Introduction
In this insightful episode of the Chief of Staff podcast — titled Toolbox Talk —, David Nebinski talked with Maria Mejia, Chief of Staff at Emmersion Capital, and Lauren Stein, Chief of Staff at GrowthLoop, about leveraging software, hacks, and efficient workflows. This episode delves into the practical strategies these CoS leaders use to enhance productivity and effectiveness in their roles.
How They Became Chiefs of Staff
Maria shared her journey of discovering her passion for operational roles. After researching opportunities in the U.S. that accommodated international hires, she landed her Chief of Ctaff role at Emmersion Capital. Lauren echoed that, emphasizing the appeal of the Chief of Ctaff role in offering a challenging yet rewarding career path.
Key Tools and Approaches
Tools Maria Uses
- you.com: This AI companion assists Maria with research and organizing information from various sources like medical journals and financial documents. She appreciates its user-friendly interface and intuitive features that streamline her research tasks.
- Notion: Maria uses Notion for task management, projects, and calendar views for reminders. Its integrations with Slack and other tools make it helpful for her daily work.
- Fellow: This tool helps with recording and summarizing meetings, extracting action items efficiently, which is particularly beneficial for longer meetings.
Tools Lauren Uses
- Glean: An AI search tool that connects multiple platforms (Google Drive, Slack, Notion), enabling comprehensive information retrieval across the company's data repositories.
- Clockwise: This calendar management tool creates “focus time” blocks, optimizing workdays filled with back-to-back meetings and ensuring Lauren has time to focus on her to-do list and big-picture thinking.
- Monday.com: Initially adopted by the engineering team, this project management tool integrates with various platforms and aligns cross-functional tasks, helping the entire organization meet deadlines and streamline project communication.
Implementation Challenges and Successes
Both Maria and Lauren discussed the challenges of introducing new tools within their organizations. Maria highlighted the resistance to change, with team members preferring familiar tools. To overcome this same challenge, Lauren shared a success story of implementing Monday.com by gradually demonstrating its benefits and ensuring it addressed team needs incrementally. Both emphasized the importance of aligning tools with company goals for successful adoption.
Role Responsibilities
Maria Majia
As Chief of Staff at a holding company, Maria's responsibilities involve managing multiple tasks in smaller companies, ensuring task alignment with goals, and overall organization. Tools like Monday.com and Notion are critical in tracking KPIs and facilitating smooth operations.
Lauren Stein
Lauren supports the President and CEO while also overseeing HR, finance, partnerships, and more. She focuses heavily on internal communications and company-wide reporting, managing the executive team, and ensuring executive alignment trickles down across teams. Tools like Glean and Clockwise help streamline her diverse responsibilities.
Integration of AI and Technology
While AI tools enhance productivity, both Chiefs of Staff emphasized the importance of the human element in their roles. They advocate for a balance with adopting new tools and maintaining tried-and-true manual work where appropriate — ensuring the software complements rather than complicates their workflow.
Conclusion
The discussion underlines that while AI tools and software can elevate productivity, the human touch is irreplaceable in the Chief of Staff role. For more insights, listen to the full episode here. If you want to connect with 900+ CoS and become a member of the Chief of Staff Network, you can do so at www.chiefofstaff.network
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