Hi there!

Hi there! Over the past few years, I have been writing about all things Chief of Staff, Executive Operations and Office of the CEO on LinkedIn. I’ve compiled these writings into The Chief of Staff Playbook, 2nd Edition.

Who this playbook is for

-Founders & CEOs who want to let go and do more by hiring a Chief of Staff
-Chiefs of Staff looking to leave a legacy by building the CEO's Office
-Executive Assistants exploring the next step in their ExecOps career
-Chief of Staff Job Seekers looking to become an executive’s right hand
-Professionals who want to partner better with their fellow Chief of Staff

Happy reading,

-Mackenzie Lee, Cedar CEO

Here’s what readers are saying.

  • "My friend sent me this and it is absolute gold, thank you for putting this together in such a readable and engaging package."

    -Chief of Staff, Series C Healthcare Startup

  • "Fascinating content and a real passion; can't wait to read it!"

    -Partner, IBM, US Financial Services Practice

  • "What an amazing resource (thank you!), especially for someone like me, who has pivoted into the Chief of Staff role."

    -Director, Chief of Staff, Google, UX Design Practice

  • “I can’t explain how valuable this type of playbook is to the community - I was a Chief of Staff at my last company and I would have killed for a copy of this!”

    -Meta Program Manager & ex-Chief of Staff, Series A Startup

  • "Quick read, great content, and more people need to download!"

    -Senior Director, Commercial Strategy & Analytics, Fortune 1000 Company, ex-Accenture consultant

Get Your Free Copy

Playbook update

I released the 1st Edition of my playbook in February 2023 to my humble LinkedIn audience. Since then, it’s made an industry impact on 3,000+ professionals working at companies like OpenAI, McKinsey & Company and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

And over the past year, I’ve continued to write furiously on all things related to ExecOps, Chief of Staff and CEO Office. These novel insights are pulled from my conversations with Chiefs of Staff at orgs like VMware, the US Navy and Citi as well as my firm’s consulting work for leaders at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), a top legaltech startup and a confidential private-equity backed company, among others. This has inspired me to update the playbook.

I’m pleased to report that the 2nd Edition includes 26 new pages of content, covering Chief of Staff 101; How to hire a Chief of Staff; How to get a Chief of Staff job; How to start building the CEO Office; How to become an elite Chief of Staff; How to build C-suite operating systems and more.

What's next

Stay tuned for a dedicated playbook roadshow where I speak in-person and on LinkedIn Live on specific chapters. Intimate roundtables with top Chiefs of Staff to follow where we review best practices and troubleshoot common problems. Finally, The Office of the CEO Playbook, Office of the CEO community and CEO Office research... much more to come. You can find links to everything here.

About the Author

Mackenzie Lee, CEO & Founder

Mackenzie is the CEO & Founder of Cedar. He helps CEOs and their C-suite teams to let go and do more. He gives leaders the freedom to do things that matter.

Mackenzie fights C-suite distractions, busywork and blockers. He helps his clients to hire a Chief of Staff, build the Office of the CEO, and implement operating systems that turn executives into fast and fearless leaders.

As a former management consultant, startup founder and Chief of Staff, Mackenzie has extensive experience partnering with C-suite to scale new heights, no matter what challenges they face.

Mackenzie has worked with leaders from Fortune 3000 companies, top scaleups, private equity-backed companies, and government organizations, with a particular focus on professional services, technology and sciences industries. He’s advised executives at Google, Palantir, Citi, and the Department of Energy among other top organizations.

Mackenzie is a sought-after speaker, researcher, and thought leader on all things related to leadership, Chief of Staff and the Office of the CEO. He is a graduate of the Stanford StartX accelerator, proud Stanford engineering alum and now lives in New York City.