Emily Sander answers a listener question from Sarah in Charlotte, a Chief of Staff handling board governance, leadership meetings, and benefits rollout. The episode covers how to build strategic relationships with the board, use back channels professionally, and avoid being seen only as admin support while keeping the founder focused and the team aligned. Real examples include collaborating with consultants and prepping the chairman for meetings.

Get in touch with Emily:
Want help building stronger board and executive relationships? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here.

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Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
00:25 Listener Question Setup

01:20 Sarah’s Challenge

03:00 Leverage Board Access

05:20 Build Allies and Backchannels

08:03 Talk Strategy Not Admin

10:30 Coach the Board on Focus

13:15 When Founders Spiral

16:07 Create More Board Touchpoints

17:48 Wrap Up and Next Steps

This compilation features conversations with four principals about why they brought on a Chief of Staff, how they built trust in the role, and the impact Chiefs of Staff had on their teams. Examples include Lawrence Coburn hiring a former intern for the role, Nikki Barua making the Chief of Staff her very first hire, and Marcus East describing the Chief of Staff as a force multiplier who connects teams. The episode highlights practical challenges and benefits, such as helping with communication, offering a trusted sounding board, and building strong team dynamics.

Get in touch with Emily:
Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.

Free Leadership Resources

LinkedIn

Website

Newsletter

Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
00:26 Why This Compilation

01:16 Lawrence Coburn

10:07 Nikki Barua

20:50 Marcus East

27:23 Bethany McAleer

Emily Sander shares why showing up as an unhurried, intentional leader matters more than always hustling. She gives practical tips like taking walks, working out, or even sipping coffee outside to set the right mindset. Chiefs of Staff and executives are encouraged to build daily habits - whether it's meditation, reading, or attending their kids’ soccer games - that help them become the kind of leader others want to follow.

Get in touch with Emily:
Want help creating space to lead more intentionally? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here: https://www.nextlevel.coach/clarity-call

Free Leadership Resources: https://nextlevel.coach/resources

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilysander/

Website: https://nextlevel.coach

Newsletter: https://emilysander.podia.com/newsletter-signup

Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
00:25 The Missing Piece of Presence

02:06 Unhurried Leadership Defined

04:35 Practices That Ground You

05:56 Choose Your Leadership Adjectives

08:04 Focus on Top Priorities

10:03 Know Thyself and Recharge

12:39 Build the Habit and Flip the Script

19:22 Recap and Next Steps

Emily Sander talks with Lindsay McCleary about her journey from project management to Chief of Staff roles in both the private sector at Binc and the public sector for the City of Charlotte. Lindsay McCleary shares how she created her own job description, built trust with leaders, and tackled challenges like internal communication and supporting a fast-growing city. She offers practical advice for Chiefs of Staff, like moving from note-taker to strategic leader and building strong relationships with principals.

Link Mentioned:
Connect with Lindsay McCleary on LinkedIn

Get in touch with Emily:
Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.

Free Leadership Resources

LinkedIn

Website

Newsletter

Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Knowledge management is explained as making sure important information flows up, down, and across an organization, using direct examples like leadership decisions being shared with teams, or customer feedback reaching the right people. The episode covers how the Chief of Staff can spot communication breakdowns and keep everyone in the loop, including situations where leaders fail to pass on updates or overreact to minor issues. Tips are offered for testing if messages actually reach people and are understood as intended.

Get in touch with Emily:
Want help improving communication flow across your organization? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here.

Free Leadership Resources

LinkedIn

Website

Newsletter

Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
00:25 Why Knowledge Management

01:45 Top Down Communication

02:37 Bottom Up Feedback Loops

03:54 Cross Org Information Flow

06:11 Leadership Message Breakdowns

08:09 Accuracy Checks Upward

09:39 Transparency Sharing Philosophy

13:48 Build Systems Stress Test Wrap

Savio P. Clemente, a two-time cancer survivor, shares how his experiences shaped his adaptive resilience leadership framework and gives practical advice for avoiding burnout and decision fatigue. The discussion covers high-pressure healthcare leadership, the importance of paying attention to your body, and why intentional silence and rest matter for Chief of Staff roles. Clemente also explains his "Aloha reboot" reset method and talks about his interviews with CEOs and CMOs on post-crisis leadership.

Links Mentioned:
Savio P. Clemente’s Website

[TEDx talk and book by Savio P. Clemente] (available via his website)

Savio P. Clemente’s Substack

Savio P. Clemente on social media:

Instagram
Tiktok
Twitter
LinkedIn

Get in touch with Emily:
Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.

Free Leadership Resources

LinkedIn

Website

Newsletter

Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
01:09 Reconnecting and Lessons on Failure

04:06 Cancer Survival and Body Awareness

07:00 Decision Fatigue Under Pressure

16:41 Post Crisis Recalibration and Aloha Reboot

18:28 Reframe and Aloha Method

23:21 Metacognition and Identity Traps

24:29 Intentional Silence Practice

33:36 Post Crisis Leadership Wrap

This episode shares practical ways to handle uncertain times at work by focusing on the tasks that need to get done no matter what. Emily Sander gives real examples, like mapping and merging data systems during a leadership shakeup, a Chief of Staff streamlining VP workflows after an acquisition, and helping two clashing teams start working better together while waiting for a new role to be filled. The main advice: find useful tasks that must happen anyway to keep progress moving and give teams direction.

Get in touch with Emily:
Need help finding strategic priorities during uncertain times? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here.

Free Leadership Resources

LinkedIn

Website

Newsletter

Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
00:25 Interim Period Question

00:39 Do What Matters Anyway

01:12 Example One Data Integration

02:55 Testing and Iterating Fast

03:21 Example Two Post Acquisition Chaos

04:43 Reorg Focus for VPs

06:43 Example Three Awkward Promotion Limbo

07:48 Fixing Two Teams Conflict

12:07 Wrap Up Keep Momentum

Andrea Cilliers shares her journey from joining the Department of Defense through a disability internship to becoming Chief of Staff for the U.S. Special Advisor on International Disability Rights. She talks about working on diversity and inclusion at the State Department, influencing global policy, and meeting leaders like Pope Francis. The episode covers how she built relationships across government, advocated for disability rights, and offers advice on leadership and hiring people with disabilities.

Link Mentioned:
Job Accommodation Network

Get in touch with Emily:
Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.

Free Leadership Resources

LinkedIn

Website

Newsletter

Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
00:58 Andrea Career Origins

02:54 State Department Explained

06:33 EEO Work at State

08:52 Serendipity to Chief of Staff

11:12 Vatican and G7 Diplomacy

14:57 Inside Vatican Meetings

21:46 Chief of Staff Playbook

34:22 Blinken Team Lessons

49:29 Advice and Disability Inclusion