Cameron HeroldFounder of the COO Alliance & Invest In Your Leaders Training

Why CEOs Last Longer Than COOs

31 Jan 2026 · 1 min

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Cameron Herold explains why CEOs outlast COOs as companies grow. CEOs can delegate and focus on leadership skills, but COOs must constantly adapt their tactical operational expertise to match the company's changing needs. He uses a sports analogy to show the difference.

Chapters

To stay in the same job. A COO's skillset has to continue matching the organization as it scales which is often a challenge. By contrast, the CEO can usually stick to their same skill set as long as they're good at hiring the right people to take work off their plate. As a CEO you need to continually grow your interpersonal delegation and soft skills of leadership but not the actual tactical skills of running different business areas. One job isn't easier than the other, they're just different. The CEO role changes as a business matures and the projects the CEO is responsible for change as result. If that person can't continue to scale and keep their skills in alignment at some point they'll be out of a job. The COO fit is similar to sports. You might be the best hockey player on a team when you're 12. When you're 20 the demands are different. You won't be the best unless your skills have kept up.