Table 1Transition record

chief operating officertobusiness 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.

From chief operating officer

37%

Overlap1

To business manager

27 Skills carried over

20 Required, not held

72.6 Difficulty2

Career overlap Distant match

37%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

72.6/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the business manager role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the chief operating officer profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A business manager role treats 15 of its required skills as things a chief operating officer already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

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

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.

Skill the target role also needs Area

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

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 57 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 management skills 8 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held apply business acumen required
required, not held control financial resources required
required, not held create a financial plan required
required, not held create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement required
required, not held exercise stewardship required
required, not held manage staff required
required, not held recruit employees required
required, not held 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

02 business, administration and law 7 required, 12 supplementary

required, not held corporate social responsibility required
required, not held cost management required
required, not held business law required
required, not held business management principles required
required, not held financial forecasting required
required, not held risk identification required
required, not held 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

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 12 supplementary

required, not held build business relationships required
required, not held 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

04 information skills 1 required, 8 supplementary

required, not held 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

05 assisting and caring 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held follow company standards required

optional, not held integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations optional
optional, not held oversee quality control optional

06 generic programmes and qualifications 1 required

required, not held business communication required

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

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.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 27 skills that carry over

Skill Type

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

Skill to acquire Tier

07 working with computers 1 supplementary

optional, not held manage office facility systems optional

37 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

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

Skill Type

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.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held corporate social responsibility required
required, not held cost management required
required, not held business communication required
required, not held business law required
required, not held business management principles required
required, not held financial forecasting required
required, not held risk identification required
required, not held 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

Index

Other moves recorded from chief operating officer

Full index of moves from chief operating officer

Note

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.