Becoming the type of team member people want to partner with on key, high-profile initiatives, doesn’t come overnight. In fact, it often takes patience and an ability to earn trust with different team members.
However, for the Chief of Staff position the ability to come in and earn the trust of teammates isn’t optional. It’s essential to success in the role.
Our most recent guest on Aspiring Ops, Ben Miller, shares how his experience working alongside the CEO at Ladder has helped him realize how important it is to be patient and build trust in the Chief of Staff position.
On the latest episode of Aspiring Ops, Ben provides a glimpse into his experience in consulting at Bain, and how his experience being part of a consulting team helped him make the transition to a startup. He also shares how his first position at Ladder on the Data Science team and probabilistic thinking shapes how he thinks about building the business.
One piece of advice that stood out from our conversation with Ben was how he positioned himself for success long-term in the Chief of Staff position at Ladder. Rather than rushing into the role and placing himself in every key project. He instead took a more measured approach that ties back to the value of patience.
“You’re always better off being invited into something, than trying to insert yourself.”
We’ve heard from other guests on Aspiring Ops about how valuable building trust can be to the overall success of a strategy and operations leader. As former guest Amrit Kanesa-thasan shares, trust can be the greatest currency for a Chief of Staff.
While trust is something we all seek in our roles, understanding what it looks like or whether you have it from team members can be challenging. That’s why the example from Ben is so powerful, because it points to the direct result of trust being built.
For those first time Chiefs of Staff or those stepping into new opportunities, don’t underestimate the power of trust and the opportunities it can unlock within your company.
Interested in learning more about Ladder? Check out their site here.
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