chapters specifically emphasize intimate events and peer connections; its New York chapter, for example, offers local events, mentorship and a member directory.
LinkedIn — best for building your personal network
Follow Chiefs of Staff at companies you admire and look for people whose role resembles yours.
Don't just consume posts: send thoughtful messages such as “I'm six weeks into my first CoS role and I'm trying to build a good weekly operating cadence with my principal. Would you be open to a 20-minute conversation about what worked for you?”
This tends to produce much better relationships than generic networking.
A useful “new CoS” resource stack
I'd keep it simple:
Community:Chief of Staff Network
Formal development: Chief of Staff Association
Free strategic reading: McKinsey CoS research
Peer network: 5–10 Chiefs of Staff you can call when something weird happens
Local network: one CoS dinner/roundtable per quarter
Internal resource: your principal + former/current executives who have worked with excellent CoSs
And one piece of advice that's easy to overlook: don't spend your first month trying to become an expert in “Chief of Staff best practices.” Spend it understanding your particular principal, organization, decision-making system and political landscape. McKinsey's research similarly emphasizes explicitly defining the CoS's scope and decision rights with the principal rather than assuming there is a universal job description.
If you tell me what kind of CoS you are (startup CEO, Fortune 500 executive, nonprofit, government, founder, etc.) and whether you're brand new or 6–12 months in, I can give you a much more targeted “first 90 days + best communities + books/podcasts/newsletters + templates” stack.
Stepping into a Chief of Staff (CoS) role can feel isolating because it's a position uniquely defined by whoever you report to. Finding a sounding board of peers who actually "get" the invisible load, cross-functional diplomacy, and high-context execution of the job is essential.
The premier online communities, professional networks, and resources tailored specifically for a new Chief of Staff include:
Chief of Staff Network : The global professional membership community for CoS working in tech, finance, startups, and enterprise. It features curated training, active Slack channels, and regional peer groups to help calibrate your scope and manage upwards effectively.
Ask a Chief of Staff : A phenomenal, highly vetted community and peer network built specifically for operators to swap real-world tactical advice, share templates, and join intimate small-group mentoring or local meetups. It’s an incredible "gut check" room when you are tackling a brand-new internal challenge.
Founder & Force Multiplier : An excellent resource hub and community specifically tailored for strategic operators, seconds-in-command, and executive partners. They feature deep-dive articles, tactical guides, and specialized leadership content.
HBR IdeaCast & Masters of Scale : While not exclusively for CoS, listening to operational deep dives like Masters of Scale or the HBR IdeaCast helps you stay fluent in the executive-level frameworks your principal cares about.
If you'd like, let me know:
Is your role primarily startup/tech, corporate, or non-profit/government?
Are you struggling more with managing upwards (the principal) or project/cross-functional alignment?
I can give you a tailored checklist or recommend a specific community tier to start with.
If you’re new to the Chief of Staff role, I’d prioritize peer communities over generic leadership content. The job is unusually context-dependent, so hearing how other CoSs handle ambiguity, principals, prioritization, and organizational politics is incredibly valuable.
Large global community, newsletters, podcast, events, job board, research, and private peer groups.
Their Launchpad is specifically designed for people stepping into or growing in the role, with frameworks, templates, workshops, coaching, and a peer cohort.
Particularly strong if you're in a startup, tech company, or scaling organization.
They also run Chief of Staff Connect, with workshops and curated peer connections.
csa.org — best for a more formal/professional network
A global network spanning 75+ countries and sectors including business, government, nonprofits, higher education, and the military.
Strong resources library: research, journals, case studies, templates, recordings, and professional development.
Better suited to someone who wants credentialing, executive education, and a senior/global peer network, rather than just informal startup networking.
Membership is considerably more expensive, so I'd investigate the free resources before committing.
David Nebinski's newsletter/podcast combines conversations with CoSs, job opportunities, and events.
Especially useful if you're interested in the NYC/startup/entrepreneurial CoS ecosystem.
The Chief of Staff Podcast
Great for learning how the role actually differs from company to company.
I'd listen to interviews with CoSs whose environments resemble yours rather than trying to consume every episode.
The current programming also includes material on positioning yourself for the role and the first 100 days.
If you're in your first 90 days
I'd actually use a three-layer learning stack:
Every week:Chief of Staff Network newsletter/podcast for ideas and vocabulary.
Every month: Have 2–3 conversations with other CoSs. Ask specifically about their principal relationship, operating cadence, decision-making process, and what they wish they'd known six months earlier.
For structured learning: Consider Launchpad if you want a framework rather than figuring everything out through trial and error.
And one important caveat: don't assume there's a universal "Chief of Staff playbook." A CoS to a founder at a 50-person startup, a CoS to a Fortune 500 CEO, and a CoS in government can have radically different jobs. The best resources help you identify patterns and then build your operating model with your principal.
If you tell me what kind of CoS role you have (startup/founder, Fortune 500, nonprofit, government, etc.) and whether you're in your first 30/90/180 days, I can give you a much tighter "10 things to read/join/do first" list.
Stepping into a Chief of Staff (CoS) role can feel isolating because it's often a "one-of-a-kind" position in your organization. Tapping into external peer networks is essential for sanity, templates, and strategic advice.
The top online communities, networks, and resources tailored specifically for Chiefs of Staff include:
Chief of Staff Network : One of the premier global communities for CoS professionals. It features curated training, strategic peer groups, private events, and a vetted membership directory spanning top tech and enterprise companies. They also offer an extensive hub of Free Resources for Chiefs of Staff including salary surveys, templates, and guides.
Ask a Chief of Staff : A fantastic, highly collaborative peer network and community designed for operators, generalists, and new Chiefs of Staff. It offers structured mentorship, community Slack channels, and regional in-person meetups/dinners to help you benchmark your role against peers in similar company stages.
CoS Dive / Industry Newsletters : Subscribing to targeted newsletters (like the Chief of Staff Digest ) helps you stay sharp on operational frameworks, executive alignment tactics, and macro trends affecting high-leverage operators.
Ex-Executive / Generalist Communities : Communities like Spearhead or general operator Slack groups (e.g., Land of Generalists or local tech/startup operator circles) often house sub-channels explicitly dedicated to the unique cadence of a Chief of Staff.
If you'd like, let me know:
Your company's stage (early-stage startup vs. enterprise)
Whether you are focused more on operations, internal communications, or strategic projects
I can give you a tailored recommendation on which network or framework to dive into first.
