Chief operating officers come in second and are accountable to the CEO. They hold the highest positions and can report to a board of directors. COO stands for director of operations and it's a position that is only found in larger companies. The COO (chief operating officer) reports to the CEO and is the CEO's right-hand man and oversees the functions and general operations of a company.
These responsibilities are often the responsibility of the CEO, however, when a company grows too big, an operations director is needed to reduce the burden. The chief executive officer (CEO) and the chief operating officer (COO) are the top senior executives in an organization. The two roles have unique responsibilities, but they often complement each other. When your leadership and personality traits are balanced, an optimal senior management environment can be created.
In general, the executive director (CEO) is considered to be the highest-ranking official in a company, while the president is the second in command; however, in corporate governance and structure, several permutations can be interchanged, so that the functions of both the CEO and the president can be different from company to company. A COO (or director of operations, who reports to the CEO) is the second highest-ranking person responsible for implementing and overseeing the operations, processes and strategies of the day to day to day to day to fulfill the company's overall mission and vision. A CEO (or CEO) is the highest-ranking employee in a company and is responsible for the overall health and management of the company.
