COO
From my archives.
It's no secret that I aspire to be a Chief Operations Officer (COO) one day. Many people think I'm crazy, and ask why I wouldn't aspire to be a CEO instead. Fair point, but I don't think it's in my nature. I'll get into what makes a great COO, but first, here's an example of a former COO I admire:
Tim Cook is probably The Best example of an exceptional COO, but here's the thing that I think makes a great COO:
The Great Collaborator
A great COO is a collaborator. He doesn't command an army; he fights in the trenches with them. A COO must get departments to work together. There's no room for bickering among engineers and salespeople, sales and marketing, or any other departments for that matter. A company thrives when everyone is moving toward a common goal, and that requires the glue that holds it all together.
Innovation comes at the cross-section of ideas, departments, interactions, and collaborators, so it comes as no surprise that from collaboration is born innovation. Taking Tim Cook as an example, look at Apple's supply chain. It's arguably one of the most efficient and innovative supply chains in the world, and has definitely led to much of Apple's success in the past decade. That innovation didn't come from one man, but rather his efforts to create collaboration.
Start-up COOs
How does this work at a small company, a start-up? Easy. A COO is a hacker and an operator. While some entrepreneurs may hesitate to hire, or appoint, a COO because "it's a larger organization position," others see an opportunity for growth.
Some people call CFOs glorified accountants, and likewise they call COOs glorified doers. We could argue about that all day, but the reality is that start-ups often have a difficult time "just doing." Not doing anything can be the death of a start-up, so when you need someone to execute, bring in a COO.
This is where I am particularly intrigued by the notion of being a COO one day. I'm not out there for the guts and the glory. I want to see things get done, while everyone else sits on their bums. My favorite analysis of this type of person is laid out in Danielle Morril's post: "Who Owns the Website, and Why" because it shows what "just doing" can accomplish when there's usually a lot of bickering. A COO cuts through all of the noise. It's really about more than just that, but that was the most relevant takeaway for this post.
Bottom Line
So, no, I don't see COOs as glorified doers. I see them as internal leaders, who get the job done through collaboration. They see the strengths in everyone on the team, and they put the best people on the right problems. They're servants to their companies and they're deeply invested in what goes on internally. They're the oil to the machine while the CEO can often be too busy with investors and other external factors.
note: some of the best CEOs also have the great collaborator mentality, which helps them build morale and get people to collaborate internally. So, yes, it is possible to be a CEO with COO tendencies.