Book SummaryThe Second in Command, by Cameron Herold

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Second in Command

As a CEO, it often feels impossible to manage and grow an entire company while getting the results you want—and according to Cameron Herold, that’s because it usually is. It’s unrealistic to expect a CEO to have the expertise to manage every area of their business—this is why they have COOs. A COO allows the CEO to focus on the things they’re best at and leave the other areas in safe hands. In The Second In Command, Herold discusses the crucial role a COO can have in building your company and explains how to hire and utilize one to take your business to the next level.

Cameron Herold, commonly known as “the CEO whisperer,” is a serial entrepreneur, business coach, and author. His career took off as the COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? which he took from a...

The Second in Command Summary What Is a COO?

Traditionally, the term COO means Chief Operating Officer. However, according to Herold, a COO doesn’t necessarily need to be in charge of operations. Instead, they should be your second-in-command who’s in charge of everything that you can’t be—either because you lack the expertise, don’t like it, or would be more impactful by focusing your attention elsewhere. Your COO should be your perfect puzzle piece—they should thrive in all the areas that you don't so that together, you create a complete picture.

(Shortform note: While Herold mentions that COOs are traditionally in charge of operations, he never specifies what “operations” are. Experts explain that these operations typically include marketing and sales, research and development, and production. Like Herold, they add that the COO’s specific role is determined by their working relationship with the CEO, not simply by their job title. Further, reiterating Herold’s point that operations isn’t the COO’s only responsibility, 2023 research shows that [only a...

The Second in Command Summary What COO Do You Need?

Now that you know what a COO can do, you must determine what you need your COO to do. For a company to thrive, Herold says that leaders must only focus on the tasks that they’re best at. Therefore, hiring a COO requires you to determine what you’re best at and find a COO who’s best at the important things you’re not.

To do this, Herold recommends making a list of all the tasks you do in a month and sorting them into four categories: things you’re bad at, things you’re okay at, things you’re good at, and things you’re great at and love doing—your superpowers. Immediately delegate the things you’re bad and okay at—assign them to other leaders or an assistant, or find a way to automate them. The things that you’re good at but don’t love, which also tend to be higher-stakes tasks, are the ones that you’ll need a COO to manage. These high-stakes areas should be the COO’s superpowers.

(Shortform note: Accurately assessing our strengths and weaknesses can be difficult due to our blind spots—behaviors or tendencies that others...

The Second in Command Summary How to Find a COO

Once you’ve determined what kind of COO you need (if you need one), Herold says it’s time to start the process of finding one. To find a COO, you’ll need to create a clear and detailed job description, get the word out there to potential hires, and conduct in-depth interviews.

Create the Job Description

To write a job description that will attract the perfect COO, you’ll need to include the superpowers you want them to have (which you would have identified in the previous section), the business areas they’ll manage and the responsibilities they’ll have (consider the COO types and roles discussed above), and the personality traits and values you want them to have.

(Shortform note: In Who, Geoff Smart and Randy Street reiterate the importance of creating a job description that includes the skills, roles and responsibilities, and personality traits you want your hiree to have. They also emphasize the importance of keeping your description of these elements as short as possible and not using jargon—this will ensure that your needs are...

The Second in Command Summary Conduct Interviews

Once you find a few candidates that might fit the bill, Herold says you must interview them yourself to ensure they’re the right fit. In the first round of interviews, determine whether each candidate’s values and behaviors align with your personality and your desired company culture. If they don’t align on this level, there’s no point wasting your time with further interviews, as these aspects can’t be taught.

(Shortform note: Determining someone's true personality and behaviors can be difficult, especially when they know what you’re looking for and can tell you exactly what you want to hear. Luckily, experts say there are a few questions you can ask to get a closer look at someone's true personality. For example, ask them who their hero is, what they do in their free time when they have no plans, what their most vivid memory from childhood was, or what they think the most significant issue with society is. Their answers will expose their values, habits, and personality traits.)

After narrowing down the candidate pool to about five people, **conduct a second round of interviews to...

The Second in Command Summary Integrate Your COO

Once you’ve hired the perfect COO, Herold says it’s time to integrate them into the company. This requires you to onboard them and foster your working and personal relationship with them.

Onboarding

Herold says the onboarding process should take roughly three months. Be sure to outline all the important benchmarks you want the COO to meet during this time—for example, meeting with each of the department heads individually, completing the standard employee training, speaking with customers, and so on.

In the first month of onboarding, the COO should simply observe you and the organization. They should start to meet the other leaders in the company, sit in on meetings, and observe how everything works and fits together.

In the second month, the COO should start to look for opportunities to change aspects of the business to achieve the criteria in your outline. This may include altering systems, strategies, and even people in the organization.

In the third month, the COO can finally start executing on some of the changes they’ve identified in month two. In doing so, they should map how they’ll conduct these changes and in what order to ensure things go smoothly...

The Second in Command Summary When to Let Go

While hiring a COO is a long-term commitment, Herold says that in most companies, there will come a time when the current COO is no longer a fit. People and companies are always growing and evolving, and it’s not guaranteed that your COO will still align with the vision you have for the company after a few years.

(Shortform note: Research shows that COOs aren’t permanent—in fact, [having a COO last more than a few years is rather...

Shortform Exercise: Identify Your Superpowers and Missing Puzzle Pieces

To ensure your company is as effective as possible, Herold says you must focus only on your superpowers and delegate all the other tasks on your plate to your COO or other lower-level employees. This way, you can use your energy most effectively.

What are all the tasks you do on a monthly basis as CEO? List these tasks here. (You may want to complete this exercise over the span of a month, adding to the list as you go so you don’t forget anything.)