We Train the World's Best 2nd In Command Leaders for Founders
And empower them to be highly successful in their role.
During our 4-step proven process, we match you with the right fit 2nd in Command who can execute your vision.
This process is tried and true, and there's no skipping steps on the road to transformation.
We'll provide you with one-on-one advising, curated matches with elite 2IC talent, guided onboarding, and the comprehensive training you and your new 2nd In Command need to support scale.
Ready to dive into the process yourself?
What is a 2nd In Command?
The 2nd In Command is a critical role that complements the Founder CEO. Often taking the title of President, Integrator, COO, GM, or Chief of Staff, this operations-minded leader is the glue for the organization, the one who executes the business plan, holds the Leadership Team accountable, is the steady force in the organization, and who filters the founder's visionary ideas.
An Organization without a 2nd In Command
Without a 2nd In Command to filter the Founder CEO's ideas and translate vision into actionable plans the whole organization can rally behind, things become unstable. There often is disruption, chaos, or unclarity because the founder is constantly introducing new ideas instead of keeping the team focused on execution. It can cause a lot of change fatigue or whiplash for the people within the organization due to a lack of direction and ultimately cause key employees to leave.
Sound familiar? Then, a 2nd In Command can help. Here’s how:
They’re the Filter Between the Founder & The Rest of The Organization
One of the Integrator’s key responsibilities is to be a filter for their CEO. They are the first step down in the organizational chart from CEO. One of their primary roles is to filter between the Founder CEO and the rest of the organization. They’re someone who can go toe-to-toe with the CEO and confidently say, "That's a great idea, but not right now. It's not part of the plan. It will cause a lot of disruption if we trickle this down to the rest of the organization."
In short, they are the CEO’s operations counterpart. They think about structure, process, and day-to-day management of people.
The 2nd In Command helps reel them into the here and now, and that's not a bad thing. An entrepreneurial company needs two types of people: the person who is constantly innovating, thinking about different solutions, and picturing where the business could be three years from now (the Founder CEO); meanwhile, the 2nd In Command and the team around them are executing a focused 90-day plan.
They’re the Filter Between Organizational Noise & The CEO
What’s more, they also act as the filter between the rest of the organization and the CEO.
We’ll use operations for this example. Say you have a problem that you can't solve on your own. You would go to the 2nd In Command and say, "Hey, I'm thinking about this. I don't know how to solve it. I don't have the time to solve it right now because I’m busy executing it with my team. What do you think?"
Then, the 2nd In Command can bring that back to the Founder and say, "Hey, Visionary, all those innovative ideas that are always in your brain, I need you to take this issue. Go do some R&D on it, start thinking about it, and bring it back to the team. Let me trickle that down to the rest of the organization in a way that will not cause disruption. It will be done in the correct sequence so that we don't lose momentum in the day-to-day operations.”
How We Set 2nd In Commands Up for Success
Step 1: Define
This is a part of the process that many clients get excited about. They say things like, "I've been so burnt out. I've been wearing all of the hats in the organization. I haven't allowed myself to dream. I haven't allowed myself to cast the vision and figure out where I'm going or what's essential to the organization because I've been running so fast."
That’s where we dive in and start to think about the tasks they’re doing right now that should be taken off of their plate. Once we have a clearer picture of the exact match their company needs in a 2IC, we move to step 2.
Step 2: Find
After identifying and auditing what the CEO needs to get off their plate and defining the 2IC they need, we use our innovative opportunity recruiting method to attract top 2IC talent as well as our vetted and trained network of 2nd In Commands on demand.
We also help our clients promote the position to their personal network. This step is critical as the data shows 25% of the time, our client’s network knows someone who could be a good fit for this next opportunity.
Our team does the deep work to make sure that the person coming into the organization is aligned with our client’s vision and wants to be a part of an opportunity to grow with the company.
We then present a handful of hyper-qualified candidates to the CEO and coach them on how to best prepare for the interviews.
Once interviews between the CEO and candidates have been complete, our team and clients evaluate the outcomes together. We look at the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates and help provide insight to make the right hiring decision from both a responsibility and cultural standpoint.
Step 3: Onboard
After the hire has been made, the first 30 days of the onboarding experience are the most critical to enable the 2nd In Command to show up powerfully at the start with a crystal clear plan for what success looks like.
Having worked with the CEO to create that plan, we work with the Integrator to clarify expectations of responsibilities and help them seamlessly transition into owning their role in the company. It is here, within the first 30 - 60 days, where the delegation of tasks from the Founder to the Integrator starts to make an impact, freeing you up to focus on growth.
Step 4: Support
How do we make data-driven decisions, create the infrastructure, and plan? After the 2nd In Command has properly onboarded, we work through a five-pillar approach to training and empowering these two unique individuals on how to work best together.
We also co-create a plan to scale their company. Lastly, we support your 2nd in Command in executing that plan by giving them access to an elite peer group of world-class operators.
You Don’t Have To Be A Chief Everything Officer
You’re in the position of Chief Everything Officer. It’s exhausting, it’s unfulfilling, and it’s challenging. But you don’t have to be.
It’s time to get the right people on your team to scale your business with you. Reach out to our team today to learn more.
