The Dynamic Between CEO and COO

Some CEOs are so outward-facing they become integrally tied to the marketing of the brand, as Steve Jobs did at Apple or Elon Musk at Tesla. The general public is almost as familiar with the CEO's name as with the product. In those cases, the right COO is likely more inward-facing and focused on the behind-the-scenes operations. There's no reason for them ever to become known to the public. In contrast, other CEOs are inward-facing. They're like the Level 5 leaders Jim Collins describes in Good to Great. Humble, driven, focused, a combination that allows them to be inspirations for their colleagues. Rather than engaging with marketing and branding, they might specialize in engineering or finance and lack any desire to engage with the media. This type of CEO can build a highly recognized brand without their name becoming widely known. In such a situation, a public-facing COO would make sense to serve as the face of the company in the media and the spokesperson in the business world.