Chief operating officer to business manager
A chief operating officer already meets 37% of what the business manager role asks for. The move turns on 20 required skills not yet in the profile.
72.6/ 100
1 How much of what a business manager is expected to do is already part of a chief operating officer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the business manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A business manager role treats 15 of its required skills as things a chief operating officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- abide by business ethical code of conducts
- analyse business plans
- assume responsibility for the management of a business
- collaborate in company's daily operations
- company policies
- conclude business agreements
What stands in the way is 20 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 27 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A business manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a chief operating officer background worth leading with.
- already held ensure lawful business operations assisting and caring
- already held interact with the board of directors communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held collaborate in company's daily operations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held shape corporate culture management skills
- already held shape organisational teams based on competencies management skills
- already held conclude business agreements communication, collaboration and creativity
All 27 carried skills, including the 15 the business manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 57 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn apply business acumen required
- still to learn control financial resources required
- still to learn create a financial plan required
- still to learn create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement required
- still to learn exercise stewardship required
- still to learn manage staff required
- still to learn recruit employees required
- still to learn strive for company growth required
- optional, not held organise participation in local or international events optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn cost management required
- still to learn business law required
- still to learn business management principles required
- still to learn financial forecasting required
- still to learn risk identification required
- still to learn strategic planning required
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held accounting optional
- optional, not held banking activities optional
- optional, not held business loans optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held financial jurisdiction optional
- optional, not held human resource management optional
- optional, not held international trade optional
- optional, not held market entry planning optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held subsidiary operations optional
- optional, not held supply chain management optional
- still to learn build business relationships required
- still to learn liaise with managers required
- optional, not held maintain relationship with customers optional
- optional, not held prospect new regional contracts optional
- optional, not held align efforts towards business development optional
- optional, not held establish communication with foreign cultures optional
- optional, not held execute marketing plan optional
- optional, not held impart business plans to collaborators optional
- optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held manage relationships with stakeholders optional
- optional, not held report on overall management of a business optional
- optional, not held share good practices across subsidiaries optional
- optional, not held speak different languages optional
- still to learn analyse business processes required
- optional, not held create a financial report optional
- optional, not held analyse financial risk optional
- optional, not held analyse market financial trends optional
- optional, not held describe the financial situation of a region optional
- optional, not held keep updated on the political landscape optional
- optional, not held manage financial risk optional
- optional, not held prepare financial statements optional
- optional, not held synthesise financial information optional
- still to learn follow company standards required
- optional, not held integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations optional
- optional, not held oversee quality control optional
- still to learn business communication required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a business manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 corporate social responsibility study this
- 02 cost management study this
- 03 analyse business processes practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 27 skills that carry over
- already held abide by business ethical code of conducts skill
- already held analyse business plans skill
- already held assume responsibility for the management of a business skill
- already held collaborate in company's daily operations skill
- already held company policies knowledge
- already held conclude business agreements skill
- already held develop business plans skill
- already held develop company strategies skill
- already held develop revenue generation strategies skill
- already held ensure lawful business operations skill
- already held integrate strategic foundation in daily performance skill
- already held make strategic business decisions skill
- already held negotiate with stakeholders skill
- already held plan medium to long term objectives skill
- already held track key performance indicators skill
- already held business process modelling knowledge
- already held develop organisational policies skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held evaluate performance of organisational collaborators skill
- already held financial management knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held follow the statutory obligations skill
- already held interact with the board of directors skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held marketing management knowledge
- already held shape corporate culture skill
- already held shape organisational teams based on competencies skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held manage office facility systems optional
37 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held organise participation in local or international events optional
- optional, not held create a financial report optional
- optional, not held maintain relationship with customers optional
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held prospect new regional contracts optional
- optional, not held accounting optional
- optional, not held align efforts towards business development optional
- optional, not held analyse financial risk optional
- optional, not held analyse market financial trends optional
- optional, not held banking activities optional
- optional, not held business loans optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held describe the financial situation of a region optional
- optional, not held establish communication with foreign cultures optional
- optional, not held execute marketing plan optional
- optional, not held financial jurisdiction optional
- optional, not held human resource management optional
- optional, not held impart business plans to collaborators optional
- optional, not held integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations optional
- optional, not held international trade optional
- optional, not held keep updated on the political landscape optional
- optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held manage financial risk optional
- optional, not held manage office facility systems optional
- optional, not held manage relationships with stakeholders optional
- optional, not held market entry planning optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held oversee quality control optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- optional, not held prepare financial statements optional
- optional, not held report on overall management of a business optional
- optional, not held share good practices across subsidiaries optional
- optional, not held speak different languages optional
- optional, not held subsidiary operations optional
- optional, not held supply chain management optional
- optional, not held synthesise financial information optional
17 held skills the business manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse financial performance of a company skill
- not needed by the target role apply export strategies skill
- not needed by the target role apply import strategies skill
- not needed by the target role build international relations skill
- not needed by the target role define organisational standards skill
- not needed by the target role define the corporate structure skill
- not needed by the target role establish collaborative relations skill
- not needed by the target role implement operational business plans skill
- not needed by the target role implement strategic planning skill
- not needed by the target role imprint visionary aspirations into the business management skill
- not needed by the target role integrate shareholders' interests in business plans skill
- not needed by the target role interpret financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role lead managers of company departments skill
- not needed by the target role lean manufacturing knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with shareholders skill
- not needed by the target role operations management knowledge
- not needed by the target role set organisational policies skill
20 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn cost management required
- still to learn business communication required
- still to learn business law required
- still to learn business management principles required
- still to learn financial forecasting required
- still to learn risk identification required
- still to learn strategic planning required
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held accounting optional
- optional, not held banking activities optional
- optional, not held business loans optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held financial jurisdiction optional
- optional, not held human resource management optional
- optional, not held international trade optional
- optional, not held market entry planning optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held subsidiary operations optional
- optional, not held supply chain management optional
Common questions about this move
Can a chief operating officer become a business manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A chief operating officer already covers 37% of what a business manager is expected to do: 27 skills carry over, 15 of which the business manager role treats as required.
What skills does a chief operating officer need to become a business manager?
20 required skills are missing, plus 37 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is corporate social responsibility.
How hard is the move from chief operating officer to business manager?
Its learning distance is 72.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.