54: Riding Shotgun: Best Practices of Successful COOs, with Nate Bennett, Ph.D., Professor, J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University
Meet Nate Bennett Ph.D.:
Nate Bennett Ph.D. is a professor of management and the faculty director of the EMBA program with the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. He is co-author of two books, “Riding Shotgun: The Role of the COO” and “Your Career Game: How Game Theory Can Help You Achieve Your Professional Goals.” He is also a contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek.com and Forbes.com. He received his Ph.D. in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Key Insights:
The COO is an underutilized member of the c-suite. Nate Bennett, Ph.D. is a leading author and researcher of the role and shares best practices of successful COOs.
- COO Configurations. Professor Bennett found that there are seven types of COOs. The most common is the executor. While the CEO is focused on anticipation and looking to the future, this COO type drives performance and ensures strategy is executed efficiently. (3:49)
- The Evolving COO Role. The COO role has evolved over the last few decades. It is a competitive advantage for COOs to be savvier about finance, technology, big data, talent management, and globalization. Additionally, Professor Bennett points out there’s been a rise in stakeholder perspective, rather than traditional shareholder perspective. (19:37)
- Your Career as Rock Climbing. Career progression is less like a ladder, and more like rock climbing. Sometimes your choices will seem like sideways, diagonal, or even downward movements. It is important to be agile, and continue to invest in yourself to create a more compelling value proposition for your next employer. (36:04)
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