Goldcrest Partners is expert in coaching COOs in the financial services industry. Our coaches have personal experience in the role and a clear understanding of what it takes to succeed.
Understanding the Solution
The diverse range of COO responsibilities is mirrored by the varied career paths of those aspiring to the role. Over time, ‘on the job’ experience and support from senior colleagues can help round out the broad skillset required. This process can be accelerated for new-to-role COOs, and the performance of more tenured COOs can be enhanced by working with an expert coach.
Goldcrest Partners’ Coaching COOs is focused on developing the five critical capabilities that we believe contribute most to a COO’s success:
Leading the organisation
Successful strategic execution demands inclusive, inspirational leadership. COOs have unique access to and influence over the broader organisation. Often the ‘face’ of ambitious, organisation-wide transformation programmes, COOs must be able to engage, align and motivate large, diverse audiences. Impactful COOs embody a dynamic and adaptable leadership style, combining a range of leadership skills with the wisdom to use the right one at the right time.
Influencing stakeholders
A clear distinguishing feature of the COO role is that they are often held accountable for actions and outcomes way beyond their direct organisational authority. An ability to partner, negotiate, and influence across and beyond organisational boundaries is therefore paramount. Success as a COO demands highly developed communication and relationship management skills combined with cultural fluency and diplomacy.
Managing change
In most organisations, the COO is the senior accountable executive for business-wide transformational change. COOs are expected to anticipate, accommodate and execute a continual cycle of change in support of an organisation’s strategy and competitive advantage.
Optimising performance
COOs have a unique perspective of an organisation’s operational health and effectiveness. Importantly, they see and think beyond departmental boundaries, helping create a business that is greater than the sum of its parts. To achieve the frictionless integration desired, COOs must gain the support and active participation of peers and other key stakeholders.
Building resilience
The role of a COO is highly demanding. Not only are COOs required to cover a large and challenging portfolio, they are often called on to address critical real-time issues and, on occasion, to assemble and lead crisis management response teams. COOs must build the character, capabilities and, above all, the resilience to remain calm, focused and articulate in the most challenging of circumstances.
Honing our skills as a COO at any time of our career is time well spent.
Given the widely differing career paths to the COO role few arrive with a complete tool set on day one and while optimum performance requires mastery of all 5 capabilities, individuals may initially prioritise those capabilities that best match their own immediate development needs.
Overall we believe this coaching framework offers a robust and coherent approach to optimising COO performance and invites us all to rise to the challenge.
Coaching COOs Case Studies
Coaching Investors Insights
