If you're running a muffler factory, you concentrate on getting mufflers out. You focus on something specific, not the big picture. You simply can't learn everything you need to know to run an organization from a single line job or even a series of different line jobs. With a series, you'll know more, but you still won't have the overview of the whole operation. By taking the right staff job, you can get that big picture, plus broader experience.
Staff positions work a different set of muscles than line jobs do.
You might more often find interdepartmental work part of your responsibilities. Staff positions offer a window on corporate politics that most line positions lack. In addition, the right staff job at headquarters will give you an overview of the overall business. You'll learn how information moves from the field to headquarters, how headquarters deals with it and how decisions are made. Inc. All Rights Reserved.