4 Leadership Practices for Today's Mission-Driven COOs

“As a Chief Operating Officer, you can achieve outstanding results even in this complex time. Your willingness to grow on the job will determine how well you do.”
- Kate Ebner, Nebo’s CEO and COO Roundtable Co-Facilitator

The leadership demands facing today’s mission-driven COOs are almost unrecognizable with those of even five years ago. Yet, acquiring more skills, knowledge and experience alone is insufficient for today’s COOs who must lead the kinds of transformation required. Old approaches to leadership reference simpler times when the pace of change was slower, more straightforward, and predictable.

As a three-time COO of mission-driven organizations and an executive coach and advisor, I have experienced firsthand how the role and landscape have shifted beneath our feet. I’ve also come to appreciate that the leadership challenges of today’s COOs, chapter by chapter, offer the proving ground for growth, development, and learning. Leading with excellence means that COOs must change how they perceive and engage with the world.

The Nebo Transformational Leadership Framework (TLF) is a flexible, modern approach to contemporary leadership that I’ve found to be highly applicable for me and other COOs. Over the past 20 years of working with leaders, teams, and organizations, Nebo has developed and tested the framework to help leaders understand how to rise to the challenges of leading transformative change. This model helps COOs convert their ongoing challenges into rich opportunities for learning, development, and, ultimately, impact.

Transforming your COO leadership requires new ways of Being, Seeing, Saying, and Doing, in a continuous, dynamic loop. Here is an overview of the Transformational Leadership Framework, applied to the COO role, including select coaching questions to explore each “domain.” Use the coaching questions to gain greater focus and clarity about how you will accomplish your priorities as a leader.

Be (How We Show Up):
Cultivate an authentic, curious, resilient, courageous, and empathetic presence for your organization. COOs today are both stewards of stability and leaders of innovation, which means COOs must model steadiness and openness in a time of constant change – as well as a willingness to disrupt or remove old approaches that no longer serve.

Select self-coaching questions in the domain of “BE” include:

• Summon courage. What’s at stake for me? What would it look like to act courageously?
• Notice what is. What is happening here? What’s working? What’s missing?
• Let go of perfection. What would ‘good enough’ look like?
• Notice your triggers. What is the root cause of my reaction?
• What holds me back? What would I do if I knew I couldn’t fail?

See (How We Notice):
Expand your capacity to see systems, context, and future possibilities rather than just immediate problems. As COOs in a chaotic, constantly changing world, you must be able to see systems, grasp complexity and context, and describe the future. These ways of seeing are essential for keeping your organization relevant, current, and mission-aligned. 

Select self-coaching questions in the domain of “SEE” include:

• Results follow focus. Am I focused on the right things? By paying attention to this priority, what am I neglecting?
• Notice how we got here. What was the starting point? How did we evolve? What did we overcome? How do we tell our story up until now?
• Notice bias. What are my assumptions and preconceptions? What if I look at this from the opposite angle?
• Observe the effect you are having on others. How are others reacting to me? How are my message, tone, and mood landing for others?

Say (How We Communicate):
Make sense of the organization’s journey and communicate with clarity to connect with and inspire others. One of the roles that a COO plays for their organization is “Chief Orientation Officer,” responsible for keeping people oriented and setting a compelling direction for the future with a clear sense of purpose and direction.

Select self-coaching questions in the domain of “SEE” include:

• Speak strategically. Can I emphasize how this topic links to our broader vision and strategic priorities?
• Speak honestly. What must be said in order to bring authenticity to this conversation?
• Articulate a path to success. Does everyone understand what our desired destination or outcome truly looks like?
• Inspire with storytelling. What stories or metaphors would bring this idea to life? How can I frame this situation positively and realistically?

Do (How We Act):
Empowering people, adapting swiftly, and driving meaningful execution are central to the COO's role. Effective COOs know that they will achieve ambitious goals through the concerted efforts of others. 

Select self-coaching questions in the domain of “DO” include:

• Bring a sufficiency mindset. Am I noticing what’s working, not just what is missing?
• Focus on results. What would it look like to begin with the end in mind? What are the fewest priorities that would make the most difference?
• Be adaptive. How can I flex to the situation? What can I let go of to make room for a new priority?
• Acknowledge progress and reward excellence. Where do I see excellence? Who is working hard and deserves acknowledgment?

Effective COOs regularly ask themselves: What am I leading? What kind of leadership is needed from me now? With the Transformational Leadership Framework, you can explore these essential questions through the four domains of BE, SEE, SAY, and DO, using them to guide focused reflection and purposeful action. Seeing your challenges as growth opportunities for you as a leader helps you shift from overwhelmed and reactive to purposeful and capable of leading the results that matter.

Join the next cohort of the Nebo Leadership Academy's COO Roundtable to connect with other mission-driven COOs. Watch the video below to learn more about Nebo’s COO Roundtable.

Featured Photo by Ian Dooley on Unsplash