hit the ground running
Your Playbook For Becoming An Indispensable Chief Of Staff
Stepping into a Chief of Staff role can feel exhilarating, overwhelming, and high stakes all at once. Expectations are high. Trust is not automatic. And the first 90 days will shape how your leader, peers, and organization experience you for years to come.
Whether you are a newly appointed Chief of Staff trying to establish credibility quickly or a CEO hiring a Chief of Staff for the first time, success rarely happens by accident.
Inside these pages, executive coach and former Fortune 50 Chief of Staff Laurie Arron shares the real-world lessons, frameworks, and tools she learned over 27+ years at AT&T supporting senior leaders through growth, transformation, crisis, and change.
With practical guidance and hard-earned insight, you’ll learn how to navigate the invisible dynamics of the role, build trust quickly, think strategically, and create the kind of partnership that drives organizational impact from day one.
"The role of the Chief of Staff is as critical in the corner office as it is in the Oval Office, and the first 90 days often determine the success or failure of the position. Laurie Arron brings rare clarity to this critical window, offering a practical guide to building trust, navigating complexity, and establishing real impact from the start.”
— Chris Whipple, Author of The NY Times bestsellersUncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History and The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency
NAIL YOUR FIRST 90 DAYS AS A CHIEF OF STAFF
With the right approach in your first 90 days, you will be empowered to:
Build trust and credibility quickly with your leader and key stakeholders
Understand how power, influence, and decision-making truly work inside the organization
Shift from reactive problem-solving to strategic leadership and enterprise thinking
Navigate complexity, competing priorities, and organizational politics with confidence
Create strong operating rhythms, communication cadences, and alignment across teams
Become a trusted thought partner who amplifies leadership effectiveness and organizational impact
Dive in. This book will help you confidently step into the Chief of Staff role, avoid the most common early mistakes, and create meaningful momentum from the very beginning.
pRAISE FOR THE BOOK
"Most leadership books are written about the person at the front of the room. Hit the Ground Running is written for the person behind the scenes, making everything around them work better. Laurie has captured what's actually true about the Chief of Staff role: it's defined by what you make of it, and the first 90 days set the ceiling for everything that follows. A practical, honest playbook for a role that doesn't get one often enough, and the book I wish I had when I started."
— Brian Rumao, Managing Director, Next Play Ventures; former Chief of Staff to the CEO of LinkedIn
“In the first 90 days, you’re not proving you’re capable. You’re proving you’re trustworthy. That window sets the tone for how your leader will rely on you, how the team will respond to you, and how much influence you’ll ultimately have. If you get the foundation right, everything else builds from there.”
— Karen Carnevale, Former Chief of Staff, AT&T
"Early in my time working with Laurie, she repeated a lesson I resisted at first: it’s too soon to act. This book reinforces that idea with clarity — challenging the instinct to move quickly and instead building the discipline of observation and timing. It’s a valuable guide for leaders who want to create real impact, not just immediate motion.”
— Jill Spaeth Executive Business Partner and Strategic Leadership Advisor
"Most organizations underestimate the Chief of Staff role - and pay the price in misalignment and lost momentum. Laurie Arron changes that with a practical guide to getting the role right from day one.”
— Jennifer Van Buskirk - Head of Business Operations, AT&T
About The Book
About THe AUthor
Laurie Arron is the founder of Arron Coaching LLC, a premier executive coaching firm located in Dallas, Texas. She is recognized as a Top 20 Executive Coach in Dallas by Influence Digest. Laurie spent 27+ years climbing the corporate ladder at AT&T, where she gained multidimensional experience in sales leadership, strategic planning, and business transformation. Laurie also served as a Chief of Staff to senior executives.
Today, Laurie serves passionately as a trusted adviser and executive coach to C-suite executives and Chiefs of Staff. She helps her clients navigate complexity, strengthen strategic partnerships, elevate leadership impact, and build high-performing organizations. Laurie is known for helping leaders think more clearly, communicate more effectively, and lead with greater confidence and intention.
Laurie earned her executive coaching certification from Coaches Training Institute (CTI), the largest coaches training school in the world (ICF accredited). She is a member of Forbes Coaches Council and Litvin 4PC, an invitation-only, exclusive community for some of the world’s most extraordinary coaches. Laurie enjoys serving her community through boards and philanthropic passions. She enjoys traveling, cooking, working out, and spending quality time with her family.