India, Oct. 18 -- Most CEOs rely on a trusted chief of staff to help manage their workload and coordinate priorities. But Covista CEO Steve Beard takes a different approach, treating the position as a temporary leadership role rather than a permanent appointment. In five years at the healthcare education company, he has hired four chiefs of staff, each bringing different expertise to meet his changing needs.

Since taking charge of Covista five years ago, Beard has appointed four chiefs of staff, allowing some overlap between appointments to maintain continuity. His first hire specialised in finance, the second in strategy, the third in technology, and the fourth, who joined recently, in management consulting.

"Each of my chiefs of staff...