Leveraging Leadership Q&A: Practical Ways Chiefs of Staff Can Collaborate Laterally
Apr 29, 2026
Practical tactics for Chiefs of Staff to collaborate across teams are explored in short, actionable ideas. Tips include quick workflow fixes, small thoughtful gestures, and owning cross-department projects like KPI dashboards. Automation and training to sustain improvements are highlighted. Strategies for handling and overcoming peer resistance with empathy and measurable wins are discussed.
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Find Small Workflow Wins First
- Do hunt for small workflow fixes to build trust quickly.
- Emily recommends mapping a peer's day, cutting redundant steps, and giving keyboard shortcuts or automations that save repeated minutes every day.
CTO Bought A Camera Cover And It Mattered
- Tiny gestures can create outsized goodwill across peers.
- Emily shares a story where a new CTO bought and installed a sliding camera cover for her laptop, a small practical gift that felt meaningful and helpful.
Run Cross Functional Initiatives As Your Entry Point
- Do lead cross-functional initiatives that naturally require many peers to participate.
- Emily suggests KPI dashboards, benefits or performance review overhauls as CoS-sized projects that create legitimate reasons to collaborate.