You Might Need a COO, If…
A Presentation by Bill Jackson
Quick Summary
If being the creative force and visionary of your company, as well as managing day-to-day operations is becoming more challenging, it might be time to hire someone who can drive growth and performance by their focus on daily execution. Someone who can free you up as the CEO to focus on major external initiatives, develop new opportunities, or just spend time away, rather than being occupied with daily operations and keeping multiple departments productive. That someone might be . . . a chief operating officer.
Presentation Outline
In this presentation, I begin with a bold question: Can your business fully realize its potential with you responsible for daily execution? To help each attendee find their answer, I share my perspective as an experienced hired gun who has served as a COO and look at four powerful questions that focus on the CEO-COO model.
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Do you need a COO? If you have a growing business, lots of people, multiple locations, various lines of business, and/or feel yourself stretched and pulled in many directions, it may be time for you to hire a COO. We look at the key indicators that point to the need to recruit someone with the experience and skills to help you take your company to the next level.
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Are you ready for a COO? Are you someone who has been the sole executive running the show from day one? If so, are you really prepared to share responsibility and authority with another senior executive? We explore what you might experience if you hire a COO and how to cope with the changes that are inevitable.
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Who will do what? What will your typical day be like once you hire a COO? What functions will you focus on? What tasks, functions, and departments will you transition to the COO? The answers to these questions are up to you, so we’ll discuss your options.
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How do we make it work? Change is tough, especially when it’s your business. Fortunately, there are some practical steps you can take to increase the likelihood of success and minimize frustration and unproductive friction in the “C suite.” I’ll share some of the things that CEOs did to help me succeed in the role of COO.
I conclude by once again asking the bold question: Can your business fully realize its potential with you responsible for daily execution?
Target Audience
CEOs and presidents interested in exploring a CEO-COO model, where the CEO is free to concentrate on a more focused list of business activities (e.g. strategy, new markets or new products) and the COO delivers results by managing the rest of the business.
Possible Formats
This presentation can be delivered as a keynote or workshop, ranging from 30–60 minutes long, depending on your needs. The ideal keynote length is 45 minutes.
Intended Outcomes
Audience members will:
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Learn of the possible advantages of adopting a CEO-COO model to ramp up growth and realize more of a business’ potential.
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Have a framework for thinking through the identification and recruitment of a COO and options for structuring job tasks, responsibilities and accountability.
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Leave with practical, actionable steps they can implement immediately.