7 Best-Selling COO Books Millions Trust

Discover COO books recommended by experts Joe Polish, Jayson Gaignard, and Verne Harnish offering proven leadership insights

Joe Polish
Updated on June 25, 2025
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7 of 7 books have Kindle versions

When millions of readers and top experts agree on a selection of books, you know you're looking at truly valuable resources. The role of a Chief Operating Officer (COO) has never been more critical as organizations navigate complex operational challenges and rapid technological change. These widely-read books offer proven frameworks that have guided many COOs to success, emphasizing practical strategies and leadership skills essential in today's business landscape.

Experts like Joe Polish, founder and advocate for addiction recovery, have praised Cameron Herold's The Second in Command as a roadmap for founders seeking to scale efficiently. Jayson Gaignard, co-founder of MMT, recognized the book as a must-read for elevating company operations. Meanwhile, Verne Harnish, founder of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, endorses these works for their practical impact on leadership dynamics. Their insights reflect a convergence of expert opinion and broad reader validation.

While these popular books provide proven frameworks, readers seeking content tailored to their specific COO needs might consider creating a personalized COO book that combines these validated approaches. Personalized books can integrate your background, skill level, and goals with proven strategies, offering a bespoke path to operational mastery.

Best for founders hiring COOs
Kindle version available
Joe Polish, founder and addiction recovery advocate, highlights how this book aligns perfectly with the challenges founders face when scaling. He shares, "If you want to multiply your success and make your vision a reality, I cannot recommend this book highly enough." Polish credits Herold's proven roadmap for helping CEOs solve their biggest frustrations and multiply growth. This recommendation echoes with many who have experienced the book’s practical approach to hiring and leveraging a COO. Alongside him, Jayson Gaignard acknowledges the book's value, admitting he realized he had been "NEEDING THIS BOOK" to take his company from good to great.
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Recommended by Joe Polish

Founder, addiction recovery advocate

If you want to multiply your success and make your vision a reality, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. This book is a roadmap for founders and CEOs to find a solution to what plagues them the most and causes endless frustration. This is advice and a proven formula. Cameron Herold is probably the most qualified person in the world to guide you on what to do, as he has guided countless others to do the same.

2023·238 pages·COO, Strategy, Leadership, Operations, Scaling

Drawing from his extensive experience growing 1-800-GOT-JUNK? from $2 million to $106 million in six years, Cameron Herold offers a detailed playbook for founders ready to hire a COO to scale their companies. You learn how to identify the right COO candidate, understand the different COO types and their roles, and onboard them smoothly to avoid disruption. Herold also explores how a COO forum can accelerate a COO's growth in skills and confidence. This book suits founders and CEOs who feel stretched thin and want a practical framework to build the company they can’t grow alone.

Read on Kindle
Best for mastering COO disciplines
Kindle version available
Jennifer Geary is a seasoned COO with over 25 years of experience spanning finance, technology, risk, and legal domains. Her extensive career includes leadership roles at Barclays and Save the Children UK, where she managed complex operations and sustainability initiatives. Drawing on this rich background, she wrote this book to provide a clear, practical framework for the COO role—a position often lacking formal guidance. Her expertise equips you with insights to navigate the diverse challenges COOs face, making this a valuable resource for anyone seeking to master executive operations.
2017·285 pages·COO, Leadership, Strategy, Change Management, Risk Management

Jennifer Geary draws from over 25 years of experience across finance, technology, risk, and legal sectors to unpack the multifaceted role of a Chief Operating Officer. This book breaks down the COO position into 16 core disciplines, including culture, strategy, and change management, alongside technical areas like risk and legal oversight. You’ll gain a clear framework for diagnosing challenges, asking the right questions, and enhancing organizational performance, all illustrated with real-life examples and industry standards. If you’re stepping into a COO role or supporting one, this provides a structured guide through a complex executive landscape.

Read on Kindle
Best for personal leadership plans
Can send to Kindle
This AI-created book on operational leadership is crafted based on your unique leadership background and challenges. You share your specific COO interests, experience level, and goals, and the book brings together proven insights tailored exactly to what you want to focus on. This personalized approach ensures you learn the most relevant lessons and practical methods to overcome your operational challenges and grow your leadership impact.
2025·50-300 pages·COO, Operational Leadership, Team Management, Decision Making, Process Optimization

This tailored book explores battle-tested approaches to operational leadership, focusing on real-world COO challenges and solutions. It examines key leadership principles, efficient operations management, and decision-making techniques that align with your background and goals. By offering a deeply personalized perspective, the book emphasizes insights drawn from widely validated practices, blending them with your unique interests to create a tailored learning experience. It reveals how to navigate common obstacles and optimize leadership impact, ensuring content matches your specific operational context and leadership style.

