Second in Command

Cameron Herold has helped grow three companies to over $100 million in revenue as a COO — Chief Operating Officer. He served as COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? as it grew from $2 million to $106 million in six and a half years. Cameron Herold is the founder of the COO Alliance, and the host of the Second In Command podcast. He is also a mentor and coach, and a lecturer at EO/MIT's Entrepreneurial Masters Program. He is a graduate of Carleton University.

Every Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has visions of growing the business. The problem is CEOs can get bogged down and drained by all the day-to-day issues and challenges. The key to giving the CEO more time for strategic thinking and action is to hire a great COO (Chief Operating Officer) to be second in command.

A good COO will be the CEO's preferred collaborator. Ideally, the COO will cover the CEO's blindspots, creating a yin and yang dynamic. The right COO will bring skills to the mix the CEO does not have, thereby fueling exponential growth. A good COO should be a force multiplier.

1. Knowing why you need a COO can be a game changer. The essence of the COO philosophy is the COO has to be great at whatever the CEO pretty much sucks at. If the CEO is outward-facing and loves getting involved in PR and sales, bringing onboard a COO is inward-facing and who can focus on operations, execution, and engineering will be great. That's why the search for a COO doesn't start with the COO — you have to start with the personality of the CEO and what they need.

2. How to hire just the right COO for your company. The key to hiring the right COO is to have a clear picture of the type of person you're trying to hire first. Figure out who would be the yin to your CEO's yang. The aim is to create a well rounded dynamic between the CEO and the COO that will add value to your organization. Once you truly know what you need, you can then start looking for the right person in your personal network, and through smart search mechanisms.

3. How to work with a COO to achieve great results. Once you have the right COO, it's then time to enjoy the synergies they can generate. Achieving that is generally a four-step process which goes something like this:

1. The key to helping a CEO grow their business is to give them a good Chief Operating Officer (COO) to handle all the internal stuff.
2. When you get a CEO and COO collaborating, it's like adding a booster rocket to your business. Exponential growth can result.

It makes logical sense the key to growing a business is to get a strong Chief Operating Officer (COO) in place. That way the CEO can think strategically, while the COO takes care of all the tactical and internal day-to-day challenges. That's the essence of this week's book, THE SECOND IN COMMAND, written by the highly experienced COO Cameron Herold, who helped grow three different companies to more than $100 million in revenue as a COO.

The book makes the point when you get a great CEO and an equally great COO collaborating, the COO will cover the CEO's blindspots, very much a yin yang dynamic. He or she will bring to the table skills the CEO lacks, and can become the rocket fuel for growth. Having an effective COO become the second in command in an organization genuinely can be a force multiplier, and set your business on fire.

As Cameron Herold notes, "The COO is like a booster rocket. They push you higher and higher. And when they burn out at a certain level, which they usually do, you can hire a new one to take you to the next level. That’s what’s perfect about finding the right COO. Even when you feel like your business has gone as far as it can go, there’s a COO out there who can take you further."

Great book.