Clara Ma was thrilled to become Chief of Staff at Hugging Face, an AI software company focused on natural language processing. It was 2020, and she was looking forward to working with and learning from the CEO — a multi-time founder —and helping the company grow from its early Series A stage.
“It was an incredible chance to learn directly from someone who had already seen success,” Clara said, “all while contributing to the growth of an innovative startup.”
The job was Clara’s first foray into the Chief of Staff role. The position is meant to be a trusted partner who can give an executive more time to focus on their expertise — their “zone of genius,” as Clara calls it — but as Clara had questions, she realized there were limited resources to support Chiefs of Staff, particularly in the corporate and startup space. So she turned to LinkedIn and began asking other Chiefs of Staff for 15-minute coffee chats. She took notes from their experiences about what worked and what didn’t.
That shortage of information about the role stuck with Clara. Two years later, she decided to create the support she wished she had.
Today, she is the founder and CEO of Ask a Chief of Staff, a resource hub and community dedicated to helping aspiring and current Chiefs of Staff connect, learn, and grow professionally.
Making stories resonate
Clara believes a great Chief of Staff focuses on shaping company culture, managing day-to-day operations, and supporting big-picture strategy. The best Chiefs of Staff have one thing in common: they’re effective storytellers.
“Storytelling is a crucial skill for a Chief of Staff because so much of the role involves connecting people, ideas, and priorities,” Clara said. “Ultimately, storytelling is how Chiefs of Staff turn strategy into action, data into meaning, and challenges into opportunities for growth.”
To succeed as a Chief of Staff, you need to distill complex information into clear, compelling narratives that align stakeholders, build consensus, and ultimately drive action. You need to be able to do more than deliver facts. You have to provide context and clarity so employees are able to see the bigger picture and feel motivated to help pursue a larger goal.
Storytelling is what makes that happen.
“Whether it’s presenting a strategic vision to the executive team, rallying employees around a cultural initiative, or framing updates for the board, storytelling helps make the message resonate,” Clara said. “At its core, storytelling is the bridge between strategy and execution — it turns ideas into momentum.”
Creating community
Storytelling is not just something Clara teaches to be a more impactful Chief of Staff — it’s a skill she uses herself as CEO.
“Storytelling is at the heart of what we do at Ask a Chief of Staff,” she said. “I use storytelling to create relatability and inspire engagement by sharing personal experiences from my time as a Chief of Staff. We also use storytelling to highlight how Chiefs of Staff in our community have thrived, often through testimonials and success stories, which help others see the tangible value of being part of our network.”
That network is currently made up of more than 450 members and 9,500 newsletter subscribers.
While Clara is focused on helping other Chiefs of Staff, she also educates executives about the role and helps them find the right person for their position. To date, Ask a Chief of Staff has helped more than 40 CEOs and executives find a Chief of Staff.
That success is part of the larger Ask a Chief of Staff story.
“I truly believe community accelerates careers,” Clara said. “By bringing together Chiefs of Staff from all walks of life, we can share knowledge, support each other, and ultimately help more people thrive in this unique and impactful role.”
3 storytelling lessons for you
1) Follow a basic framework
Clara structures stories around challenges and resolutions because they provide a natural arc that keeps people engaged. It’s a simple framework to follow for any story. Start with a challenge, explain how it was addressed, and then end with a positive note or insight.
2) Talk to other people
When Clara needed to learn more about the Chief of Staff role, she had coffee chats with other Chiefs of Staff. To be a better storyteller, you need to talk with other storytellers. Learn about who they are, what they do, and how they approach storytelling in their role.
3) Realize authenticity matters
Clara found that storytelling is most effective when it includes real-life examples, especially the mistakes and challenges she faced. Those are the moments that resonate most deeply. Being open and transparent with your audience also keeps your content engaging and builds trust.