How to hire and integrate a strong COO

Executive overview

Most founders accumulate tasks they hate or aren't good at. That basket of tasks defines the COO role — and once it's clear, finding the right person becomes straightforward.

The CEO-COO relationship works best when the CEO is the outward-facing beacon and the COO makes the hard decisions behind the scenes. Both spotlight each other.

Hire for proven skills at the right company stage, not potential — and expect to replace the COO as the company scales.

Identifying what you need from a COO

• List tasks that drain you, that you're not good at, or that someone else would do better with full focus.
• That basket defines the role, the title, and the salary band — the bigger the title, the more strategic the hire.
• The COO should bring strategic thinking, not default to "hire more people" for every problem.
• You may be hiring for a reason or a season — most COOs don't scale 10x with the company.

Where and how to hire

• Engage a search firm if the right person isn't looking — strong candidates are usually employed.
• Write compelling job postings; use a copywriter to make them stand out.
• Leverage social media and your network.
• Involve existing team members in the interview process — it builds buy-in and lets them see the candidate's calibre.

The first 90 days

• Month 1: Show up with a notebook. Attend every meeting, meet every direct report, listen to sales and support calls, read all SOPs. Observe only — make notes, act on nothing.
• Month 2: Revisit the notes list. Stress-test each item. Reprioritise by impact and ease. Still don't act.
• Month 3: Execute easy wins that require minimal people, time, or money. Build visible momentum and trust.
• Quarter two: Tackle bigger, hairier integrations once trust is established.
• Exception: if the company is in crisis, act immediately — trust-building is secondary to survival.

The CEO-COO relationship

• They are business spouses: complementary, interdependent, and need structured time together.
• Disagree and debate in private — never in front of the team, board, or employees.
• Get off-site regularly: both for fun (decompression) and for quiet side-by-side work sessions.
• The COO's job is to make tough calls and stay largely invisible; the CEO is the cultural beacon.
• Sheryl Sandberg was COO of Facebook for 15 years — largely unknown for the first 12.

Building trust as the new COO

• Speak with candour; own your weaknesses openly.
• Be vulnerable about personal struggles without letting them affect performance — it creates human connection.
• Use structured exercises (EO forum-style lifelines, quarterly retreats) to build team relationships.
• Trust with the CEO and trust with the team are built the same way: honesty and consistency.

Knowing when to replace the COO

• The company that hired a COO at $2M is a fundamentally different company at $100M.
• Watch for the end of the "season" — the skills that worked at the early stage don't scale.
• Hire someone who has done exactly what you need, not someone who has read about it.
• Hire for both proven skillset and culture fit — either alone is insufficient.
• Don't over-title early; a candidate who is too senior won't roll up their sleeves in an entrepreneurial environment.