You Don’t Need a Full-Time Chief of Staff (Yet): Here’s What to Do Instead
You’re Growing Fast. But Everything Still Runs Through You.
You’re leading meetings, approving budgets, reviewing decks, fixing miscommunication, and trying to think strategically in between pings and pings about pings.
You’ve hit that in-between stage where it’s too complex to run everything yourself BUT not quite ready for another full-time executive. And that’s exactly where most leaders start to wonder:
“Do I need a Chief of Staff?”
The reality is that you don’t necessarily need one full-time. You just need leverage; the kind a fractional Chief of Staff can bring.
Fractional Roles Are the Future of Leadership
This is literally a shift in our workforce. Companies are rethinking what “executive capacity” means and hiring seasoned leaders part-time or project-based to bring strategic firepower without adding another six-figure salary to payroll.
Fractional executive roles have increased over 100% year over year.
The number of fractional jobs overall grew by 57% between 2020 and 2022.
According to Inc., fractional Chiefs of Staff are becoming a strategic fit for growing CEOs.
The takeaway: The best companies aren’t waiting until they “qualify” for a Chief of Staff. They’re bringing in strategic leverage earlier, smarter, and more flexibly.
Full-Time vs. Fractional: What’s the Difference?
Full-Time Chief of Staff
A full-time CoS is embedded in the organization. They’re usually focused on scaling established teams, leading cross-functional alignment, and operationalizing strategy across multiple leaders.
Best for:
Enterprise or late-stage companies
Leaders managing other executives
Organizations with multiple long-term initiatives that need orchestration
Typical salary range: $150K–$250K+ depending on experience and scope.
Fractional Chief of Staff
A fractional CoS brings the same strategic capability, just with focus. They operate part-time (often 10–25 hours a week) but with senior-level expertise, building structure, alignment, and accountability systems.
Best for:
Founder-led or fast-scaling organizations (think 10–200 employees)
Teams drowning in “good chaos” (… that’s a thing, right?!)
Leaders craving clarity and follow-through before adding more headcount
Typical model: Retained monthly engagement or project-based partnership.
Think of it like this: a full-time Chief of Staff builds the machine. A fractional Chief of Staff helps you get the machine running smoothly while you grow into the next stage.
Why “Fractional” Doesn’t Mean “Less”
Fractional leadership just means that human is focused on what matters most. (Not just less stuff.) You still get:
High-level strategic partnership
Operational design and implementation
Communication systems and meeting cadences
Decision support and accountability
The difference is that you’re paying for outcomes, not hours.
And because fractional Chiefs of Staff tend to work across multiple companies, they bring a broad view of best practices, growth models, and systems thinking that can accelerate your trajectory.
How to Decide Which Is Right for You
Ask yourself:
Are you spending more time coordinating than creating?
Do decisions stall because people wait on you?
Do you need better structure, but not ready for another full-time exec?
Are your ideas clear but execution inconsistent?
If you nodded yes to at least two, you’re ready for fractional support.
If you’re already running a multi-layer leadership team with established operational rhythms, you may be ready for full-time partnership.
Either way, the question is about leverage.
The right Chief of Staff expands your capacity as a leader. Whether fractional or full-time, they make it possible to scale with sanity.
The Bottom Line
You don’t have to wait until you “deserve” a Chief of Staff. You just have to recognize that your time and energy are your most valuable assets, and they deserve protection and structure.
If you’re scaling quickly, leading too many moving parts, or simply craving more clarity, fractional might be your smartest next move.
Considering hiring a Chief of Staff?
Whenever You’re Ready, Here Are 3 Ways We Can Work Together:
Follow Me on LinkedIn. For insights on leadership, clarity, and getting the most out of the Chief of Staff role. Follow along for quick hits and real talk about making work work.
Hire Me as Your Chief of Staff. Not sure if you need a Chief of Staff? Let’s talk it through. Book a quick discovery call to find the right fit for where you’re headed.
Collaborate With Me. Work with ambitious leaders, too? Let’s dream up a win-win: podcasts, panels, trainings, or creative partnerships that help more people lead well and live well.
