If you’re an aspiring or first-time COO, we’re here to support you on this hard, but rewarding, journey. 💜

After 10 years of running operations communities, we’ve seen far too many people who:

• Want to become COOs, but lack the confidence to pursue these roles
• Are stuck questioning themselves and what they don’t even know they should know
• Fall into COO roles without being fully prepared for the challenges they will face - managing upwards, laterally, downwards, and diagonally

We want to equip the next generation of startup COOs with the tools you need to thrive in your roles. 🚀

Join the COO Course! 📚

This course will help you build up your skills and confidence, so you can:

• land the difficult-to-define role of a startup COO
• succeed and thrive as you face the challenges of the role

Applications are now open for Cohort 6! The next Cohort will be running from February to May 2025.

✨ Why should I take this Course?

Increase your confidence 💪

At the start and end of the Course, you will fill out our Operations Leadership Competency Scorecard. Our latest results showed that most participants’ confidence increased by 20-30%. Confidence will help you identify and solve problems more quickly and effectively.

Help your company thrive 🚀

In a down-market, it’s never been more critical for companies to do more with less human and financial capital. As an operations leader, it’s your job to put the right people, systems and processes in place to optimise your company’s success - increasing profit and reducing costs in your business.

Build your own operations hive mind 🧠

Through the Course, you will gain access to a highly engaged community of fellow operations leaders. These operational experts can give you real-time advice that will help you through all the various trials of scaling.

💡 What is included in the Course?

This is a 14-week online course covering Operation Nation’s Core Competencies for a Strong COO*:

• Pre-recorded videos focusing on the principles & guidelines of the related competency 🎞️
• 90-minute guest speaker sessions featuring experienced COOs from the ON Community and beyond, sharing their wisdom and war stories + 30-min Q&A + additional optional 30-min discussion session 🎤
• Weekly accountability sessions 💬
• 2 integration calls - at “half-term” (week 6) and “end-of-term” (week 14) ⚒️

*see “What skills will I learn?” below for the full list

You will also get:

• Optional 1:1 office hours with the Course Facilitators at any time during the Course 💡
• Digital course workbook for deeper learning 📝
• Access to a private group to keep in touch with the cohort 🤫
• Access to an accountability group 👏
• An Operations Nation COO Course certificate (80% attendance required) 🏆

🧠 What skills will I learn?

Based on 30 years of collective operational leadership experience, Operations Nation has designed a framework encompassing the following majority of the Core COO Competencies:

Strong Head 🧠

• Strategic and Operational Planning: Ability to translate your organisation’s strategy into a realistic operational plan
• Organisational Design: Ability to help shape your org chart/accountabilities as the organisation grows and scales
• Fundraising and Financial Planning: Ability to help your CEO and CFO raise and manage financial resources

Strong Core 🎯

• Organisational Performance and Analytics: Ability to aggregate, report upon, and influence the cross-functional metrics that matter most
• Risk Management: Ability to anticipate risks to ensure your organisation’s strategy is achieved

Strong Voice 📢

• Internal Communication: Ability to communicate - from all-hands meetings to cross-functional projects
• External Communication: Ability to communicate with/to VIP customers, Board Members and Investors

Strong Heart 🫀

• Self-Awareness: How to identify, understand and communicate your personal and professional strengths and weaknesses
• Stress Management: How to juggle multiple tasks and projects in a high-pressure environment
• Self-Care: how to set boundaries, say no to others, and carve out time to care for/invest in yourself

Strong Arms & Legs 💪

• Your Role with respect to the CEO: Ability to manage upwards
• Your Role on the Exec Team: Ability to manage laterally

🤞 What is expected of participants?

Commit to your own learning journey ✅

• Show up to each call and being present (e.g. turning your notifications off)
• Make time for pre-work and post-work (e.g. blocking out time in your calendar)
• Integrate your learnings (e.g. try to use what you learned when you’re at work)
• Get support from your manager (where relevant) to prioritise YOU and your learning journey. You’re here for a reason. 🙏

Engage with others 💬

• Chat with other members of your cohort during and after sessions, so you can learn from each other’s perspectives and experiences

Be open to new ideas and experiences 👋

• Every week, there will be new concepts, frameworks, learnings, and connection. This can feel like a lot in a short time (just like working in a start-up 😉).
• You will benefit a lot from the learnings and connections you gain here - not just now, but far beyond the 14 weeks we share together. However, this can only happen if you make the choice to step outside your comfort zone and embrace the unfamiliar.

Embrace a different style of learning 👥

• If this is the first cohort-based learning experience you’ve participated in, it may look and feel a bit different to other learning experiences. This can feel strange at first, but there is so much power in it: you get to create and build your own journey, unique to you and your cohort!

⌛ What is the time commitment?

All times are in GMT.

Main calls on Wednesdays 📌

1. Connection/Checking in: February 12, Wednesday (1 hr)
2. First call: February 19, Wednesday, 3:00 - 5:00 PM
3. Weeks 1 - 5: February 16 to March 26, every Wednesday at 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM + 30 min optional call
4. Integration call: April 2, Wednesday, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
5. Weeks 6 - 10: April 9 to May 7, every Wednesday at 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM + 30 min optional call
6. Integration call: May 14, Wednesday, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
7. Final call/Checking out: May 21, Wednesday, 3:00 - 5:00 PM

Additional calls on Mondays ➕

• Weekly 30-min accountability calls on Mondays (time tbc)

⌛ Total time commitment: 6-8 hours per week (including pre-session and post-session work)

💸 How much does the Course cost?

For context: the only other COO Courses that exist are taught at universities like MIT or INSEAD, and they are priced at $25,000.

⭐ Testimonials

The proof is in the pudding: we've received an average rating of 9/10 from the five cohorts we’ve led over the past 2 years (99 participants in total).

Here are some more detailed reviews straight from our participants’ LinkedIn pages:

Attending this course over the past 11 weeks has provided me with a solid foundation of what to expect as an Ops leader. Not only has it taught me so much more about running operations in a company but it has validated the work I've already been doing.

We covered a variety of important topics, like leading with a clear strategic vision, planning for the future, managing upwards, and improving how our team performs. We also learnt how to budget and forecast finances accurately as well as communicate effectively both inside and outside the company. This course has really broadened my knowledge and given me practical skills to be a great Ops leader.”

~ Leah McCarthy, Operations Manager @ Lavanda

“This course has been instrumental in deepening my understanding of the various aspects of the COO role. It was truly worth it, and I'm pumped for what's to come! 🔥”

~ David Talbert, Education Director @ Valantis Group

“It's an excellent survey curriculum addressing a different aspect of a COO's role each week. Additional topics on self-awareness and resilience round out a course with guest speakers, solo & group activities, and many helpful resources.

Shout-out to Charlene Chen and Bre McQuade (course facilitators) and the rest of the cohort for a great experience. It's not a surprise that a course developed and run by COOs is well-organized and professionally delivered! ON is based in London, so the sessions were quite early in the morning for me, but definitely worth it.”

~ Scott Caltagirone, COO @ Element 84

“It's been an excellent and jam-packed learning journey alongside a cohort of fantastic fellow aspiring COOs, covering all bases from strategic planning and organisational design to managing teams laterally and self-awareness/resilience. So much knowledge gained, which has already helped to grow my confidence as a future ops leader.”

~ Gracie Jones, Head of Programmes & Operations @ OneTech

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