
← Second in Command: The Chief Behind the Chief with Cameron Herold8 Sept · 39 min
Ep. 606 - Arron Coaching Founder Laurie Aaron - Speak Yourself Into the Room
What does it take to sit at the right hand of three different CEOs, back to back, and make each partnership work?
In this Fan Favorite episode, Cameron Herold sits down with Laurie Aaron, former Chief of Staff at AT&T and now founder of Arron Coaching, LLC, to revisit one of the show's most clarifying conversations on a role almost nobody truly understands.
Laurie's path is rare: 30 years inside AT&T and three successive CEOs gave her a front-row seat to how the chief of staff role must reinvent itself with every leader. She breaks down what separates a chief of staff from a COO and an executive assistant, and why the best ones prevent problems the CEO never even sees.
Whether you're wondering if you need a chief of staff, or wondering if you already are one, this conversation demystifies the role end to end. Listen now.
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Timestamped Highlights
00:00 Why the Chief of Staff Role Is So Misunderstood
02:10 The Origins: From the Military to the Corporate World
04:30 What Every Effective Chief of Staff Has in Common
07:15 Chief of Staff vs. COO: Where the Roles Diverge
10:05 My Right Hand and My Left Hand: Chief of Staff vs. Executive Assistant