Customer Reviews

Riding Shotgun: The Role of the COO

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a very useful book - lots of lessons that can be applied right away and can improve your relationship with your number one (or number two!). The interviews are interesting and include a roster of today's business leaders. The writing is accessible - not academic - very practical.

Finally an easy to read business book that adds value and addresses one if not the most critical roles in an organization today. The long overdue assessment of the key attributes to make a COO successful and the importance of the role in today's business world.

Excellent and relevant interviews of today's leaders and their number 2's.

I loved this book. Not only was it compelling and captivating, but the subject matter is cutting edge. The authors have done a fantastic job outlining their theses and using an impressive set of interviews to illustrate their points.

I highly recommend this book.

In today's corporate world the pulls on the CEO of a company are many. He must work with the board, he is the first person that the press or an investment analyst will call, and above all else he needs to set the overall direction of the company to see that it is moving towards the future in the direction that he has set. Doing all these tasks is a full time job. It is therefore the job of the COO to take the general direction and make company actually function. Someone has got to see that the products get designed, manufactured, sold and shipped. That someone who really runs the operation of the company is the COO.

If they are going to pull it off, the CEO and the COO have to work together almost as though they are married. And just as in a real marriage, if the two are pulling in different directions, the marriage will fall apart.

This book is a series of reports on conversations held between the authors and a long list of COO's. The selection of COO's represent a wide variety of industries, including: soft drinks, biology/pharmaseuticals, computers, finance, airline and more. Their comments provide an understanding of the job that can only be provided by one who has 'been there, done that.'

If you are looking for an easy read and enjoy anecdotes about the experiences of successful COOs at very large organizations, you may want to read this book. A large portion of the book is devoted to interviews of well-known COOs or former COOs. The main messages are 1) constant communication between the COO and the CEO (and board, if accessible) is important, 2) clear cut allocation of responsibilities between the COO and the CEO is critical for success and 3) the job is whatever the COO and CEO decide it is. The book provides numerous interesting and entertaining stories of successes and failures. If you get those concepts, you don't need to read the book.

This is the kind of book I put on my 'train reading' list (easy read, not too meaty, and no big deal if I fall asleep halfway through a chapter), but it did not add materially to my understanding of the role of a COO or the unique tools/skills necessary to be successful.

If you're searching for the textbook example of a COO, look no farther than Tonto, the Lone Ranger's loyal and trustworthy right-hand man. Sharing the Lone Ranger's vision of delivering frontier justice, Tonto checked his ego at the door. Instead of trying to figure out how to unseat his CEO - the Lone Ranger - Tonto faithfully and skillfully performed his duties. They complemented each other beautifully and made a great team. COOs in today's corporate environment face complex and difficult challenges, but the essence of the job hasn't changed much since Tonto hitched up a saddle. Intelligence, reliability and integrity are just a few of the essential qualities COOs must possess, according to Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles. The authors use solid information from extensive interviews with leading corporate executives to carefully dissect the COO's role and explain strategies for maximizing this position in your company. In fact, getAbstract believes the only thing missing from this highly recommended book is Tonto's input. The lesson here: the Lone Ranger isn't so "lone," and neither is the CEO.

Interesting structure of the book as it presents descriptions of various COO positions thru interviews with past and current COO.

I bought this book to get an inside for my new position. Instead all I got was stories about other leaders and thier traits. Not helpful at all.

Identity therapy for the Chief Operating Officer who may fill such a broad variety of roles, depending upon the skill set of the CEO, the team around them and the level of trust established between the CEO and COO. A good read to be followed by a planning discussion and commitments between a CEO and COO. Loaded with examples of other firms which are so often required to get CEO's to see beyond "their way" to a more effective sharing of corporate responsibilities.