Chief of Staff, Coach, Consultant, Concierge or Centerfugue
Something has landed on your desk, and you are trying to work out who to call. A chief of staff? A coach? A consultant? Someone who just handles things?
They are all good at what they do. They just do different things. Here is a plain guide to each one, so you can call the right person the first time.
A chief of staff
A chief of staff runs the organisation alongside you. They keep the priorities straight, chase the follow-ups, prepare the meetings and make sure the leadership team pulls in one direction. Many work part-time now, for several founders at once, on a monthly retainer.
A good chief of staff sits inside your team and knows everything. That is their great strength. It is also why some problems can never go to them, because they are part of the situation.
Call a chief of staff when you need the business itself to run better, week after week.
A coach
A coach works on you: how you think, how you lead, how you decide. They ask the questions nobody else in your building will ask, and they help you see your own blind spots.
When the session ends, the problem is still yours to carry out. A good coach would say that is the point.
Call a coach when you want to grow as a leader, or think something through before you act on it yourself.
A management consultant
A consultant studies your organisation and tells you what they think you should do. The best ones bring hard data, a fresh pair of eyes and experience from many other companies. Usually the client is the company and the report goes to the board or the leadership team.
Once the recommendation is delivered, your people do the work of making it happen.
Call a consultant when the company needs a diagnosis and a plan, and you have the team to carry the plan out.
A concierge
A concierge handles logistics and lifestyle: the bookings, the travel, the tables nobody else can get, the errands that eat your weekends. The good ones are fast, well connected and very discreet.
They take care of the arrangements around a problem. The sensitive judgement calls stay with you.
Call a concierge when you need your time back from the practical side of life.
And then there is the lonely problem
Sometimes the problem fits none of those boxes. It is too sensitive for your chief of staff, too practical for your coach, too personal for a consultant and far too serious for a concierge. It needs someone to take it away and actually deal with it.
That is where I come in. I am Linda, and Centerfugue is how I work: give me the problem you cannot hand to your team, and I will take it, make it mine, and bring it back resolved.
I have no stake in your situation, I do the work myself, and I see it through to the outcome we agreed.
- No stake. I sit outside your organisation, your board and your family. I am an independent person in your corner.
- I do the work myself. I gather the facts, lay out your options, go to the meeting instead of you, or sort out the mess after something went wrong. You make the decisions. I carry them out.
- Through to the outcome. Before I start, we agree what done looks like and roughly how long it should take. One problem, a clear scope, a clear finish. Then it is mine until it is done.
The quick guide
Swipe to see the whole table on a phone.
| Chief of staff | Coach | Consultant | Concierge | Centerfugue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who they work for | You and your organisation | You | Your company | You | You |
| What they do | Run operations alongside you | Help you think and grow | Diagnose and recommend | Handle logistics and lifestyle | Take one problem and resolve it |
| Who does the work | They do, with your team | You do | Your team does | They do the arrangements | I do |
| How long | Ongoing | Ongoing sessions | A project | Ongoing membership | One case, from a few days to a few months |
| Best for | A business that needs to run better | A leader who wants to grow | A company that needs a plan | A life that needs its time back | A problem with nowhere sensible to go |
Sometimes you need two of them. A founder with a great chief of staff may still have one problem the chief of staff cannot touch. If what you need is someone else entirely, I will happily tell you who, even if it is not me.
Still not sure who to call?
Tell me what has landed on your desk. The first conversation is confidential and free, and you do not need to have it all figured out first. If it is a fit, we agree what done looks like. If it is not, I will point you to the right person. You can also try the Who do I call? sorter.
Start a confidential conversation →