How operations managers can advance to director and COO level

Executive overview

Moving from operations manager to COO is about expanding three things: responsibility, span of control over people, and strategic contribution. Title inflation means many "COO" roles in small companies are really director-level jobs. Compensation tracks genuine scope, not just title.

The path up is self-directed: ask for more responsibility, read what your CEO reads, and treat coaching as a performance tool — not a remedial one.

What separates levels in operations

• Larger scope of responsibility distinguishes each title step
• Span of people you lead and develop grows with each level
• Strategic thinking contribution increases — not just execution
• Title inflation in smaller companies often means director-level work with a COO label
• Compensation reflects real scope; a true COO salary (2007: ~$307K, ~$600–750K today) differs sharply from a director's ~$120K

How to move up

• Ask for more responsibility proactively — don't wait to be assigned it
• Read the same books your CEO is reading to build shared language and thinking
• Seek feedback continuously: ask "where can I get better?" not "how am I doing?"
• Use courses (e.g. Invest in Your Leaders) to develop leadership and functional skills
• Treat coaching as a performance accelerator — elite athletes and top executives use coaches at every level