Chief of Staff vs COO vs Fractional Exec: How to choose when everyone promises leverage
- LBM
- Apr 11
- 3 min read
Everyone promises leverage.
“I’ll unblock execution.”
“I’ll scale operations.”
“I’ll reduce your load.”
Chief of Staff. COO. Fractional Exec.
They all show up with similar claims.
But choosing the wrong one at the wrong time doesn't just waste money, it breaks momentum and confuses your org even more.
Let’s unpack how each role works, when they create value, and where they fall short, so you can make a decision based on structure, not title.
Different roles, different kinds of leverage
At first glance, they all sound like versions of the same fix.
But what they actually do, and how they operate inside your business, couldn’t be more different.
Chief of Staff (CoS) | COO | Fractional Exec | |
Leverage style | Strategic clarity + internal coordination | Operational leadership + team ownership | Temporary function-level leadership |
Org integration | Embedded in leadership flow | Leads teams and owns delivery | External, part-time, narrow scope |
Focus | Prioritization, planning loops, cross-functional glue | Metrics, delivery, ops performance | Stability or transformation in a single function |
Common failure | Becomes EA or internal PM | Firefighter in a system that doesn’t exist | Lacks context, makes shallow changes |
When they work | Org is scaling and founder is still the glue | System is designed and needs ownership | There's a clear lane and a short-term need |
Chief of Staff: Internal glue, not external manager
If you're trying to lead and run the company at the same time, if priorities get lost in translation,
if decisions slow down because only you hold the context, you likely need a Chief of Staff.
But lets' be clear:
A CoS doesn’t run operations.
They build structure around the principal.
They bring alignment, clarity, and velocity to what leadership is already trying to do.
More on that here: Chief of Staff vs COO: What’s the difference
Use a CoS when:
You need to systematize decision-making
You’re scaling but still central to planning
Execution depends too much on your input
There’s friction across leadership and priorities drift
Best place to start? A Chief of Staff Sprint that brings fast alignment around leadership, cadence, and internal clarity.
COO: From chaos to scale, if you scope it right
A COO doesn’t just “run what exists.”
They often step in because operations are messy or misaligned.
Hiring a COO too early means they either
a) build a system in a silo
b) rely on you for decisions they should already own
c) fix symptoms, not causes
A strong COO can:
Redesign workflows
Rebuild ownership across functions
Prepare the company for scale
Take pressure off the CEO by owning execution
But the role flexes based on context.
Sometimes they take over what the founder can’t manage.
Other times they rebuild ops from the ground up.
The key is what you’re asking them to solve, and whether the system is clear enough to lead, or still needs to be designed
If it’s the latter, start with Enterprise System Architecture to avoid hiring into chaos.
If you’re still the one setting tempo, context, and ownership?
The COO won’t fix it.
Fractional Exec: A shortcut that often misses the system
Fractional execs are appealing.
They’re fast.
They’re experienced.
They’re “plug and play.”
But that’s the problem.
They’re plugged into whatever system exists.
And if your system is broken, what they build will be fragile.
They’re not embedded.
They don’t hold the full context.
And their incentives aren’t long-term integration.
Use a fractional exec when:
You have a scoped, defined need
You’re in transition and need stability
You can isolate their role from company-wide alignment
But don’t expect them to redesign your org, fix execution flow, or integrate leadership.
That’s not their lane.
Choosing based on what your org is missing
Here’s a better way to choose:
If this is your pain... | You need... |
“I’m still the glue across teams and decisions” | Chief of Staff |
“Ops is dragging and I need performance structure” | COO |
“I need a short-term exec in one area (e.g. finance, sales, ops)” | Fractional Exec |
“Everything still rolls up to me and I don’t know where to start” |
You don’t need a title.
You need a structure that reflects how your business actually works.
This is where Office of the Principal becomes relevant.
Sometimes what’s missing is not a hire, but the architecture around the person the company still depends on.
Deciding between hiring a Chief of Staff vs COO vs Fractional Exec
If you’re deciding between hiring a Chief of Staff vs COO vs Fractional Exec,
we’ll map the current state, surface what’s actually missing, and design a structure that supports execution now and later.
No buzzwords.
No guesswork.
Just clarity and the right next step.
Comments