All COOs are Second-in-Commands, but
Not all Second-in-Commands are COOs. 🤯
The difference explained:
𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱-𝗶𝗻-𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱
Go-to person that you, as the business owner, lean on.
Enjoys doing the things you hate:
Systems thinker who is good at developing processes.
Great at staying on top of details and getting things done.
Still very hands-on.
Naturally aware of who is doing what and where things are falling through the cracks.
Deeply committed to you, the team, and the success of the company.
Moved up into the role (regardless of title) from inside so they really understand the company and have a unique perspective on challenges and opportunities.
Probably already the person staff goes to first when they have questions.
Often the first leadership team member.
Sometimes not comfortable speaking up when they feel an idea needs to be assessed before being implemented.
Support and upskilling can help them become a true strategic partner (because they don’t know what they don’t know).
Can continue on in an operations leadership role if/when a fractional for full-time COO is brought in.
𝗖𝗢𝗢
True strategic partner to you, the business owner & the leadership team.
Enjoys doing the things you hate (systems, processes, details, follow-through) and creating consistency.
Has been there before & helped other companies scale.
Leads the leadership team and provides continuity.
Will push back and have tough conversations with you and other leadership team members.
Has more of an owner’s mindset and understands what’s best for the company as a whole.
Generally, has an operations leader to handle some of the detail work.
Often responsible for profit & loss (P&L).
Remember:
Partnering with your Second-in-Command now,
as you work your way up to hiring a COO,
is the ultimate business hack.
