As Global Head of Research & Leadership Advisory at JRG Partners, I have watched this play out across hundreds of executive searches, and the pattern is clear enough to write down. Companies use the Chief of Staff role tactically, to extend an executive’s capacity, and miss its strategic potential as a leadership-development engine. The Chief of Staff role, built deliberately into succession plans, is one of the most powerful accelerators for developing future leaders, because it gives high-potentials executive-level exposure and judgment that few other roles provide.
Key Takeaways
- Companies use Chief of Staff tactically and miss its development potential.
- The role gives high-potentials rare executive-level exposure and judgment.
- Built into succession plans, it accelerates the development of future leaders.
- Chiefs of Staff frequently move into significant leadership roles.
- Treating the role as a development engine, not just support, unlocks its value.
The Underused Development Potential
Companies typically deploy the Chief of Staff role tactically, to extend a senior executive’s capacity, and stop there, missing its strategic value as a leadership-development accelerator. The role offers a high-potential leader something rare: proximity to executive-level decisions, exposure to the full breadth of the business, and the chance to develop executive judgment, all under the mentorship of a senior leader. Used deliberately as a development engine, the Chief of Staff role can accelerate a future leader’s growth far faster than conventional paths, a potential most companies leave untapped.
Why It Accelerates Development
The Chief of Staff role accelerates development because it provides experiences that build executive capability quickly: exposure to how senior decisions are actually made, breadth across the whole business, involvement in strategic and cross-functional work, and mentorship from the executive they serve. A high-potential in this role develops executive judgment, perspective, and relationships far faster than they would in a functional role, learning the executive level by proximity to it. This concentrated exposure is what makes the role such a powerful accelerator for the right person.
Building It Into Succession Plans
The strategic move is building the Chief of Staff role deliberately into succession plans: using it as a development assignment for high-potentials being groomed for larger roles, rotating promising leaders through it to accelerate their readiness. This turns the role from a support function into a succession-development tool, a fast track that prepares future leaders through executive-level exposure. Companies that build the role into their succession planning create a powerful pipeline; those that use it only tactically leave its development value on the table.
Where Chiefs of Staff Go
The development value of the role is evidenced by where Chiefs of Staff go: frequently into significant leadership roles, P&L leadership, functional leadership, or senior positions, having used the role as a springboard. The executive exposure and judgment the role builds prepare its holders for advancement, which is why strong Chiefs of Staff so often move on to larger roles. Recognizing this trajectory, and designing the role as a deliberate step toward it, is part of using the Chief of Staff role as the accelerator it can be.
Designing the Role for Development
To realize its development potential, the Chief of Staff role should be designed for it: filled with high-potentials being developed, structured to provide genuine executive exposure and stretch, supported by real mentorship, and treated as a time-bound development assignment leading to a next role, rather than a permanent support position. Designed this way, the role accelerates leadership development powerfully; designed only as ongoing support, it does not. The difference is whether the company treats the Chief of Staff role as a development engine or merely a capacity extender.
What This Looks Like in Practice
In practice, using the Chief of Staff role as a career accelerator means filling it with high-potentials being groomed for larger roles, structuring it to provide genuine executive-level exposure, breadth, and stretch under real mentorship, and treating it as a time-bound development assignment that leads to a next leadership role. Built deliberately into succession plans as a fast track, the role develops future leaders far faster than conventional paths, and its holders frequently move into significant leadership positions, realizing the development value that tactical use leaves untapped.
The Mistake Employers Keep Making
The mistake is using the Chief of Staff role purely tactically, as a permanent capacity extender for a senior executive, and missing its potential as a leadership-development accelerator, leaving the executive exposure and judgment it can build unused for developing future leaders. Companies that treat the role only as support forgo a powerful succession tool. The fix is building the role deliberately into succession plans as a development assignment for high-potentials, designed to accelerate their readiness for larger roles.
The Bottom Line
The Chief of Staff role, built deliberately into succession plans as a development assignment for high-potentials, is one of the most powerful accelerators for developing future leaders, because it provides rare executive-level exposure and judgment, and companies that use it only tactically leave that development value untapped. The difference between employers who get this right and those who don’t is rarely resources; it is discipline, clarity, and the willingness to act on what they already know.
Related Reading
For employers going deeper, see What Does a Chief of Staff Do at the Executive Level, What Is a Development Assignment, Rotational Leadership Programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How is the Chief of Staff role a career accelerator?
- A: It provides high-potentials rare executive-level exposure, breadth across the business, and judgment under senior mentorship, accelerating their development for larger roles.
- Q: Why does the role accelerate development?
- A: Because it offers proximity to how senior decisions are made, breadth across the whole business, strategic involvement, and mentorship, building executive capability quickly.
- Q: How do you build the role into succession plans?
- A: By using it as a time-bound development assignment for high-potentials being groomed for larger roles, rotating promising leaders through it to accelerate readiness.
- Q: Where do Chiefs of Staff typically go?
- A: Frequently into significant leadership roles, P&L, functional, or senior positions, having used the role as a springboard.
- Q: How should the role be designed for development?
- A: Filled with high-potentials, structured for genuine executive exposure and stretch under mentorship, and treated as a development assignment leading to a next role.
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Tanya Gallardo
Managing Director, Executive Search & AI Talent Strategy
Tanya Gallardo is the Managing Director of Executive Search & AI Talent Strategy at JRG Partners, leading C-suite and Board engagements across key growth sectors including Technology, Financial Services, and Manufacturing.
With over 18 years of experience specializing in disruptive technology leadership, Tanya is recognized as a leading authority on talent architecture for future-focused executive roles, such as the Chief AI Officer (CAIO) and Chief Digital Officer (CDO). Her expertise lies in accurately assessing the cultural fit and technical depth required to ensure a high return on investment (ROI) for critical leadership appointments.
Prior to her role at JRG Partners, Tanya held senior roles directing global talent acquisition strategies at a major publicly-traded technology firm, advising on organizational design and succession planning for emerging executive functions. She is a recognized speaker and contributor to industry events, sharing data-driven insights on executive compensation, leadership development, and the measurable business impact of C-suite talent.
