I've placed a lot of Chiefs of Staff. I've also watched a lot of those placements unravel within eighteen months.

The reason is almost never the candidate.

It's the principal.

Most executives hiring a Chief of Staff have never had one before. They've read about the role, spoken to a peer who swears by theirs, and decided they need one too. What they haven't done is actually thought about what they're going to give this person to do.

So they hire exceptionally well. Smart, driven, commercially sharp. Someone who left a great role because this opportunity sounded like genuine proximity to power and decision making.

Then they arrive.

And they spend the first three months booking travel, sitting in meetings they're not allowed to speak in, and wondering what happened.

The principal hasn't changed their behaviour at all. They're still making every decision alone. Still not delegating. Still treating the Chief of Staff like a very expensive EA who occasionally gets to carry the bag into the room.

This isn't a hiring problem. It's a readiness problem.

Before you hire a Chief of Staff, ask yourself one honest question — am I actually prepared to let someone into my decision making, or do I just want the title on my org chart?

If the answer is the latter, save everyone the time.