Wonderful post! I love the clarity and appreciate the emphasis on complementing the skills of the CEO (something I hadn’t ever considered before). Thank you so much for posting.
Excellent and very helpful. Often times in SaaS and in startups I see founders that become CEOs are visionaries. Would it be fair, in your opinion, to say that in those cases the COO is in charge of creating execution plans, to make the vision a reality, to translate it to the day-to-day of the company, and to influence all the other departments to take on their parts in this?
Reading your references I see now my perception of the COO was partial. Leaning towards the executor or operationalizing skills. It's much broader, or it can be. Thank you!
100%. This is such a common pattern. A great CEO is often creative, visionary, focused on big picture. If the "how" or details are handled by a COO, this can be a great partnership.
This is spot on, Kathryn!! "The COO is often a strong “operator” - great at building repeatable programs that incorporate data, accountability, training, and tools in a structured way"
A great book on the CEO/COO relationship is Rocket Fuel.
Thanks, Larry! Great rec.
Appreciate the recommendation Larry. Adding to my reading list!
Wonderful post! I love the clarity and appreciate the emphasis on complementing the skills of the CEO (something I hadn’t ever considered before). Thank you so much for posting.
Thanks, Shielvonda! CEOs have so many amazing skills (as you know). COOs empower them to do their thing!
Love this post! Such an ambiguous role but interesting to read that it's somewhat designed that way.
Thanks, Sarah. Great point! Being comfortable with ambiguity is a great startup skill and COO skill.
That closeness to the CEO aspect, to complement her/his style, weaknesses, etc. Super insightful.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Francis! Going to talk about the magic of customer wins soon. Taught to us all by the great sensei Paco.
Excellent and very helpful. Often times in SaaS and in startups I see founders that become CEOs are visionaries. Would it be fair, in your opinion, to say that in those cases the COO is in charge of creating execution plans, to make the vision a reality, to translate it to the day-to-day of the company, and to influence all the other departments to take on their parts in this?
Reading your references I see now my perception of the COO was partial. Leaning towards the executor or operationalizing skills. It's much broader, or it can be. Thank you!
100%. This is such a common pattern. A great CEO is often creative, visionary, focused on big picture. If the "how" or details are handled by a COO, this can be a great partnership.
This is spot on, Kathryn!! "The COO is often a strong “operator” - great at building repeatable programs that incorporate data, accountability, training, and tools in a structured way"