Chief operating officer to chief executive officer
A chief operating officer already meets 76% of what the chief executive officer role asks for. The move turns on 2 required skills not yet in the profile.
33.9/ 100
1 How much of what a chief executive officer 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 chief executive officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A chief executive officer role treats 27 of its required skills as things a chief operating officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse business plans
- analyse financial performance of a company
- assume responsibility for the management of a business
- business process modelling
- company policies
- conclude business agreements
What stands in the way is 2 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 41 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A chief executive officer 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 imprint visionary aspirations into the business management management skills
- already held define the corporate structure management skills
- already held integrate shareholders' interests in business plans management skills
- already held lead managers of company departments management skills
- already held ensure lawful business operations assisting and caring
- already held interact with the board of directors communication, collaboration and creativity
All 41 carried skills, including the 27 the chief executive officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 6 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 build trust required
- optional, not held implement airport emergency plans optional
- optional, not held implement improvements in airport operations optional
- optional, not held provide assistance to airport users optional
- optional, not held disseminate general corporate information optional
- optional, not held impart business plans to collaborators optional
- optional, not held manage relationships with stakeholders optional
- optional, not held show intercultural awareness optional
- optional, not held speak different languages optional
- still to learn strive for company growth required
- optional, not held manage publicly traded companies optional
- optional, not held evaluate budgets optional
- optional, not held motivate employees optional
- optional, not held airport operating environment optional
- optional, not held business law optional
- optional, not held international trade optional
- optional, not held joint ventures optional
- optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
- optional, not held subsidiary operations optional
- optional, not held describe the financial situation of a region optional
- optional, not held identify airport safety hazards optional
- optional, not held keep updated on the political landscape optional
- optional, not held airport environmental regulations optional
- optional, not held airport planning optional
- optional, not held apply airport standards and regulations optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 2 entries a chief executive officer 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 · The rest of the record
All 41 skills that carry over
- already held analyse business plans skill
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held assume responsibility for the management of a business skill
- already held business process modelling knowledge
- already held company policies knowledge
- already held conclude business agreements skill
- already held define organisational standards skill
- already held develop business plans skill
- already held develop company strategies skill
- already held develop organisational policies skill
- already held develop revenue generation strategies skill
- already held establish collaborative relations skill
- already held financial management knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held imprint visionary aspirations into the business management skill
- already held integrate shareholders' interests in business plans skill
- already held integrate strategic foundation in daily performance skill
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held lead managers of company departments skill
- already held liaise with shareholders skill
- already held make strategic business decisions skill
- already held marketing management knowledge
- already held negotiate with stakeholders skill
- already held plan medium to long term objectives skill
- already held shape corporate culture skill
- already held shape organisational teams based on competencies skill
- already held track key performance indicators skill
- already held abide by business ethical code of conducts skill
- already held apply export strategies skill
- already held apply import strategies skill
- already held build international relations skill
- already held collaborate in company's daily operations skill
- already held define the corporate structure skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held ensure lawful business operations skill
- already held evaluate performance of organisational collaborators skill
- already held follow the statutory obligations skill
- already held implement operational business plans skill
- already held implement strategic planning skill
- already held interact with the board of directors skill
- already held manage budgets skill
23 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manage publicly traded companies optional
- optional, not held airport environmental regulations optional
- optional, not held airport operating environment optional
- optional, not held airport planning optional
- optional, not held apply airport standards and regulations optional
- optional, not held implement airport emergency plans optional
- optional, not held implement improvements in airport operations optional
- optional, not held provide assistance to airport users optional
- optional, not held business law optional
- optional, not held describe the financial situation of a region optional
- optional, not held disseminate general corporate information optional
- optional, not held evaluate budgets optional
- optional, not held identify airport safety hazards optional
- optional, not held impart business plans to collaborators optional
- optional, not held international trade optional
- optional, not held joint ventures optional
- optional, not held keep updated on the political landscape optional
- optional, not held manage relationships with stakeholders optional
- optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
- optional, not held motivate employees optional
- optional, not held show intercultural awareness optional
- optional, not held speak different languages optional
- optional, not held subsidiary operations optional
3 held skills the chief executive officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role lean manufacturing knowledge
- not needed by the target role operations management knowledge
- not needed by the target role set organisational policies skill
8 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held airport environmental regulations optional
- optional, not held airport operating environment optional
- optional, not held airport planning optional
- optional, not held business law optional
- optional, not held international trade optional
- optional, not held joint ventures optional
- optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
- optional, not held subsidiary operations optional
Common questions about this move
Can a chief operating officer become a chief executive officer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A chief operating officer already covers 76% of what a chief executive officer is expected to do: 41 skills carry over, 27 of which the chief executive officer role treats as required.
What skills does a chief operating officer need to become a chief executive officer?
2 required skills are missing, plus 23 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is build trust.
How hard is the move from chief operating officer to chief executive officer?
Its learning distance is 33.9 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.