If I asked you, who was Batman’s right-hand person, what would you say?
If you said Alfred, you got it, so you can stop reading. :)
‘Wait.. who is Alfred?’
Most of the time we have no clue who is the person behind a superhero, or a fouder (same thing as a superhero?) or a CEO. Or pretty much anyone wildly successful.
What seems to be certain though, is that you need one.
When bringing on a right-hand person, whether it is a Chief of Staff, COO, or GM, probably the most important question to get right is this:
Do you want them to complement you or amplify you?
We all have the tendency to surround ourselves with people who are like us (familiarity bias), simply because we just click and get along easily.
Now, that doesn’t mean they are the best for us. Or for our company.
Unless you want them to amplify you. But then they will most likely have the same blindspots that you do, the same weaknesses and tendencies.
And they will find the same topics and tasks boring that you do.
However, when you look for someone to complement you, they bring skills and strengths that you are lacking. Maybe they bring some EQ to your IQ. Maybe some organization & planning skills to your visioning.
And best of all, they may bring a mirror to show your blindspots so that you can grow.
If you want to, of course.
(p.s. Alfred was also Bruce’s legal guardian. Which makes me think about CEOs vs Chiefs of Staff and wonder who actually runs the show, truly. :) )