Related Content
Creating the COO Position
The COOs and EDs we interviewed shared their experiences working in organizations that recognized the need for a COO, faced doubts and concerns about the position, and worked through challenges to successfully bring in a COO.
Emily McCann: Navigating an Organization's Decision to Create the COO Position
Emily McCann was a self-proclaimed “outside-the-box” candidate when Citizen Schools hired her as chief financial officer. Less than two years later, she became the organization’s first chief operating officer. While this was a relatively quick transition for McCann, the organization’s decision to create a COO position took some time and consideration.
Finding the Right COO Position
The key to success in a job search is finding the right fit between your skills, interests, and disposition on the one hand, and the characteristics of the potential organization, role, and leadership team on the other. Because of the tremendous variety in role definition across COO positions, finding the right fit can be particularly challenging and important for COO candidates.