Cindy Jordan is the founder and CEO of Pyx Health—the first loneliness solution focused on helping the most vulnerable populations.
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If there’s one relationship that can make or break your company, it’s the one between the CEO and COO. There are different schools of thought on what the best COO brings to the partnersihp. Are they running the day-to-day of the company so the CEO can focus on external stakeholders? Are they operationalizing the business strategy? Do they act as a true partner in the business or complement the CEO’s managerial strengths?
No matter what the COO role will entail, it’s integral to find the right person for the job. As a CEO who has intentionally built my relationship with my COO, selecting the right candidate is more than simply finding someone who complements your skill set. Here’s my advice on what you should look for when choosing your next COO.
Choose someone with heart.
As a business leader—especially if you’re starting a new business—your COO needs to be passionate and committed. When their heart is in the game, they’ll be motivated to see the business succeed.
When reviewing candidates, you must determine whether they believe in what you’re trying to do at least as much as you do. Are they willing to do what it takes, even if the path isn’t clear yet? The answers must be an emphatic “Yes!” A COO who is deeply attached to the business will be able to rally the rest of your staff around the mission and vision, even when you hit headwinds. You need heart to power through together.
Make sure they have a growth mindset.
As a business changes and grows, you and your COO need to have the same mentality around never-ending personal development. This partner likely won’t have every skill you need on day one, so they need to be willing to expand their skills—or find the right people who can fill the gaps.
A COO who’s willing to learn, adapt and change to the needs of your business is critical. This flexibility gives you the ability to be nimble and react quickly to market changes. In small or startup businesses, the ability to maintain stability and consistency in your leadership team can be crucial to reaching the next level faster.
Be friends first.
This is likely the most controversial tip of them all, but I’d argue it’s the most important. Like any relationship, the CEO and COO relationship will be stressful at times. And when running a startup, one thing is for sure: nothing is ever easy. You have to ask people to do hard things—work long hours, make sacrifices and take risks. This situation puts pressure on not only the organization but also its highest-level leaders. Even those with professional grit can get crushed under the weight of starting a new business. That’s where the power of friendship comes in.
For your friendship to be a true asset to the company, you need to establish and share core beliefs and values with your COO. By aligning around what’s truly important, you build the culture of your workplace by ensuring what success looks like is clear to the entire organization. When you measure your victories with the same yardstick, it sends a clear message about what’s valued. And when you share your values with your COO, you not only get to celebrate the professional victories but the personal ones too.
Trust them.
The most valuable asset to a business’ culture is trust in its leadership. When you implicitly trust your COO, you set a foundation that will bring long-term success and steadiness for your business. Trust allows for risks to be taken and mistakes to be made. It makes moving through hard decisions easier while promoting integrity, honesty and learning. Trust also breaks down personal barriers that so often get in the way of growth. It allows space for egos to be left at the door and challenges management to lead with empathy.
One of the most important ways to build trust with your COO is by establishing a strong feedback cycle. You should meet regularly and exchange insights on how initiatives are going and what can be improved or adjusted moving forward. You should also encourage feedback on your performance as a colleague. Your COO should know you support a collaborative work environment where all ideas are heard and considered seriously. This will help cultivate an environment of trust between the two of you.
Make it personal.
Remember that everyone who goes into business has both professional and personal goals—including your COO. Your work together should fuel the achievement of both, and that means knowing deeply what is important to your COO. Understanding how your business impacts each other personally makes being at the helm a much richer life experience. While merging your personal and professional worlds might sound risky, I’ve found that it’s invaluable for having a strong connection with my COO.
Of course, when building your executive team, finding a qualified COO that complements who can execute on strategy like a pro is a must. But more importantly, you should find someone whose values align with yours, who you implicitly trust and who knows how to be a friend. The success will be much sweeter.
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