What does it really take for an HR leader to step into the COO seat? In this episode, Taylor Bradley sits down with Jamie Coakley, Chief Operating Officer at Electric, to explore her remarkable journey from recruiter to HR leader to executive operator. With over eight years helping scale Electric from its early days, Jamie unpacks the mindset shifts, skills, and business fluency required to evolve from HR into a broader operational role.

Jamie shares how being a recruiter honed her ability to read people, why owning problems end-to-end is the hallmark of a true operator, and how mastering the P&L transformed her influence across the business. She also opens up about leading with kindness, the power of building a trusted network of mentors, and what she looks for in high-impact hires—hint: it’s all about “smart, kind people.” Whether you're an HR professional aspiring to the C-suite or simply navigating your own growth, this conversation offers rich takeaways on operational leadership, self-advocacy, and driving business impact through people.

.Credits
TroopHR Founder: Tracy Avin
Show Producer: Nicole Fealey
Show Host: Taylor Bradley
Note: Transcripts generated by AI.

Ep 48. From HR to COO: Jamie Coakley on Building Operational Fluency and Leading with Kindness