What does a Chief Operating Officer do?

I get this question from early founders, CEOs wondering if they need one, polite friends trying to understand my job, even other COOs!

It’s clearly a valid question.

Why is the job of COO so murky?

1. The role looks different at every company.
2. COOs are often behind the scenes, letting others take center stage.

Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles via Harvard Business Review put together one of the best summaries of the different flavors of COO: Second in Command: The Misunderstood Role of the Chief Operating Officer.

They detail the seven (yes, SEVEN - no wonder it’s hard to pin down!) types of COOs.

As COO of Rigor, I handled strategic operations, alignment, communication, facilities, people operations, and finance. My North Star metric was Employee Net Promoter Score.

At other companies, I’ve seen the COO add Go-To-Market, Product, Engineering, or Customer Success to their line up. At public companies, the COO often runs the company while the CEO focuses on vision, press, and investors. Sometimes, the COO is a co-founder or a CEO-in-training.

With all of these different “types” of COO, how should you think about the role?

The most important job of a COO is to complement the CEO.

No, that’s not “compliment” as in, a courteous remark that expresses admiration. That’s “complement” as in, something that completes something else in some way. (Reference for grammar nerds here.)

The COO is fundamentally a balancing role. It’s a leadership role that’s strong in areas where the CEO doesn’t have interest, time, or expertise. And this is different for every company since every CEO is unique.

So, what does a COO do?

• Complements the CEO
• Brings leadership expertise and execution to areas that need attention
• Customizes the role based on the CEO, team, industry, and business

Yes, the COO is often a strong “operator” - great at building repeatable programs that incorporate data, accountability, training, and tools in a structured way.

But the most important job of the COO is to see the needs of the CEO and the company and double down in those areas. It requires an honest, trusted relationship with the CEO and a deep understanding of people and business.

It’s a dynamic, challenging, and subtle role. When you get it right, great things happen.