The trade association helping an emerging profession to define its role

The Chief of Staff Association (CSA) is the international professional body for chiefs of staff in corporations, governments, the military, and diplomatic corps across 45 countries. The trade association has three main priorities: to provide a world-class education to its members, to advocate on behalf of its members, and to provide a networking platform. Chief of Staff is a relatively new profession and hard to define. Trent Smyth, Chief Executive Officer of the chief of staff association, explains 'The concept was first created by the German army in the 30s and 40s, the most obvious examples are in politics - the White House - and in the military. A traditional chief of staff reports to a principal and acts on their behalf. But some have departments, and in many respects act as managers. What they do in a typical day is very different.'

The need for education

Until recently, there was very little in the way of formal education for chiefs of staff. 'We found that chiefs of staff had to settle for education that wasn’t quite designed for them - like a general leadership course,' says Trent. 'Similar occupations like law or medicine are well articulated - as are their career paths and education. We are slightly behind them in terms of training and development.'

Approaching Oxford

Trent, and the chief of staff association, set out to address this gap. In 2019, they approached Oxford University - specifically its business school - to explore a potential training programme. 'Three years ago, I had coffee with Andrew White, then associate dean for executive education. I explained my vision for what we wanted to create. Three hours later, we were still sketching out what turned into this amazing programme.'

Trent was struck by what Saïd Business School had achieved with the Corporate Affairs Academy, run in concert with Oxford University’s centre for corporate reputation. 'In many respects, the corporate affairs profession has gone through a similar journey to chiefs of staff. It was another group of people who didn't have a specific education, whose role was somewhat difficult to define, and who were leaders without formal authority. It showed us that the university had specific experience of creating programmes for emerging professions like ours.' 

Until recently, there was very little in the way of formal education for chiefs of staff. 'We found that chiefs of staff had to settle for education that wasn’t quite designed for them - like a general leadership course,' says Trent. 'Similar occupations like law or medicine are well articulated - as are their career paths and education. We are slightly behind them in terms of training and development.'

Trent, and the chief of staff association, set out to address this gap. In 2019, they approached Oxford University - specifically its business school - to explore a potential training programme. 'Three years ago, I had coffee with Andrew White, then associate dean for executive education. I explained my vision for what we wanted to create. Three hours later, we were still sketching out what turned into this amazing programme.'

Trent was struck by what Saïd Business School had achieved with the Corporate Affairs Academy, run in concert with Oxford University’s centre for corporate reputation. 'In many respects, the corporate affairs profession has gone through a similar journey to chiefs of staff. It was another group of people who didn't have a specific education, whose role was somewhat difficult to define, and who were leaders without formal authority. It showed us that the university had specific experience of creating programmes for emerging professions like ours.' 

The Chief of Staff Association and Saïd Business School set out to co-create a programme that addresses the key skills needed for the role and the ongoing challenges for chief of staff association members. 'The core competencies needed by a chief of staff are similar regardless of whether they have a single principal or a department,' says Trent. 'Skills like crisis communications, stakeholder management and project management form the foundation of the programme.'

But the ambiguity of the role also informs a significant chunk of the teaching. 'If you ask 15 chiefs of staff to define their role, you will get 15 different responses,' one of the most difficult things for chiefs of staff is to articulate their profession and trajectory.' Says Trent.

Another issue facing his members is authority.

'Do chiefs of staff have actual authority?' asks Trent. 'In the military, you would respect someone with stars or stripes, but in the corporate world, it’s unclear. Without a formal title or direct mandate from the CEO, you need to use influence, persuasion, and negotiation to get people to act for you. The third major challenge is that people outside the profession do not understand what a chief of staff is. It’s difficult to do your job when you have to explain what you are and what you do all the time. When a chief of staff walks into the room, people aren’t sure what this person is here for, who they are, who they’re reporting to and whether they are here to help.'

The Oxford Chief of Staff Association Executive Education Programme was launched to members in 2019, and is now a key part of the Association’s certification pathway. The programme runs twice a year at Saïd Business School’s campus in Oxford. It enables participants to meet world-leading academics and practitioners, learn ground-breaking models, network with their peers, and experience the rich cultural heritage of Oxford.  Each programme takes up to 40 participants. 

When selecting applicants, the chief of staff association is careful to consider the mix of people. 'We think about who is in the room and the experiences that they bring. We are looking for a variety of backgrounds such as the military, not-for-profits, big corporations and politics. And we want people from different countries and continents. It’s not about having big corporations there - it’s about having a diverse mix.' Trent says that the biggest benefit of the programme is making lifelong friendships. 'Being a chief of staff can be lonely. Many people who come are the first to hold that role within their organisation. They realise that other people are going through the same thing and have the same challenges. These networks thrive long after the last model has been put on the blackboard.'

Trent says that the programme is a genuine partnership between Oxford and the association. 'We don’t just send people off to Oxford. Our team takes the week off and we are immersed. We are hands-on. I am just as likely to be found putting out name cards as I am making the opening address. People say that it speaks to the authenticity of what we’re about. We love working with the team at Oxford. The academic team is world-class. But we are also hugely grateful to everyone at the business school - suppliers, legal, marketing - who come together to deliver this programme.'

Partnering with a world-famous institution has had big benefits for the organisation. 'It’s wildly popular,' says Trent. 'Since we started two years ago, 90 people have been on the programme, and there is always a waiting list. I think by association with the world’s number one university, people naturally take us more seriously. It also makes it easier for members to convince their employers to send them on the programme.' Feedback from participants has been massively positive. 'Organic word-of-mouth through our organisation has been terrific. And interestingly, membership renewals for people who come back are higher for those who participated in the programme because they are getting real value from it.'

Joseph Sciortino, Chief of Staff at the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, attended the programme in April 2022:
'We learned many tactical and operational strategies that can enhance the performance of the chief of staff along with how to stay focused, sharp, and ensure continuity of the organisation and guarantee that the organisation is a healthy, safe, productive, and inclusive work environment. The learning sharpened my skills to perform in the highest executive level environment.'

Rodney Leon, Chief of Staff & Head of Trade Compliance Services, Global Tax at Glaxo Smith Kline, attended the programme in September 2022:
'The chief of staff executive programme’s unique experience has had a profound impact on me. The expertise of the presenters, the exceptional topics covered, and the collaborative environment generated throughout the week has helped sharpen my own skills, build confidence, and establish genuine interconnectedness with the chief of staff who attended. The relevance and practicality of the programme and how we explored the topics helped me to readily refer the experience to my day-to-day work. One example is my increased appreciation of the value of networks which has influenced how I/we manage our stakeholder relationships more effectively.'

Alistair Carns OBE MC, Chief of Staff, United Kingdom Maritime Strike Force, attended the programme in May 2022:
'The programme provided an excellent opportunity to cross-pollinate ideas and perspectives across a variety of agency, industrial, private and public sectors. The diversity of the course added real value.' Working in groups and interacting with the other course members provided a great opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences. Socialising helped build contacts and develop relationships that support further career development.'

'We will continue indefinitely - there is a huge thirst for knowledge of this quality,' at the same time, we want to reinvent and keep pushing so that the programme meets contemporary challenges.' Says Trent.

Trent concludes: 

'The word Oxford is mentioned all the time here. It's a huge part of what we do. We are genuinely proud of it.'

Oxford Chief of Staff Association Executive Education Programme

For more information on any of our programmes, please email execed@sbs.ox.ac.uk