What COOs Really Need: The Hidden Leadership Code of Alignment, Accountability, and Trust

The COO’s Quiet Power 

In the global hierarchy of business leadership, the Chief Operating Officer is often the least visible and most indispensable figure in the executive suite. While CEOs capture headlines and CFOs manage investor narratives, it is the COO who transforms strategic intent into operational reality.

This is especially true for middle-market companies—organizations generating between $10 million and $500 million annually—where success depends on balancing entrepreneurial agility with disciplined execution.

Recent research from our team, encompassing interviews and surveys with over 100 COOs worldwide, uncovers a clear pattern: no matter the industry or geography, the most effective operations run on the leadership currencies of alignment, accountability, and trust.

Inside the Research 

Our study combined semi-structured interviews (for qualitative depth) with structured surveys (for quantitative insight), building on the leadership framework first introduced in Here Come the Girls, which examines transformational leadership through the lenses of authenticity, clarity, and disciplined execution.

The result? COOs aren’t chasing trends or fads. They crave fundamentals—leadership practices that actually drive performance.

What COOs Need from Their Teams 

1. Alignment with Purpose
   When people understand the “why” behind their work, productivity and engagement soar. Top performing COOs consistently noted that aligned teams move as one unit, reducing friction, eliminating silos, and fostering momentum that compounds over time.
2. Accountability for Results
   Great teams don’t wait for direction; they deliver outcomes. Accountability transforms effort into measurable impact, converting activity into achievement. The best COOs demand ownership, not oversight.
3. Trust Through Competence
   In an era of hybrid work and constant disruption, trust is the ultimate performance multiplier. As one COO put it, “I need people who do what they say they’ll do, without being told twice.”

Ana Chaud, COO of Fifty Pages, summarized it best: “Culture fit is everything. People have to care; everything else is teachable. High performers are curious, honest, and confident enough to bring others in. The best teams have empathy without judgment.”

What COOs Need from Their CEOs 

• Clarity of Vision 
  Ambiguity kills execution. Every COO interviewed emphasized the necessity of clear direction from the top. In fact, 100% of surveyed COOs hold weekly one-on-one meetings with their CEOs to maintain mission alignment.
• Authentic Leadership 
  COOs value authenticity over charisma. The most effective CEOs are transparent, consistent, and credible leaders who keep promises and create stability.
• Commitment to Resources 
  Execution depends on access. COOs expect CEOs to champion the proper allocation of time, talent, and capital, empowering teams to act decisively within defined boundaries.

Voices from the Field 

• Shannon McElveen, COO of AIA Contract Documents, emphasized humility and clarity: “I want a workforce that’s hungry to do the work and humble enough to admit what they don’t know. From my CEO, I need clear communication surrounding where we are going, and how we will get there.”
• Matthew Graham, COO of FastGrowingTrees.com, balanced creativity with discipline: “Execution is everything. I need people who can filter ideas and act on what’s viable. As for the CEO, trust is everything.”
• Ron Shriver, COO of LDX Solutions, underscored market relevance: “Too many COOs focus only on cost-cutting. The real measure is how customers use your product in the real world.”
• Joel VanderVeur, COO of Moea, spoke about empowerment: “Don’t take the monkey off your back and put it on my desk, you need to own it. When teams take ownership, leaders can focus on the future.”
• Gregg Henchel, President and COO of Burch Price & Associates, reminded leaders of attitude: “Passion drives performance. Everyone must treat their role as a career, not a stop along the way.”

Why It Matters 

Middle-market companies live in a paradox: agile enough to pivot, yet complex enough to require structure. The COO is the steady hand balancing those forces.

The findings reveal that alignment, accountability, and trust aren’t abstract ideals; they are the operating system of execution. Without them, strategy collapses under its own ambition.

The Leadership Imperative 

What COOs need, above all, is humanity in leadership. They want CEOs and teams who operate with authenticity, clarity, and discipline.

Leadership today isn’t about control; it’s about connection. When people connect through purpose, stay accountable to results, and act with mutual trust, companies move from success to significance.

And for the modern COO, that’s the real bottom line.

Written by Dr. Don Barden.