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Fireside chat with Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks: trust, power and the real work of Chiefs of Staff

In this episode, I’m joined by Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks, author of The Right Hand, for a live fireside chat exploring what the Chief of Staff role really looks like behind closed doors — in politics, government and beyond.

Drawing on interviews with some of the world’s most senior Chiefs of Staff (from Nelson Mandela to Jacinda Ardern, Tony Blair and Justin Trudeau), we unpack the realities of trust, discretion, loneliness and proximity to power — and why this role remains both misunderstood and indispensable.

We cover:

• Should a Chief of Staff and their principal be friends?

• Why trust is the ultimate currency in the role — and how long it takes to earn

• The Chief of Staff as gatekeeper, challenger and force multiplier

• How isolating the role can be, and why informal peer networks matter so much

• What surprised Phoebe most while researching The Right Hand

• Whether AI could ever replace a Chief of Staff (short answer: no)

• Gender, visibility and discretion in Chief of Staff–principal pairings

• What Chiefs of Staff go on to do next — and why some never quite switch off

Phoebe also shares how she came to write The Right Hand, her work founding Missing Perspectives, and why the people behind the scenes often shape history more than we realise.

Links & references:

• Chiefly website: https://www.chieflycos.com

• The Right Hand by Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks - international orders: https://www.phoebesaintilanstocks.com/store/p/the-right-hand-international

• The Right Hand by Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks - Australian orders: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-right-hand-9781761355745

• Missing Perspectives: https://missingperspectives.com

• Connect with me on LinkedIn (Poppy Johnson): https://www.linkedin.com/in/ukchiefofstaffexpert

If you work as a Chief of Staff, or alongside one, this episode is a reminder of just how much judgment, empathy and invisible labour the role really demands - but also of how rewarding and exciting it can be!