How to become A Chief Operating Officer

• Vice-President
• General Manager
• Operations Manager
• Director of Operations

What do Chief Operating Officers do?

A Chief Operating Officer would typically need to:

• Help the organization execute long-term and short-term plans and directives by implementing judgment, vision, management, and leadership
• Look for ways to improve internal as well as external operational processes while measuring their effectiveness
• Set, design and implement business strategies, plans, and procedures to achieve comprehensive performance and growth
• Establish and execute policies that promote company culture and vision
• Appoint, lead, and oversee the company’s daily operations and the work of department heads and managers to encourage maximum performance and dedication
• Evaluate performance by analyzing and interpreting data and metrics including snapshots of revenues, efficiency, and even waste
• Provide a system for employee salaries and benefits; make sure employees feel valued
• Manage relationships with partners/vendors; act as a liaison between company and client for quality assurance
• Mentor all employees including management; coordinate with the human resources department to recruit skilled talent and keep the best employees
• Work with operations managers to ensure that all departments have sufficient resources and procedures for proper employee training
• Work with analysts within the company to assess physical assets and how they can be maintained, repaired or upgraded
• Present new ideas and cash flow strategies to the board of directors and other company officers
• Promote communication between colleagues to facilitate information flow and to curb any problems that arise
• Write and submit reports to the Chief Executive Officer in all matters of importance; assist in fundraising ventures and participate in expansion activities like acquisitions
• Negotiate or approve contracts and agreements

Chief Operating Officers work seated in comfortable offices or sometimes attend meetings in conference rooms. They spent part of their time liaising with the chief executive officer and key staff members and part of their time alone at their computers. They often travel to conferences, meetings, and different business units of their company. Business formal is the standard dress code unless otherwise specified.

Chief Operating Officers often work long hours, including evenings and weekends. COOs are advised to follow a dress code that is consistent with the expectations of their clients.

Chief Operating Officers are found in nearly every industry. They work for small and large businesses, ranging from companies in which they are the sole employee to firms with hundreds of thousands of employees.

COOs are generally employed by:

• Professional, Scientific & Technical Services
• Wholesale Trade Concerns
• Manufacturing Concerns
• Retail Trade Concerns
• Construction Companies

Professional associations and organizations are a crucial resource for Chief Operating Officers interested in pursuing professional development or connecting with like-minded professionals in their industry or occupation. Membership in one or more looks excellent on your resume to bolster your credentials and qualifications.

• Immensely stressful because of the myriad challenges, responsibilities, and expectations
• Jobs in jeopardy due to poorly performing organizations or departments
• Frequent travel to attend meetings and conferences or to visit the company’s other offices
• Less time for personal commitments

Many Chief Operating Officers have previously served as a Director or Manager within a company and are expected to have experience in the organization’s specialty area. An aspiring COO will need extensive practical experience. Many top executives advance within their firm, moving up from lower-level management occupations or supervisory positions. Experience in fundraising will be a plus.

If you have five to fifteen years of experience in the field, an online short course from a world-class university might earn you the operations management certificate needed to step up to a senior leadership position.

Most Chief Operating Officers have strong educational backgrounds in business and management, typically with graduate degrees in the field.

Certification from an objective and reputed organization can help a Chief Operating Officer stand out in a competitive job market, validate and build your knowledge in a specific area, and help you become an independent consultant.

Successful certification programs also promote and enhance the visibility of a Chief Operating Officer and give employers a benchmark standard for measuring employee candidates.

Forty percent of current Chief Operating Officers see themselves in a Chief Executive Officer or Managing Director role in the future. 53 percent of C-suite employees believe the COO will take the top position within five years.

However, not every COO wants to take over the position of CEO; 30 percent of COOs surveyed view their current role as a destination in its own right.

Top executives are expected to face robust competition for jobs. The high pay and prestige associated with these positions attract many qualified applicants. Those with an advanced degree and extensive managerial experience will have the best job prospects.

Company training programs and executive development programs can often benefit Managers or Executives, hoping to advance to a Chief Operating Officer’s position.

Regardless of your final destination, the key to moving ahead on this career path is to understand how various parts of the organization work together as a business, which may mean rotating through different job roles. You have to build a wide range of business skills and experience over 10 to 20 years working in large corporate organizations.

Working across the board will help you see all the different aspects of the business and understand how they can be improved.

COOs are Key to Company Success

The position of Chief Operating Officer is nearly ubiquitous in operationally intensive businesses, like the airline and automotive industries, and high-tech firms that operate in hypercompetitive and dynamic marketplaces.

COOs are the second-in-command in a corporation and are responsible for its efficiency. Their work is central to the success of the company. They are key members of the senior management team, reporting to the CEO. They work primarily in an office with a dedicated administrative staff.

With so many potential direct reports throughout the corporation, they must be organized, dedicated, and willing to work long hours to succeed. COOs often spend time interacting with other high-level executives of the company including Financial Managers, Human Resource Managers, or Chief Technology Officers.

Seven Distinct Roles

There are seven distinct but not mutually exclusive roles that COOs are expected to play vis-a-vis their CEO: that of the executor, the change agent, the mentor, the other half, the partner, the heir apparent, and the MVP. COOs may wear at least two of the seven hats. COOs remain mysterious as a class: The role is structurally, strategically, socially, and politically unique—and extraordinarily situational.

The job of a Chief Operating Officer is so unique that it is the only C-suite title to which there is no magazine devoted.

There is no single agreed-upon description of what the Chief Operating Officer’s job entails or even what it is called. While other jobs are primarily defined regarding the work to be done, and the organizational structure, the COO’s role is defined in relation to the CEO as an individual. It requires individuals who are confident in their abilities to do full justice to the unique and utterly demanding job of a COO, even as some await the role of more significant leadership.

Leadership is neither bullying nor aggression. Leadership is the expectation that you can use your voice for good...that you can make the world a better place.