CEOs vs COOs

What’s the difference?

Who is the CEO and why? What is the job of the COO? Where does the CEOs job start and end? What about the COO?

Most startup titles are, frankly, made up. Yes, someone needs to be the CEO, the person ultimately accountable for outcomes. Someone needs to be COO, accountable for the strategy and execution of CEO and board-set initiatives. Understanding how roles are divided and why the people in those roles are best suited to them is key to understanding a founding team’s ability to build and scale a team.

Here’s how I think about it:

CEOs create and capitalize on opportunities, COOs identify and sustainably solve problems.

Both roles are equally important and have their own unique challenges. But when thinking about the right role fit for different individuals, it’s critical to align the skill sets of the individual with the requirements of the role. Don’t put a dreamer / visionary with no core execution ability in a COO role. Don’t put a detail oriented problem solver with no vision or sales ability in a CEO seat.

Often these roles can blur as the relationship is such a close working one. However, success in each leader’s role positions the organization to succeed and scale. Work hard to get it right early!