About

Beth Knost, Fractional Chief of Staff

She doesn't just tell you what to do. She diagnoses the friction, builds the plan, and does the work. The goal isn't a long-term dependency. It's a foundation solid enough that the right person or team can run it without her. The result is 10 to 15 hours a week back in your hands.

She spent years as a Chief of Staff and Director of Operations inside Microsoft's incubation teams. One of her first moves on a new team was inheriting a budget process that consumed hours of leadership time every month and produced arguments instead of decisions. She replaced it with something automatic and clear. Prep time dropped 40%. Leadership stopped debating the numbers and started using them.

The hardest problems don't show up on a spreadsheet at all. When two critical leaders have stopped speaking, or a founder has lost the trust of their team, the business grinds to a halt because of the silence. Beth walks into that room. She reads what isn't being said and addresses it directly, without the corporate polish that usually makes these situations worse.

"Beth walks in, assesses fast, and runs with it. She doesn't wait to be told what to do and doesn't need her hand held. The leaders she supports trust her. She's a thought partner and a safe place, someone you can think out loud with and know it stays there."

Because the work requires full presence, Beth works with a small number of leaders at a time. That's not a capacity constraint. It's a quality one.

Contact: beth@highwater.llc