Tailored Guide
Operational Excellence
1,000+ Happy Readers
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Best for understanding COO roles
Kindle version available
Nathan Bennett is Associate Dean for Faculty and Research and Professor in the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. He advises the COO Circle, a group of Chief Operating Officers from the world's largest companies, and brings extensive experience consulting on top management team performance and innovation. His academic rigor and real-world insights form the backbone of this book, providing a rare, authoritative look at the COO's evolving role and the challenges faced in today’s complex corporate landscape.
Riding Shotgun: The Role of the COO, Updated Edition book cover

by Nate Bennett, Stephen Miles·

2017·248 pages·COO, Strategy, Leadership, COO Role, Executive Management

What if everything you knew about the COO role was incomplete? Nathan Bennett and Stephen Miles challenge common perceptions by mapping the complex terrain COOs navigate daily. You learn a practical framework detailing the COO's responsibilities, the strategic reasons companies appoint them, and the hurdles they face, all enriched by candid interviews with executives from major corporations. Chapters dissect topics like executive alignment, leadership balance, and succession preparation. If you aim to understand how COOs drive organizational success or aspire to this pivotal role, this book offers grounded insights without fluff.

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Best for legal sector COOs
Kindle version available
Chris Bull is an international lawyer, general counsel, and law firm COO with extensive experience leading transformational change in the legal sector. Holding an LLB (Hons) from the University of Glasgow and having worked across multiple countries, he combines practical leadership with deep legal expertise. His recognized thought leadership and keynote speaking engagements inform this book, which addresses the growing importance of the COO role in law firms and offers guidance for managing change, innovation, and operational challenges in the sector.
Rise of the Legal COO book cover

by Chris Bull, Patrick J McKenna, Alastair Mitchell, Rod Harrington, Sherry Gini·

2023·159 pages·COO, Strategy, Operations, Legal Management, Innovation

Chris Bull and his co-authors explore the evolving role of the Chief Operating Officer within law firms, highlighting how this position has expanded beyond the largest firms into mid-tier and alternative legal services. You’ll gain insight into practical aspects such as innovation enablement, managing profitability, client engagement, and leveraging data to drive firm performance, all supported by firsthand accounts from current legal COOs. The book also addresses adapting to post-pandemic hybrid work models and talent retention strategies, making it a useful guide if you’re involved in law firm management or aspiring to a COO role in legal services.

Read on Kindle
Best for AI-savvy COOs
Kindle version available
Jeroen Erné has built a notable career in IT and entrepreneurship, starting with launching his first music platform at age 14 and founding multiple successful startups acquired by leading companies. His deep understanding of tech trends and human needs informs this book, which goes beyond AI theory to deliver practical guidance tailored specifically for COOs. As CEO and founder of Nexibeo, Jeroen focuses on implementing AI solutions that yield measurable business benefits, making this handbook a valuable resource for anyone looking to harness AI to enhance operational leadership.
2023·362 pages·CTO, COO, Artificial Intelligence, Strategy, Operations

What if everything you knew about the COO role was reshaped by AI? Jeroen Erné, drawing from his extensive entrepreneurial and tech background, explores how AI tools like ChatGPT can transform your daily operations. You’ll find over 1000 tailored prompts that help automate routine tasks, freeing you to concentrate on strategic priorities such as performance analysis and risk management. Chapters dive into concrete applications—from budgeting to vendor management—giving you a clear grasp of AI’s practical benefits. This book is ideal if you want to future-proof your COO skills and streamline workflows without getting lost in technical jargon.

Read on Kindle
Best for rapid skill acceleration
Can send to Kindle
This AI-created book on COO acceleration is crafted based on your background and the specific challenges you face in your role. By sharing your experience level and the COO skills you want to sharpen, you receive a book focused precisely on your priorities. Personalizing content like this means you can dive directly into the areas that matter most for fast, practical growth without sifting through unnecessary material.
2025·50-300 pages·COO, Operational Leadership, Decision Making, Team Alignment, Performance Metrics

This tailored book offers a dynamic exploration of the core responsibilities and skills essential for Chief Operating Officers aiming to accelerate their impact within 30 days. It combines proven, reader-validated knowledge with a personalized focus on your unique background and goals. The content covers operational leadership, decision-making, team alignment, and rapid problem-solving, all tailored to match your interests and experience level. By integrating insights that millions of COOs have found valuable, this book facilitates an efficient learning journey that targets your specific objectives, helping you fast-track your development with focused, actionable steps. Expect a tailored experience that transforms complex COO challenges into manageable, personalized growth opportunities.

