The Title Inflation Nobody Talks About
Around 1994, banks started handing vice president titles to people seven or eight layers below the CEO. A VP title on an email simply got past gatekeepers faster.
That shortcut reshaped how the business world treats leadership titles. Today I meet founders with eight employees who claim a COO, a CMO, and a CTO. What they usually have is a director wearing a title too big for the role.
What Actually Makes Someone a True COO
A real C-level hire looks nothing like the title on a business card. What separates a genuine COO from a director with a fancy name comes down to a few things:
- Strategic insight strong enough to tell the CEO what happens next
- Full autonomy, since nobody explains the job to them
- Real ownership of the P&L, budget, and cash flow
- Pay that matches the role, usually 250k to 350k minimum
Telling someone what to do means you hired a director. Deciding together means you hired a VP. A true C-level already knows what needs to happen next.
Finding the Right Second in Command
Great second in commands rarely sit on a job board. The best ones already have a job and are not looking for another.
Reaching one takes a quiet introduction and one honest conversation. What pulls them in is rarely a bigger paycheck. It is a culture and vision strong enough that they want to help build it.
Matching the COO to the Stage of the Company
I built my own name at 1-800-GOT-JUNK, speaking on stages for years. My eventual replacement there is the opposite, inward and methodical, and would have failed early on when we needed an entrepreneurial builder.
Once we passed a hundred million and needed to reach a billion, he was exactly who the company needed.
Bottom Line
A second in command needs to excel at what you struggle with, and want the parts of the job you would rather avoid. Get that wrong, and even a talented hire ends up fighting you for the same swim lane.
I wrote The Second in Command to give founders a framework for building that kind of partnership. Grab a copy and start building yours right.