Although a number of books focus on the CEO and their unmistakable leadership role, little attention has been focused on the role of the second-in-command or COO. This is surprising given the importance of the position. COOs are typically the key individuals responsible for the delivery of results on a day-to-day, quarter-to-quarter basis. Drawing heavily on a number of first-person accounts from the most admired current and former COO's, Nate Bennett and Stephen Miles—a scholar and a consultant respectively— provide fresh insights into this little-understood role.

Miles and Bennett pose candid questions of their interviewees that shed light on the COO's role. For example: What is the CEO-COO relationship like? How does the relationship vary when the COO is an aspiring CEO versus when the COO has complementary skills and is a partner versus when the COO is brought in to groom the CEO? How do the two handle disagreements? How much autonomy should the COO have? What are reporting structures like, and what is the proper way to position the COOs relative to the board? Finally, what does it take to be an effective COO, and how do you transition into the CEO role? The executives who share their experiences in this book are from some of the most established and important companies in today's economy.

Riding Shotgun will be an essential resource to both CEOs and COOs in understanding what each owes the other in making the leadership structure work. The book's wealth of information will help corporate boards, CEOs, and human resource executives in navigating the decision to create a COO position.