Riding Shotgun: The Role of the Coo, Updated Edition

By Nathan Bennett, Stephen Miles, Stephen A. Miles, et al.

Book Overview

The role of Chief Operating Officer is clearly important. In fact, it's arguable that the number two position is the toughest job in a company. COOs play a critical part in executing the strategies developed by top management. And, in many cases, they are being groomed--or test-driven--as the firm's CEO-elect.

Riding Shotgun provides unique insight into this little-understood role. The authors develop a framework that illustrates who the COO is, why a company should create this position, and what the challenges associated with this job entail. Drawing heavily on first-person accounts from top executives, the authors offer a set of strategies to inform individuals who aspire to serve as COO. With a new preface and conclusion, and even more interviews from some of the most established and important companies in today's economy, this book is a one-of-a-kind resource for the C-suite and the boardroom.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1503600386
• ISBN13: 9781503600386
• Release Date: January 2017
• Publisher: Stanford Business Books
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Bringing COOs into the light

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.

A Report from People Who Have Been There.

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.'

Informative and Useful

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.

Its long overdue

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.

Fascinating and Crucial

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.