Cindy Jordan is the founder and CEO of Pyx health—the first solution to loneliness aimed at helping the most vulnerable populations.
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If there’s one relationship that can make or break your company, it’s between the CEO and COO. There are different schools of thought about what the best COO has to offer the partnersihp. Does he run the day-to-day operations of the company so that the CEO can focus on external stakeholders? Do they operationalize the business strategy? Do they act as a true partner in the business or do they complement the CEO’s leadership strengths?
Whatever the COO role entails, finding the right person for the job is essential. As a CEO who has intentionally built my relationship with my COO, selecting the right candidate is more than just finding someone who complements your skills. Here’s my advice on what to look for when choosing your next COO.
Choose someone with heart.
As a business leader, especially if you are starting a new business, your COO should be passionate and committed. If their heart is in the game, they will be motivated to see the business succeed.
When evaluating candidates, you need to establish whether they believe in what you are trying to do at least as much as you do. Are they willing to do whatever it takes, even if the path isn’t clear yet? The answers must be an emphatic “Yes!” A COO who is deeply committed to the company, the rest of your workforce will be able to support the mission and vision, even if you face headwinds. You need heart to get through together.
Make sure they have a growth mindset.
As a company changes and grows, you and your COO should have the same mindset around never-ending personal development. This partner probably doesn’t have all the skills you need on day one, so they should be willing to expand their skills or find the right people to fill the gaps.
A COO who is willing to learn, adapt and change to the needs of your business is critical. This flexibility gives you the ability to be agile and react quickly to changes in the market. In small or start-up businesses, the ability to maintain stability and consistency in your leadership team can be crucial to getting to the next level faster.
Be friends first.
This is probably the most controversial tip of all, but I’d say it’s the most important. Like any relationship, the relationship between CEO and COO will be stressful at times. And when running a startup, one thing is certain: nothing is ever easy. You have to ask people to do the hard things: work long hours, make sacrifices and take risks. This situation not only puts pressure on the organization, but also on the top leaders. Even those with professional guts can get crushed under the weight of starting a new business. That’s where the power of friendship comes in.
For friendship to be a real asset to the company, you need to establish and share core beliefs and values with your COO. Aligning with what really matters builds your workplace culture by ensuring that what success looks like is clear to the entire organization. When you measure your wins by the same yardstick, it sends a clear signal about what is valued. And when you share your values with your COO, you can celebrate not only the professional wins, but also the personal ones.
Trust them.
The most valuable asset of a company’s culture is trust in its leadership. When you implicitly trust your COO, you are laying a foundation that will bring long-term success and stability to your business. Confidence makes it possible to take risks and make mistakes. It makes it easier to make tough decisions and promotes integrity, honesty and learning. Trust also breaks down personal barriers that so often stand in the way of growth. It leaves room for egos at the door and challenges management to lead with empathy.
One of the most important ways to build trust with your COO is to establish a strong feedback cycle. You should meet regularly and share insights on how initiatives are progressing and what can be improved or adjusted in the future. Also encourage feedback about your performance as a colleague. Your COO needs to know that you support a collaborative work environment where all ideas are heard and seriously considered. This will help cultivate an atmosphere of trust between the two of you.
Make it personal.
Remember that everyone who does business has both professional and personal goals, including your COO. Your collaboration should fuel the performance of both, and that means knowing deeply what matters to your COO. Understanding how your business affects each other personally makes being at the helm a much richer life experience. While it may sound risky to merge your personal and professional worlds, I’ve found having a strong connection with my COO is invaluable.
Of course, when assembling your executive team, it is a must to find a qualified COO to complement who can execute the strategy like a pro. But more importantly, you need to find someone whose values align with your own, whom you trust implicitly, and who knows how to be a friend. Success will be much sweeter.
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