Hybrid COO papers could be soon the new prequisite CEO

The C-suite is evolving rapidly and the operating muscle is now the entry price.

More companies are merging the COO responsibilities in other important roles, giving CFO, CTO and presidents to direct control over execution and functional strategy. This is not a title inflation. It is survival. In an environment defined by complexity, speed and constant interruption, companies need leaders who may think transversally, act decisively and promote the results throughout the company.

“There is now enormous pressure on organizations to adapt to changes to a scale and the complexity we have not seen before,” says Lechner, a clinical professor at Nyu Stern, tells my colleague Lily Mae Lazarus. “The cook has to grow another wing, so to say.”

This evolution is remodeling suite c. Salesforce and Paypal are among companies that have recently merged operational and financial leadership to streamline decision -making and break down traditional silos. The same change is going through CTOs, as organizations recognize that technology is no longer a separate pillar of business. The COO mandate now extends beyond supply and logistics chains to include climbing AI initiatives and supervise the platform transformations.

Ultimately, companies bet that the future belongs to leaders who can offer operational excellence through a transversal lens. “The new conversation is about COO as strategic partners,” says Lecchner. “You have to manage long -term vision and short -term execution. If you cannot think transversal and drive with emotional intelligence, you will not last.”

This evolution has turned the COO into one of the most powerful trampolines in the CEO seat. Almost half of the new delegated directors in 2024 increased the roles of the President or COO, emphasizing that operating leadership is no longer a set of secondary skills, it is the defining currency of executive success. Companies want leaders who may think and operate in various dimensions simultaneously, and hybrid COO roles become more and more the final ground.

On the subject of the operational heads, Fortune hosts his second COO summit from June 9 to 10 in Scottsdale, Az. Are you interested in attending or meeting someone you may be? Shoot -Me a line in the following email. Among the highlights are the Ctenter Succession talks with the ex -Coos who jumped to the CEO, including the Scott Boatwright of Chipotle Mexican Grill and Dan Sheridan by Brooks Running.

Ruth umoh
ruth.umoh@fortune.com

Today’s bulletin was curated by Lily Mae Lazarus.

This story originally presented to Fortune.com

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