Ep. 493 - Mastering Operations: How COOs Empower CEOs in Growth

Second in Command: The Chief Behind the Chief with Cameron Herold

Second in Command with Cameron Herold

Entrepreneurship, Business, Management, Careers

4.5 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 July 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In today's episode of the Second in Command podcast, Cameron breaks down the misunderstood and often misused role of the Chief Operating Officer.

Drawing from both personal experience and established research, he uncovers how the COO is not a one-size-fits-all title—it’s a role that shifts depending on the needs of the CEO and the stage of the business. With anecdotes from his own time at 1-800-GOT-JUNK and references to thought leaders in the field, Cameron explores how many leadership titles are incorrectly handed out, and why defining the true second in command begins with understanding the personality and skill gaps of the CEO.

The conversation dives into seven key archetypes of COOs, from executors and change agents to mentors and MVPs—each fulfilling a unique function within a company. Whether serving as a stabilizing force in turbulent times, guiding a young founder through explosive growth, or acting as a public-facing counterpart to an introverted CEO, the COO’s impact is always rooted in complementing leadership. Cameron also explores the often unseen dynamic of the CEO-COO relationship, likening it to a marriage where balance, trust, and mutual respect drive real progress.

This episode shows that the role of the COO is anything but static; it’s a powerful, adaptive force that, when aligned correctly, becomes the backbone of growth, execution, and sustained success.

If you've enjoyed this episode of the Second in Command podcast, be sure to leave a review and subscribe today! Enjoy!

In This Episode You'll Learn:

The common misconceptions about COOs and how they are often confused with other leadership roles, like directors or VPs.

The seven main categories of COOs identified by Nate Bennett and Stephen A. Miles in their book "Riding Shotgun."

The importance of finding a COO who complements the CEO's strengths and weaknesses.

How the role of the COO has evolved over time, with more CEOs investing in their own leadership growth and involving their senior leadership in coaching and mentorship.

Why the role of the COO is seen as a source of culture through their vision, core values, and motivation towards goals.

And much more...

Resources:

Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn

Get Cameron’s latest book – "Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO"

Get Cameron’s online course – Invest In Your Leaders

Disclaimer:

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Second in Command podcast, produced by the C.O. Alliance and brought to you by its founder, Cameron Harold.
0:14.1	In the Second in Command podcast, we talked to top COOs who share the insights, strategies, and tactics that made them the chief behind the chief.
0:23.3	And now, here's your host, Cameron Herald.
0:29.9	I am super excited to bring you some really great content from my book The Second
0:34.6	in Command. What I thought I was going to do is to take some of the
0:38.5	content and instead of having you listen to the entire book, which you might want to because it's
0:43.6	fantastic, I thought in today's episode I would cover what a COO is because there's a lot of
0:49.7	misinformation out there. People call people COO when they're not a COO. They really are more of a director,
0:55.9	or they're a VP, or they're more of a chief of staff. They're not even sure what a C-level title is.
1:01.8	So on this episode, I'm going to go deep into what a COO is. And it's also part of why I even
1:08.2	called my book, The Second in Command. And it's why our podcast is called The Second in Command podcast. And our YouTube channel is called The Second in Command YouTube channel is because sometimes a C-O is the second-in-command, and sometimes the VP of Ops is a second-command, or maybe it's a director. It doesn't matter what the size of the title is. And on this episode, we're going to go into it, what a COO is. So we'll see you on the inside.
1:36.2	When a CEO decides it's time to get help in the business, they may well feel overwhelmed and
1:40.5	a little desperate. They're tempted to reach out to the first person who comes along.
1:44.6	That's completely the wrong approach. It's unlikely to succeed, and it might well make things
1:49.2	worse. Many of the leadership roles in business are a little cookie cutter. Most CMOs could be a
1:54.7	CMO for most companies. Most CFOs could too, not the CFOs. There are COOs who are marketing or franchise ninjas. There are
2:04.0	CEOs who would fall in their face at both, but are fantastic at finance. As Harley Finklstein,
2:08.8	CEO at Shopify told me on our Second Command podcast, no two COOs on the planet have the same job.
2:15.3	That's why, as we'll see, the search for a kick-ass COO doesn't start
2:19.3	with the COO. It starts with the personality of the CEO, what they need, and the perfect match for
2:25.2	their skills and character. A COO could be outward-facing with a focus on marketing or PR and sales.
2:32.1	They could be inward-facing and focus on operations, execution, and engineering.
	...

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