The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s

1. What is a COO?

Jul 6, 2023

Divinia Knowles, founder of the London COO Roundtable, shares her wisdom on the role of a COO, the differences between COO, Chief of Staff and Operations Lead, and measuring the success of a COO. She also provides advice for COOs struggling with their CEO. The podcast delves into the relationship between the COO and CEO, emphasizing trust and open communication.

45:12

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Episode guests

Divinia Knowles

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Establishing trust and effective contracting is crucial for a successful CEO-COO relationship.

COOs should embrace the power of their unique position and unleash their true potential in organizations.

Deep dives

The Importance of Trust and Contracting in the CEO-COO Relationship

One key factor for a successful CEO-COO relationship is the establishment of trust and effective contracting. The COO should work on building trust with the CEO and ensure that they have clear roles and expectations. Contracting should be an ongoing process, constantly reassessing and aligning their roles as the business evolves. It's crucial for the COO to challenge the CEO respectfully, seeking clarity and ensuring a shared vision. Additionally, having a third-party coach or advisor can provide valuable insights and facilitate open conversations.

Introduction

3min

The Role of a COO in Building and Operating a Go-to-Market Engine

7min

Introduction, Background, and Defining the COO Role

5min

The Three Components of the COO Role and the Difference with Chiefs of Staff

4min

Exploring the Roles of Chief of Staff, CEO, Head of Operations, and VP of Operations

2min

The Relationship Between the COO and CEO

24min

In this episode we tackle the question of: What is a COO? Our special guest is Divinia Knowles, Founder of the London COO Roundtable.

In this episode we get her words of wisdom on the following questions:

What is a COO? What does a COO do?
What are the differences between: COO, Chief of Staff and Operations Lead?
Which COO is more successful, those that are promoted internally or those people who have joined externally?
How do you measure the success of a COO?
What is your advice for COO’s struggling with their CEO?

Speaker notes and references:

HBR article - https://hbr.org/2006/05/second-in-command-the-misunderstood-role-of-the-chief-operating-officer

Allison Pickens article - https://allisonpickens.substack.com/p/the-rise-of-the-coo-role

Generalists vs Specialists - Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World https://amzn.eu/d/5Sxi43L

Divinia Knowles article https://www.publicover.co/articles/the-coo-problem-misconceptions-and-mistakes

Divinia was COO, CFO & a director at both Mind Candy and Pact Coffee, where she also served as interim CEO. She has held or still holds chair and board seats at too many companies to list and is occasionally an angel investor.

Divinia re-trained as a coach in 2017 and combined it with her previous experience to become the COO Coach, working with start up/scale up COOs/CEOs to help guide them through successfully starting up, scaling up and exiting.

And in addition to all that, she is also the Founder of the London COO Roundtable, a community that brings operations professionals together to define what it means to be a highly effective startup and scale up Chief Operating Officer.

Divinia Knowles references

COO Roundtable - https://www.cooroundtable.com/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/diviniaknowles/

Email - divinia@diviniaknowles.com

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