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Oct 2024
20m 25s

The Chief of Staff: A CEO’s Secret Weapo...

Boston Consulting Group BCG
About this episode

Judith Wallenstein, leader of BCG’s CEO Advisory, explains how chiefs of staff help CEO’s succeed and identify the characteristics that matter most in this role. The best chiefs of staff have integrity, confidence, and a selfless commitment to their boss —becoming part of a CEO’s inner circle by staying out of the spotlight. 

Learn More: 

Judith Wallenstein: https://on.bcg.com/402EekT 

CEO Agenda: https://on.bcg.com/400T1MM 

How CEOs Can Find the Right Chief of Staff: https://on.bcg.com/3NowT7K 

CEO Moments of Truth https://on.bcg.com/TSWMoT 



This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
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