hit the ground running
Your Playbook For Becoming An Indispensable Chief Of Staff
You don’t ease into the Chief of Staff role. You step in and quickly realize things are already in motion. Your leader is moving. The organization is moving. And from day one, you’re expected to keep pace while building trust, creating clarity, and driving execution.
The way you show up in the first 90 days defines your credibility and your long-term impact. Yet most Chiefs of Staff are left to figure it out as they go. Author Laurie Arron steps in to deliver a practical, experience-driven playbook that creates clarity and helps you take action with confidence from the start.
“This is an operating tool for leaders who are tired of rework, slowdecisions, and vague ownership. The Handshake Meeting helps two leaders get aligned fast, set clear commitments, and hold each other accountable without unnecessary friction as conditions change. Laurie’s framework is simple, but it’s not soft. It saves time, prevents expensive misalignment, and keeps partnerships strong when the pace picks up.”
— JACK BAUM
In hIT THE GROUND RUNNING, you’ll learn how to:
Build immediate trust and become a reliable extension of your leader
Clarify your role, decision rights, and where to lead versus support
Create structure and momentum in environments that lack both
Navigate complexity, politics, and pressure with composure
Avoid early missteps that quietly limit your effectiveness
This book brings together the essential tools, frameworks, and guidance to help you establish yourself quickly and operate at a high level in one of the most demanding roles in an organization. For leaders, it serves as an onboarding guide, aligning your Chief of Staff on what matters most in the first 90 days without requiring constant direction. Together you’ll create the conditions for a strong partnership and meaningful impact from the start.
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
"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 bestsellers Uncharted: 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
"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 tap into their fullest expression as leaders, both for themselves and for the powerful impact they want to have on others. Laurie guides her clients to navigate the hard turns and pivot when they reach that internal dead-end of “no more.” She helps leaders not only emerge but thrive.
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 Litvin 4PC, an invitation-only, exclusive community for some of the world’s most extraordinary coaches. Laurie enjoys serving her community through boards and her philanthropic passions. She is also a dedicated member of the Texas Women’s Leadership Institute. She enjoys traveling, cooking, working out, and spending quality time with her family.