Advanced module Chief of Staff

Introduction to strategic corporate management

• Strategy as a central component of entrepreneurial activity.
• Goals and challenges in strategy development - pitfalls and solutions.
• Difference between operational and strategic management.
• The role of the assistant in the strategy process: thinking - steering - shaping.

Method and toolbox for strategic assistance

• Strategy pillars: Understanding vision and mission and translating them into day-to-day business.
• SWOT analysis for practical use: structured evaluation of projects and decisions.
• Translate strategic intent into concrete measures.
• Stakeholder analysis: recognizing interests, strategically maintaining relationships.

Supporting and managing strategic projects

• From operational task manager to strategic project co-pilot.
• Recognize and mitigate obstacles in the implementation of strategies.
• Develop measures and action plans: from a rough target to a concrete to-do list.
• KPI and OKR methodology: translating targets into measures and controlling them.

Communication as the key to the strategy process

• Communication as a success factor in strategic projects: From information to impact.
• Efficiently manage the "Strategy" project: status reports, milestone updates & escalation.
• Accompanying change management: Guiding employees and teams through change.
• Recognize resistance and turn it into opportunities.

The assistant as co-pilot in the strategy process

• The role in the strategy cockpit: responsibility, influence and scope.
• Show presence and raise profile in strategic projects.
• The toolbox for practice: tools & methods with impact.
• From training to the company: Planning implementation in your own environment.

Gain clarity about your new role, develop your own management style and learn how to use important management tools in a targeted manner.

Gaining orientation in the new role

Distinguish between managerial and technical work.

Shaping the relationship with employees and superiors.

Get to know and use different management styles.

Communication & networking within the organization and externally.

Conducting conversations in critical situations

Confident, situational handling of the individuality of employees.

Conflicts between employees.

Dealing with emotions.

Management tools and tasks in practice

Delegate professionally.

Recognize and motivate.

Agree goals, define processes, clarify roles.

Hold discussions with employees.

Give appropriate feedback.

Reflection on your own leadership behavior

Appear clearly.

Learning from mistakes.

Gain confidence in the new role, recognize and build on strengths.

Comparison of self-image and external image.

Individual practical cases & collegial case consultation

Data literacy - the 1x1 of data

Building data literacy - assessing and understanding company data.

Structure data and derive hypotheses.

Advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing, cloud computing, analytics platforms.

Smart data science - recognizing data potential

Get to know buzzwords in the field of data science.

Data analysis and visualization with on-board tools such as Microsoft Excel or Power BI.

Use of data analyses, such as reporting, evaluations and budget planning.

Processing of participants' own practical cases.

Optimize digital reporting

Cleansing of data in Microsoft Excel or Power BI.

Preparatory measures for Excel or Power BI forecast analyses.

Visualize data

International Business Communication Standards (IBCS®).

Use visualization tools.

Data storytelling: letting data speak - in a way that everyone can understand.

Strategic AI competencies in the company

In an increasingly digitalized world, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a decisive factor for entrepreneurial success.

This module provides the necessary knowledge to use AI as a strategic tool in your company. You will learn how AI projects are initiated and evaluated, which ethical and legal aspects need to be considered and how AI can help drive innovation, increase operational efficiency and make data-based decisions.

This module offers valuable impulses for making forward-looking decisions as Chief of Staff and transforming companies sustainably.

Final presentation & colloquium: "My journey - my role"

In the final examination, a colloquium takes place and the participants give a presentation in plenary. The subject of the presentation is the participants' individual projects, which, under the motto "My journey - my role", document the participants' development during the course, strengthen their own position in the company in a targeted manner and make the potential of the role as Chief of Staff visible.

The final session is for sharing, reflecting and deepening your own insights. It provides a space to share experiences, receive inspiration and reflect on personal growth. As the certification takes place in class, there is always the opportunity to exchange ideas with the other participants as learning mentors, to learn from each other and to support each other.