The BIG Challenge in Leadership with Co-founders and CEO/COO – Behind the Scenes
When companies grow fast, they have to overcome many issues. One big challenge in leadership happens at the top of the company. I see these co-founders and CEOs with their COOs. This challenge is not easy to fix because it is not logical. The big challenge in leadership is more about relationships. Leaders at the top of companies usually have different skillsets and even different strengths. Both of these are what drives issues in alignment. In today’s behind the scene, we look at what is missing in the relationship that hinders company growth. I have seen this big challenge in leadership slow growth in companies and seen it tear things apart. Let me share with you how you find the right kind of alignment.
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Behind the Scenes: The Transcript
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Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.
Here we are again, having a deep conversation about what does it take to grow a business that is predictable and really drives beyond the competition. Today, we look at the big challenge between co-founders and even some CEOs. And COO’s, here’s what it is. I have many conversations with these kinds of people that really get to the heart of what’s going on behind the scenes.
[00:00:25] This video is all about behind the scenes. So I thought I would just tell you, like, it is a lot of co-founders and CEOs and COOs are not aligned. And what I mean by that is they have different skillsets and different personalities, different strengths, even different worldviews. And that’s what makes them so great together.
[00:00:44] But what’s missing is a deeper sense of alignment. They’re not really talking about what they need to talk about. From what I’ve seen, there’s always one person inside this partnership, if you will. That believes culture is really important. And one that believes it’s not someone believes that sales are really important.
[00:01:03] And someone believes operations is really important. Someone may believe that you know, we got to focus on the project a and someone may believe that they’re focusing on project B is the way we move forward. Now, this happens. But what I see a lot of these partners doing is they. Struggle over how to move forward together, how to truly find alignment.
[00:01:25] And that really does break my heart because when I see founders that are capable of working together and collaborating, and really finding a deep sense of connection between each other, instead, there’s more resistance there. And you have to make sure that you’re not doing this so that others can see, you may try to, you know, cover it up or hide it, but really will break your business because people will learn that this is the way it is now.
[00:01:54] What’s even more dangerous is if one person out of that partnership typically wins the battle. If one person is always more persuasive, more charismatic puts, but put together a better argument, then they usually win. And the other person feels a little bit neglected. Recently. I was having a conversation with a COO who felt burned out and the CEO didn’t quit.
[00:02:22] They thought this was just a phase. We should just put our heads down and get to work. Well, they were never really having a conversation about what was going on between the two of them. They were never really getting to the heart of it. This big challenge in leadership was breaking the business and they didn’t even know it.
[00:02:39] Now I won’t give you the details of this, because this is a private conversation between me and someone else, but this happens quite a bit. This isn’t a one-off. Running a business and a partnership, whether it be co-founders or CEO and COO really is a hard thing. And if you focus on the work, it’ll only take you so far.
[00:03:01] You’ve got to focus on each other and the relationship you’ve got to have real conversations. I was watching from the outside, how two partners worked with their coach, and being honest with this, this one person told me the reason why we had a coach is that it was like we’re in divorce court. We were always arguing and bickering with each other and it was just breaking the business apart.
[00:03:24] And I no longer wanted to be a part of it. So I thought this was a last-ditch effort. And in fact, it was. I share this with you because I want to help you get to the bottom of it. You’ve got to have real conversations with each other, not just about the work, but about what culture really means to the company, what our values really mean to the company.
[00:03:43] And you got to find the alignment across these really big. You also got to talk about burnout and how much work we have to do these bigger issues that don’t get addressed end up festering. And they really cause a fracture in the relationship. And that causes the company to slow down. If not. So, when you think about your relationship with your co-founder, your relationship with your CEO, COO, you want to make sure that you’re not just talking about work and about what needs to get done and not just the problems, but about finding alignment to allow you to move together with space.
[00:04:17] And decisiveness finding alignment in what you believe at some of the core issues of this, just like a married couple would, when they talk about kids or religion or lifestyle, you’ve got to find alignment around those things. And if you can’t, then you need to have someone come in from the outside and I’d be willing to help you.
[00:04:37] But you’ve got to find this to move forward in a way that allows you to be more like partners and not just people who run a business. I say all this with a smile because I know that you guys really try hard to drive the business forward, but my job is to put a spotlight on some of the things that you just aren’t seeing.
[00:04:56] And I see this way too much, and I want to help you become the partners that you really want to help you become the leaders that your team deserves. That’s what I strive to do for all. My name is Jean Hammond. I work with fast-growth companies and those that want to be fast-growth companies. Many of my clients from the Inc 5,000. I want to help you create the kind of growth there’s predictable and systematized.
[00:05:20] And I will help you become the leaders that drive this kind of growth and increase your overall value of the company. All this to be said, I want to help you individually make the changes you need to make in order to be the leader that your company needs. When you think of growth and you think of leadership, think of Growth Think Tank.
[00:05:38] As always lead with courage. Well, see you next time.
Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.
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