Start With Accountability & Trust
Like any critical relationship, the foundation of the relationship between the CEO and COO is mutual accountability and trust. Without accountability and trust each will find themselves double-checking, accidentally doing duplicative work, and potentially giving different messages to the team. It will seem like each member of the duo is reading from the wrong sheet of music.
There are a number of simple techniques to establish and maintain accountability and trust while the CEO and COO push each other and the organization forward in growth.
Align on the shared vision. This is likely the hardest as the CEO has been establishing her vision in her head for years. It’s hard to replicate the entire idea maze that got her to that point, but it’s important to replicate as much as possible about the past vision and the future vision. Where have we been, where are we going, and what are the blockers to do so? Depending on the circumstances and time it might be wise to do this on a facilitated offsite with the rest of the C-Suite or Exec Team.
Overshare work context. It’s helpful to overshare, especially early in the relationship along the dimensions of Progress, Plans, and Problems. My personal favorite way to do this is a short one-page at the end of the week. Here’s what we accomplished, here’s what is on deck for next week and here’s what I’m seeing as problems. It’s important to try to do this bilaterally so you begin to get in-sync about both the problems and the tempo/pace of the business.
Explicit check-in time. There should be explicit time on the calendar every week for a casual check-in. Building a company is an emotional rollercoaster. I suggest using this time for a quick check-in around energy, emotional energy, new problems, etc that aren’t covered in your traditional 1:1. It’s a time to get in-sync so you can better support each other and further develop your relationship.
Explicit relationship time. Drinks, workouts, walks, coffees, whatever floats your boat works for this, but it’s important to carve out time to explicitly work on your relationship. Think of it as CEO / COO date night. It’s your time to invest in each other. Talk big picture, align on the future, ask hard questions. Do it outside the office and be explicit about the purpose.
Explicit feedback time. Grounded in deep personal rapport and caring, feedback needs to be candid, ideally in the moment, and actionable. If a meeting was flubbed, tell the other person, but do it from a place of caring deeply and “in service of” the business. It’s important that they always know where they stand.
Getting in sync with each other will create a work environment that is pleasant, easy, and most importantly productive. Like a great band riffing, a relationship grounding in mutual accountability and trust is a special thing.