Claire Blood-Cheney, Chief of Staff at Abacum, talks with David Nebinski about how she’s building a lean “SWAT team” of generalists to take on ambiguous, cross-functional projects at a fast-growing Series B startup. She covers how she spots candidates’ “spikes” in interviews, how the Chief of Staff role differs from a Founder’s Associate, and why being “AI-pilled” is now a must for generalist operators.
Connect with Claire on LinkedIn!
Episode highlights:
00:30: How Claire got her role through a LinkedIn post by a VC
01:30: How startups have a growing need for adaptable operators
03:00: What Claire thinks about hiring a small and autonomous “SWAT team” around her role in this Strategic Initiatives Lead role
05:00: Why Claire wants to hire for complementary “spikes,” with generalist problem-solving as the baseline
06:45: How Claire interviews candidates and wants to learn about real ownership and depth
14:15: How Claire’s team takes on ambiguous cross-functional initiatives and helps founders stay focused on priorities
17:45: The difference between a Founder’s Associate role and a Chief of Staff role
34:00: How Claire was a center-midfielder before in soccer and how that is a useful metaphor for generalist work
38:00: There is a place for generalists and how Claire encourages people to seek out other people doing this kind work
Subscribe to the A Chief of Staff newsletter to receive the next podcast episode and information on upcoming Chief of Staff events!