Issue 13: Chiefs of Staff and Chat GPT - Do they blend?
How can Chiefs of Staff take advantage of Chat GPT to automate and streamline process? PLUS an exciting new announcement!
This week’s issue is brought to you by Topknot. Topknot Time is a 1-hour, peer coaching session that features a structured conversation with a relatable peer. You bring a topic you want to explore and Topknot will provide tools, prompts, and a partner to give you the space to do so. I’ve personally done quite a few Topknot sessions myself and have found them hugely helpful in helping me process things like building my business to the more personal aspects of my life (including dating in my 30’s 😅).
One of the harder things about being a Chief of Staff is that you often don’t have peers to confide in within your workplace given the nature of your role. Topknot is perfect for finding a sounding board and speaking about your challenges without judgement. On March 28th, Topknot is featuring a work and wellness focused session. You’re encouraged to bring topics like:
A hard conversation I'm not having
Why a new title matters to me
What I want out of my next role
Sign up with the Ask a Chief of Staff referral link and your first session with Topknot is free!
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Welcome back, aspiring and current Chiefs of Staff!
I have some exciting news this week: For the last 6 months, Ask a Chief of Staff has been dedicated to matching Chiefs of Staff with executives. While we will continue to provide our bespoke placement service, we wanted to find an additional way to support the hundreds of other aspiring, current, and former Chiefs of Staff we've met.
📣 Introducing the Ask a Chief of Staff Community! We know that being a Chief of Staff can be a lonely job and that finding communal support is the best way to grow and learn in the role. Our community will provide a platform for aspiring Chiefs of Staff to learn about the role and connect with experienced Chiefs of Staff. Members will have access to resources such as job postings, mentorship opportunities, and educational content.
For current Chiefs of Staff, the community will offer a space to connect with peers and discuss best practices, challenges, and successes. Members can participate in events and workshops designed to support their growth and development in the role. Even former Chiefs of Staff can benefit from the community by staying connected with the network and accessing career development resources.
📝 Our waitlist is now open, and we're onboarding new members as early as next week! If you're an aspiring, current, or former Chief of Staff looking for your community of people, your place is here.
In this week’s issue, we’re featuring Ash Tutika. Ash is a Silicon Valley native, software company operator, and former investor. He is the Chief of Staff to the CEO at Arena, and has experience as an Innovation Manager at One Valley and Plug and Play Ventures. He also co-founded BioVirtua, a healthcare analytics startup that completed the Startupbootcamp and NASA iTech programs, and is pursuing a Master's degree in Technology Management from Georgetown University. He actively supports the Ethical AI Governance Group, which promotes responsible AI practices through its community of executives, founders and investors.
How can a Chief of Staff utilize ChatGPT to be more efficient?
As an individual who has been fortunate enough to observe the evolution of the Chief of Staff role, starting in Venture Capital and moving into corporate innovation, I now find myself occupying the Chief of Staff position at a Series A startup. In my experience, the role has evolved from being solely a support role to a strategic partner to the executive team.
The future of the Chief of Staff position is intricately linked with technological advancements, including automation, artificial intelligence, and cutting-edge tools like Chat GPT. These advancements have the potential to revolutionize the role even further.
Here are 4️⃣ ways that Chiefs of Staff can utilize Chat GPT:
1️⃣ Recruiting: the recruiting function is a fundamental aspect of any organization, and the Chief of Staff holds a critical role in ensuring that the organization attracts and retains the most exceptional talent. The use of Chat GPT can streamline the recruiting process, allowing Chief of Staffs to dedicate more attention to complex tasks while the AI tool sifts through resumes, schedules interviews, and fields routine inquiries from candidates. Here are a few use cases for Chat GPT and generative AI related to recruiting.
Summarize a candidate’s LinkedIn profile or resume, and identify key alignment with the job description or vision for the executive role.
Ask Chat GPT to prepare a list of case questions for an executive interview, and tie it back to the candidate’s profile and background.
Record the interview with Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai, AI note-taking assistants, and summarize the interview script using Chat GPT to provide 5 key bullets and actionable next steps.
2️⃣ Managing OKRs: AI tools can also automate defining, tracking, and reporting of OKRs. Chat GPT can gather data from diverse sources (such as Slack, previous meeting notes, etc.), providing Chief of Staffs with real-time updates that allow them to pivot strategies as needed. GoalsGPT by Tability is a great example. It’s an innovative tool that helps you define OKRs for a specific role, vertical, or organization. Using automation tools in conjunction with software such as Lattice, or Clickup, can help to improve your people operation team’s efficiency
3️⃣ Sales and marketing operations: Chat GPT can support the Chief of Staff by analyzing sales and marketing data, providing recommendations and insights. Chat GPT can also assist with creating and managing marketing campaigns, automating lead generation, and offering real-time customer support.
Take for example Apollo.io, who recently announced they are embedding generative AI assistants within their sales engagement tool. This feature can automate the process of drafting sales, marketing, or even outbound recruiting copy. You can also ask generative AI tools to summarize the key pain points that a specific persona or title faces within an industry, or help to dissect competitive differentiation between products.
4️⃣ Fundraising and strategy: Automation and generative AI tools can offer support by analyzing data, providing valuable insights, and helping create and manage fundraising campaigns. It can automate investor outreach and provide real-time updates on fundraising progress. Additionally, they can offer insight into market trends and competitive intelligence, which can help the Chief of Staff adjust their strategy and tactics as needed.
One great use case is exporting fundraising precedents or startup data from Crunchbase or Pitchbook and using Chat GPT or generative AI tools to summarize common trends. You can also ask AI assistants about the specific thesis of more well known funds. Tools like NFX Signal are also invaluable for finding early stage investors.
In conclusion, the Chief of Staff role has progressed significantly from its origins and continues to evolve with the integration of technological advances like automation and AI. Generative AI tools like Chat GPT can empower Chief of Staffs in a range of areas, allowing them to focus on higher-level tasks and be a more strategic partner to the executive team.
By leveraging these tools, Chief of Staffs can make a more significant impact on their organizations and drive success. I envision a future where operational roles like the Chief of Staff are empowered by automation, enabling them to oversee more strategic direction and vision of their principals.
Open Chief of Staff Roles:
Open Chief of Staff roles will now be posted in our Ask a Chief of Staff Community! Make sure you join the waitlist for early access and first look at new Chief of Staff roles that we’re hiring for 👀
Additional Chief of Staff Related Reads:
Why Non-Linear Career Paths Are The Future
Clara Ma on the Common Threads of a Good Chief of Staff, Being a Generalist, and Building Trust
Unleash Your Leadership: Showing Up As A Leader Without A Fancy Title with Clara Ma
Transform Leadership: The Modern Chief of Staff Inspires
🎥 Upcoming Workshops:
The Ask a Chief of Staff workshop calendar is starting to fill up with workshops led by Chief of Staff experts and industry leaders. Make sure to register for a chance to ask your questions live and learn from some of the top names in the Chief of Staff world! Future workshops will be available for free to members in the Ask a Chief of Staff Community.
March 22nd: Establishing Trust with Your Principal
April 4th: Calendar Strategy and Meeting Management
April 12th: Deciding What Comes After Your Chief of Staff Role
If you want to watch any previous workshops, subscribe to our YouTube page: www.youtube.com/@askachiefofstaff
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👋🏼 Until the next issue,
Clara
PS: I’m going to work hard to keep all the content in my newsletter free so that it’s accessible for everyone, but if you want to help support my writing endeavors, you can buy me a matcha 🍵 Special shoutouts to Patty, John, Leo, and David for supporting the last issue!