Maria Jones describes Chief Operating Officers (COOs) as the “Innovators of execution.” Their role as second-in-command to CEOs is vital to business continuity and delivering on sales promises. Yet, many leaders don’t understand what they do and overlook operations as the core of any business. In this episode, Maria kicks off Season 8 by debunking common myths about COOs, as well as operations, using analogies and examples that make their value undeniable. She also shares key metrics every business should measure to assess performance.
091: Debunking COO Myths with Maria Jones
Special Guest: Maria Jones, Founder & CEO – Nerdy Industry, LLC; Atlanta Director of COO Forum
Location: Atlanta, GA USA
Air Date: April 5, 2020
Resources
- Operational Excellence Foundations: an online LinkedIn Learning course by Dr. Richard Chua
- Riding Shotgun: The Role of the COO: a book by Nate Bennett and Stephen Miles
- Second in Command: The Misunderstood Role of the Chief Operating Officer: a Harvard Business Review article by Nate Bennett and Stephen Miles
What is a COO? from Lisa Zevi on Vimeo.
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Bios
More About Guest, Maria Jones:
Maria Jones is the Founder & CEO of Nerdy Industry, LLC which provides operations advisory services to budding entrepreneurs. She’s an accomplished Senior Executive and Thought Leader with more than 20 years of success spanning startup companies, healthcare, financial services, real estate, and SaaS IT. Throughout her career, Maria has been responsible for reducing operations by 25%, growing revenue by 200% through new project initiatives, and increasing employee satisfaction statistics. She streamlines operations, optimizes customer experience, and maximizes customer engagement. A proven leader, she achieves operational budget savings through process analysis, development, and re-engineering while maintaining a 98% on-time delivery rate. Maria is also the Director of the Atlanta Chapter of the COO Forum.
More About Host, Alicia Butler Pierre:
Alicia Butler Pierre is the Founder & CEO of Equilibria, Inc. – a 15-year-old operations management consulting firm. Her career in operations began over 20 years ago while working in various chemical plants and oil refineries. She invented the Kasennu™ framework for business infrastructure and authored, Behind the Façade: How to Structure Company Operations for Sustainable Success. It is the world’s first published book on business infrastructure for small businesses. Alicia hosts the weekly Business Infrastructure podcast with a global audience across 35 countries.
More About Emcee, Jason Smith:
Jason Smith is the Founder of CIGRIE, LLC – a business development consulting firm specializing in campaign-based business development initiatives for small to medium businesses. He’s also a Senior Consultant with ASLAN Training & Development, helping clients to improve the way their teams sell. Jason hosts the Sales Synergistics podcast.