What does a COO do?
A COO's role may include responsibility for:
- finance
- accounting
- planning
- technology
- HR
- legal matters
- facilities
- production
- supply chain management
People in this role might be responsible for several of the above-mentioned areas; the specific scope will vary in different companies, according to the cfo.com website.
Is this position for you?
A COO should be a detail-oriented person who must know how to keep the organisation productive. A COO should also be able to assume any responsibility that needs to be taken on. What they have in common with people from finance is a strong business sense. Both operations and finance aim at keeping any project profitable.
What you need to make the grade
So what makes one a good candidate for this position?
- Curiosity: Unleash your curiosity. Ask questions. Become better informed about everything that is going on in the organisation.
- Strong personal brand: You should be seen as a trusted adviser, someone who is very knowledgeable about the business. The key question for you is: if a new cross-disciplinary initiative is emerging, are you the one to be offered the chance to manage it?
- Problem solving: You will be the one identifying, analysing and preventing problems. You will need to have the ability to spot problems before they appear with full force. Monitoring is crucial.
- Problem prevention: You also need to untangle root causes and solve underlying issues so that the given problem is fixed for good. The final step is to create a control and risk-management environment where problems are rare. This is about managing data, processes and externalities.
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