What you need to know

about hiring a great COO.

Image courtesy of Shawn Clover at flickr.com

Batman has Alfred. Luke had R2-D2. Frodo had Samwise

Gamgee. What do all these duos have in common? One of them

is the headliner, the one that grabs all the attention. The other is

there to make sure the main character doesn’t falter and keeps

things running smoothly. The same can be said about the

relationship between a Chief Executive Officer and his Chief

Operations Officer. CEO are the face of an organization. They run

the press conferences and are the ones that ultimately make and

have to respond for decisions.

The COO oversees the day to day activities of a company to

ensure that it is running smoothly and toward the goals the

CEO and the board of directors have established.

Other than hiring a CEO, the COO is possibly the hardest position

to fill. He or she will basically be given the task of fulfilling and

surpassing expectations as well as making sure everyone is on

board. Knowing what to look for and what questions to ask the

candidates is the key to making the right choice.

A Chief Operations Officers job profile really depends on the

business he or she will be working in and what the company

wants and needs from the position. The personality profile,

however, is pretty much a constant in all companies with a

powerful and successful COO. CEOs and Board members should

be on the lookout for three qualities.

A people person:

Great COO are always on the lookout for those who will make his

or her job easier. They have an eye for spotting talent within and

outside the company. Team players. Driven and proactive

individuals. These are the kinds of people COO want on their

team and the will try to give every chance to make sure

collaborators with potential receive all the training they can

get.

Keeps a low profile:

An Operations Officer doesn’t want the credit. That’s what the

CEO is for. COO strive to make sure the company runs like a well

oil machine. They have zero ego and always have a company’s

and its employees’ best interest in mind.

Listen to the brain and not the heart:

An effective COO keeps his feet on the ground. CEOs and the

board of directors often make decisions based on feeling and

emotion. Hunches are not in a COO’s vocabulary. He or she will

sit down and gather all relevant data before making a call or

green lighting a board decision. After all, the decisions taken

will directly affect a company’s day-to-day operations and

therefore the COO’s job and responsibilities. He or she must

have all the information that will allow him or her to make an

educated assessment on the viability of CEO and Board members

proposals.

Once the list of candidates has been narrowed down to only those

who fit the profile it’s time to consider what should be asked

during the interview process. The right questions could make or

break a candidate’s hiring process.

Image courtesy of Colin Kinner at flickr.com

1. What is our business?

Simple and to the point. Incredibly effective. This question will

help you find out who has done their homework and who just read

the company’s website a couple of days ago. A COO must be

informed of what the company is all about so that he or she can

develop strategies to make it grow.

2. Based on what you know about the company, how do

you fit in with the culture around here?

Candidates who answer the first question correctly will usually

have an understanding of what a company’s culture and values

are. This question will help see if the candidate will fit right in or

whether he or she will create a disturbance in the force.

3. How important is giving and taking feedback and how

do you go about it?

The answer to this question will demonstrate how a COO

candidate handles what his superiors suggest to him or her and at

the same time interviewers will get an idea of how the candidate

treats his or her collaborators.

4. How do you take failure?

A Chief Operations Officer’s decisions or strategies might tank

every once in a while. Hopefully, not often. Gauging the person’s

reaction to this question gives insight into how a person deals with

setbacks. Does he or she beat himself up for a business decision

gone sour or does the candidate take a deep breath, analyze the

weaknesses from his or her strategy, and then develop a new and

improved one?

5. How would you communicate with people at different

levels in the company?

Even though a COO normally flies under the radar, he or she

must communicate with others. The answer a candidate gives to

this inquiry will provide details into how he or she treats others

and how effective he or she is at giving information, reports, or

commands based on who the person has in front of him or her.

Chief Operations Officers are the CEO's right hand

man or woman. Finding the right one can be a

grueling process. Knowing who you need and how

they answer interview questions is essential in

making the best educated guess that will help a

company grow and maximize the potential of its

employees.