Tailored Guide
Rapid COO Mastery
1,000+ Happy Readers
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Best for AI integration strategies
Kindle version available
Jennifer Geary brings over 25 years of diverse COO experience across finance, technology, and nonprofit sectors to this insightful examination of AI’s role in executive leadership. Her background spans global accounting, risk consultancy, and leadership at Save the Children UK, providing a rich foundation for understanding operational complexities. Jennifer’s expertise informs a practical guide co-created with AI, aimed at helping COOs and C-suite leaders adapt to the rapidly changing AI landscape. This book reflects her commitment to sustainable, responsible leadership in the digital age.
2024·104 pages·COO, Leadership, Strategy, Operations, Artificial Intelligence

What started as Jennifer Geary's firsthand experience navigating complex executive roles across finance, technology, and nonprofit sectors became a thoughtful inquiry into how AI reshapes the COO function. This book offers you a detailed exploration of sixteen key disciplines, from culture to strategy and execution, through the unique lens of AI's evolving influence. You’ll gain insights on integrating AI into leadership decisions, operational workflows, and ethical considerations, grounded in Geary’s extensive background and co-creation with ChatGPT. If you lead operations or aspire to understand AI's practical impact on executive roles, this concise guide distills relevant challenges and adaptations without fluff.

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Best for burnout prevention and balance
Kindle version available
Rachel Lebowitz is a recognized authority on the dynamics between Chief Operating Officers and Visionary leaders. With extensive experience in organizational leadership, she provides insights that empower second-in-commands to overcome challenges such as burnout and self-doubt. Her work focuses on enhancing communication and establishing effective boundaries within organizations, making her a sought-after speaker and consultant in the field. This background uniquely qualifies her to guide you through reclaiming your balance and confidence as a vital organizational Integrator.
2024·206 pages·COO, Leadership, Organizational Behavior, Communication, Burnout Prevention

Rachel Lebowitz leverages her extensive experience in organizational leadership to address the unique challenges faced by Chief Operating Officers acting as second-in-commands. This book explores the intricate psychology between Visionaries and Integrators, revealing how misunderstandings can fuel burnout and resentment. You'll find practical guidance on setting clear boundaries, prioritizing effectively, and improving communication with your Visionary counterpart, including a detailed explanation of the law of inverse attraction within leadership pairs. If you’re striving to regain your professional confidence and balance your demanding role, this book offers thoughtful insights tailored specifically to your position.

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Conclusion

This collection of seven COO books underscores a trio of themes: the importance of mastering core disciplines, the evolving role of COOs amidst technological advancements, and the critical need for personal empowerment to avoid burnout. If you prefer tried-and-true methods, start with How to be a Chief Operating Officer for a comprehensive foundation. For validated, practical scaling strategies, The Second in Command and Riding Shotgun provide actionable insights.

Those immersed in specialized fields, like legal operations, will find Rise of the Legal COO particularly relevant, while AI-focused leaders can benefit from The Artificial Intelligence handbook for COOs and The Augmented COO. For COOs seeking balance and psychological resilience, Empowered COO offers thoughtful guidance.

Alternatively, you can create a personalized COO book to combine proven methods with your unique needs. These widely-adopted approaches have helped many readers succeed, and crafting your own tailored guide ensures you harness the best strategies suited to your leadership journey.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm overwhelmed by choice – which book should I start with?

Start with How to be a Chief Operating Officer for a solid foundation in COO disciplines. It covers essential skills and leadership strategies that set the stage for deeper dives into the role.

Are these books too advanced for someone new to COO?

No, several books, like The Second in Command, offer practical guidance suitable for newcomers, while others provide deeper insights for experienced leaders. You can pick based on your current experience.

What’s the best order to read these books?

Begin with foundational titles like How to be a Chief Operating Officer, then explore scaling and role-specific books such as The Second in Command and Rise of the Legal COO, followed by AI-focused works for future-ready skills.

Do I really need to read all of these, or can I just pick one?

You can start with one that matches your immediate needs. For example, founders benefit from The Second in Command, while COOs facing burnout might prefer Empowered COO. Each offers targeted value.

How do I know if a book is actually worth my time?

These books are endorsed by industry leaders like Joe Polish and Verne Harnish, who have applied their lessons in real-world scenarios. Their recommendations signal practical impact and reader approval.

Can personalized COO books complement these expert picks?

Yes! While expert books provide proven strategies, personalized COO books tailor insights to your unique background and goals, helping you apply expert wisdom more effectively. Learn more here.

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