The core roles, traits, and hiring approach for a COO

Executive overview

Most founders ask "what questions should I ask to hire a COO?" — the wrong question. The right question is: what are you actually hiring for? Define the behavioral traits, functional skills, and core values alignment first; the interview questions follow from that.

A COO is not a backup CEO. The role is defined by a specific set of responsibilities — from operationalising the CEO's vision to building the leadership bench — and the strength of the CEO-COO partnership is the lever that makes all of it work.

The COO's job is to make the CEO iconic, execute the vision, and grow the team — not to run everything themselves.

Core responsibilities every COO must own

• Trusted confidant to the CEO — a safe space for fears and hard truths the CEO can't share elsewhere
• Shines the spotlight on the CEO; delivers bad news so the CEO can carry positive energy
• Operationalises the CEO's vision — the "how" to the CEO's "why and where"
• Builds consensus and productive debate within the leadership team
• Removes obstacles across functional areas and ensures cross-functional communication
• Develops the C-level and VP team's skills one to two years ahead of what the business needs
• Maintains a virtual bench — always recruiting for roles the company will need next

What to look for when hiring a COO

• Match behavioral traits to the specific roles and projects the COO will oversee
• Assess functional depth in every area reporting to them (doesn't need to be a CFO, but must understand finance)
• Confirm genuine alignment with the company's core values — not lip service
• Hire for leadership and soft skills above domain expertise; unlike a CMO or CFO, the COO's primary craft is people

How to develop into a COO role

• Build deep operational competence alongside soft skills: coaching, delegation, conflict management, situational leadership
• Master meeting facilitation, project management, time management, and interviewing
• Develop the ability to see across the business — not just within one function
• Work fewer hours, not more; a burned-out COO infects the culture and over-manages their team

COO in the startup phase

• Hire generalists early — jack-of-all-trades over deep domain specialists
• Communicate clearly that the startup path involves frequent pivots; employees need context, not just direction
• Act as the glue between siloed teams before a formal leadership structure exists
• Manage the emotional fallout of constant direction changes — keep people calm and coordinated

The CEO-COO partnership

• Treat it as a two-in-the-box model: yin and yang, not boss and subordinate
• All other C-level relationships are important but fundamentally different — only the COO provides the brake to the CEO's accelerator
• Create protected time for just the two of them — away from the team, board, and employees
• Hash out disagreements privately; return to the organisation as a unified front
• Never let the CEO and COO argue in front of the broader team

Choosing the right title and timing

• Hire an executive assistant first; until then, every admin task falls on the CEO
• Bring in a second-in-command when the CEO can manage all business areas but can't grow the people in them
• Match the title to the compensation and scope, not aspiration:
  1. Director of Operations — ~$80k–$120k range
  2. VP of Operations — ~$120k–$200k range
  3. COO — $200k–$400k+ range
• Inflated titles raise salary expectations and create role confusion; avoid them
• The goal: free the CEO to work in their zone of genius and stay the chief energising officer