Maria Paiva shares her path from chemical engineering to a blended Chief of Staff and HR role at a small Portuguese company, explaining how her job covers everything from people management to company strategy. She discusses working for two principals, how her company’s idea of Chief of Staff came from The West Wing, and why she often introduces herself as an HR manager due to the role’s novelty in Portugal. Maria also talks about earning team trust, organizing manager training, and balancing planned HR tasks with unpredictable Chief of Staff responsibilities.

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Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
00:56 Maria Career Path

02:55 Two CEOs And Role Origin

08:50 Balancing HR And CoS

12:07 Managing Dual Principals

16:48 Handling Principal Pushback

17:35 Scaling Leadership Structure

20:42 Outside Chief of Staff Learning Curve

27:18 Building Trust Through Listening

34:15 Advice and Closing Thoughts