Hunting for a Chef Operating Officer (COO) but not sure what traits to look for? Popular opinion seems to show you're not alone: the COO has less of a defined role and set of responsibilities compared to the CEO or other members of c-level staff. This may make searching for one daunting, but it also gives the person in this role some inherent strengths, as the company can depend on him or her in different situations.
In a CIO article on "pivoting" a business, Jennifer Lonoff Schiff cites multiple COOs on adjusting business strategies to effectively "change course." Ross Cohen, COO of BeenVerified, advises companies to check the impact a product is having on the right audience, while Joel Grossman of Location Labs acknowledges the need for short-term goals along the way to making lasting change.
Writing for Entrepreneur in 2014, Ryan Caldbeck echoes this sentiment by highlighting the COO's need to work meticulously.
"A successful COO balances a breadth of experience and knowledge with an ability to manage strategically," Caldbeck writes. "They keep their company's high-level strategy front-and-center while understanding the details of day-to-day execution to ensure what needs to happen does happen. Handling those details can be no small matter." He also praises the ideal COO for possessing "a total lack of ego."
When you are building an executive team, each potential member needs to have the right skills and cultural fit for guaranteed success at your business. Collaborating with executive search consultants will give you access to the resources and experience necessary for finding higher-level staff who matches expectations perfectly.
Finding people is easy, but finding the RIGHT people is not. YES Partners helps companies FIND the right people – for all company functions, across many industries and globally.
