The Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Paperback – January 18, 2023

WOW!Having been playing the role of "second in command" for 2 "Start ups" which both had insane scaling up I can tell you that this book brings so much clarity to the role of "COO" - read the book to see why I am putting quotes on this title :). It's hard enough to hire the right people for certain roles as well as knowing what roles you need to fill, but the role of "second in command" can be one of the hardest and potentially the most expensive and disastrous if you don't get it right.Cameron, who has so much experience both in this role as well as coaching CEO's, has written a wonderful, easy to read, book that will walk CEO's and owners through all the elements of this process, starting with why this role is so different than any other role in companies through how to make the right hire! P.S. It might not even be a COO!!Lastly this book is not just for CEO's thinking about making this hire. As a COO myself, this was an eye opening book for me to read. This helped me put my role, my responsibilities, and my unique skills, in perspective with the relationship I have with my CEO and President and what I need to be thinking about as we continue to scale and grow!Well done Cameron, another book in the long list of extremely impactful and well written books you have authored!

I truly enjoyed reading Cameron Herold's "The Second in Command". I may not be a CEO but as an avid reader, I agree with all the points from this book about having a second in command that is opposite from the visionary CEO.I've been a part of a company as a team member and as a manager but in some cases, the glaring difference was having a COO that is good with the operations since most CEO's is all about the big vision.In both instance, the second-in-command was neither good in the operations but was only elevated in their roles because the company keeps on growing. However, they are not necessarily equipped to be a "mentor" as instead of being a "role of a parent" and teaching you how to be self-sufficient, they only order you what to do without teaching you how -- if you were able to do it, good for you. If not, you get blamed.In any case, this book is very much recommended to the business owners in identifying their second-in-command; or if you are already the second-in-command, this book will help you become a better COO and help the CEO grow the business.

The second in command role varies so much from company to company, and prior to Cameron Herold, there has been very little resource for those in this role! As I navigated my first year in role as COO, I was desperate for information and a community! Somehow I stumbled across this book, as along with all of Cameron's others and I am finally feeling like I have some direction. Through his books, I also discovered Cameron's company, the COO Alliance - a mastermind group for second in commands and it's been a game changer! Highly recommend reading this book if you're in the second in command role!

As a tech entrepreneur that doesn't care much for or didn't want to invest time to learn some important aspects of the business side, this book will help you identify and source people that have those skills. As I've learned the hard way, it's important to find these roles and provide them with the appropriate titles. In the beginning of a startup, everyone says they don't care about titles, so titles are given out without much thought to how it plays out over time. As the sole founder of a company, I gave away the CEO title to a newcomer. Over time, this caused issues and confusion among employers more than customers. A more appropriate title would have been COO or VP of Operations.This book explains that a COO isn't necessarily someone doing "operations". It's someone doing work that you, as a CEO, can't or don't want to do. This frees you up to do the things you wanted to do when you started your company in the first place!How to find and identify the right COO (or pick a title) for the next chapter of your company? The instructions are in this book.

I found the content relatable to another operator and high-level. Many parts of the book had me nodding my head. Yes, I laughed a few times, and overall, it was a great, short, easy read. (I read the whole thing on a 3 hour flight to NY)

Cameron's books are great, as they come from a guy who has been there and done that. Second in Command is great for a guide to hiring a COO, who can help run your business. The information in this book is great for the blocking and tackling of how to find a great person for the COO role.This is coming from a guy who has actually been in the trenches and done the work that helped multiple companies with insane growth. I have read a few of his other books, Vivid Vision and Double Double, Second in Command is another one that you will want to add to your repertoire, to help scale and grow your business.

For almost 25 years, I was the CEO of Redemption Plus, a company that I founded with the vision of enriching lives - including my own. The biggest challenge was always me! Then I learned how powerful a second in command could be but hiring my COO took a number of painful and costly failures to get it right.When Cameron writes that a CEO can be overwhelmed and a bit desperate when they realized they need a second in command that is an understatement. I am so grateful for this book and Cameron's focus on how you build great companies by nurturing the relationship of the CEO and COO or first and second on command.His book is powerful, tactical and inspiring. Its a MUST read for all CEO's, COO's and those that support them. I also love how Cameron builds resources to strengthen the COO and inspire more COO's in the world.