Between Two COO's with Michael Koenig

Maximizing Meeting Efficiency and Navigating Management Challenges: Insights from Aidan Mizrahi of Fellow

This episode delves into the complexities and potential inefficiencies of meetings in the professional world, emphasizing the staggering number of unproductive meetings held daily. Highlighting the innovative approach of Shopify in canceling recurring meetings to save significant time, the conversation introduces Fellow, a SaaS ...

Presented by Fellow.app. Streamline your meetings and make them more efficient and meaningful. Get Fellow for you and your team today. Head to https://fellow.app/coo/ to get started and start having better meetings.

(00:12) Advice for CEOs and COOs

This chapter welcomes Cameron Harold, the founder of COO Alliance and author of "The Second In Command," as we celebrate the release of his new book and examine its content, which serves...

Could the EU's new AI Act be the cornerstone of global AI regulation? That's what we're here to unpack with the expert insight of Flick Fisher, a leading privacy specialist and partner at Fieldfisher. As the digital age accelerates, the European Union is setting a precedent with the AI Act, a groundbreaking legislation designed to navigate the complex terrain of artificial intelligence. Flick and I dissect the Act's risk-based appr...

Join us as Greg Strickland, COO of Productboard, and I explore the power of embracing new opportunities and the crucial balance between business outcomes and personal advancement. Greg shares his journey of growth through accepting challenges that push boundaries, and we reflect on the times when a strategic 'no' can pave the way for others' development and align with company goals. Listen in for an insightful discussion on the men...

(01:20 - 02:44) The Travel Experience Market's Growth

(04:36 - 06:03) Peer to Peer Tour Guide Platform

(07:27 - 09:26) Learning and Customer Obsession Importance

(12:35 - 13:56) Creativity and Execution in Strategy

(16:11 - 17:06) Identifying Core Values for Company Culture

(21:48 - 23:03) Accelerating Digitization and the QR Code

(36:32 - 37:43) Investment Strategy and Flywheel Approach

(39:48 - 40:47) International Tensions and Investme...

(00:12) Interview With Remote COO Alan Christensen

COO Alan Christensen shares his journey and Duist's success without institutional investment, pioneering remote work and dividing responsibilities with CEO.

(11:48) Future of Remote Work and Communication

Remote work's significance in shaping the future, utilizing asynchronous communication, transparency, and documentation for effective management.

(22:28) Recruitment, Career Growt...

(05:11 - 05:38) Memory and the Evolving Digital Age

(06:56 - 08:05) Tech and Memory Retrieval

(11:40 - 12:51) Chat GPT and Data Privacy Integration

(17:34 - 18:44) Leveraging AI for Company Augmentation

(22:34 - 23:47) AI for Efficiency and Exceptional Hiring

(30:31 - 31:01) Pivoting to Capture Meeting Data

(38:38 - 39:00) COO and Chief of Staff Collaboration

(43:27 - 44:27) Using Cultural Values as a Guide

(47:10 - 48:20) Accountability a...

(00:12) Clean Tech and Disrupting Energy Market

(06:15) Community Solar and Renewable Energy Innovation

(15:37) Data Platform and Energy Transformation

(24:21) Acquisitions, Integration, and Board Composition

(29:05) Startup Board Management and Risk Balancing

(35:51) Leadership, Growth Mindset, and Overcoming Challenges

(42:18) Connecting Through Cold Emails

(00:12) Clean Tech and Disrupting Energy Market

We discuss Energy 101 today with...

--------- EPISODE CHAPTERS WITH SHORT KEY POINTS ---------

(0:00:12) - Remote Company Operations and Knowledge Management

Daren explains the importance of low context communication, compounding interest, and over communicating for successful remote teams.

(0:08:59) - Embracing Remote Work as Operating Model

Daren Murph and I discuss operations of successful remote companies, process definition, documentation, culture, macroeconomic d...

Unlock the secrets of remote team management and product explanation in our stimulating conversation with Nitin Gupta, the COO of Prisma. Nitin unveils how explaining technical products to non-technical people can be a challenge, but he makes it understandable, going as far as breaking down Prisma into simple terms for our mothers. Also, learn about Prisma University, a unique internal initiative to educate non-tech team members ab...

Join us as we chat with Shanaz Hemmati, the COO of ZenBusiness, who gives us a fascinating insight into the workings of a public benefit corporation that generates more than $100M in ARR. Listen to her as she speaks about the various initiatives and programs that ZenBusiness undertakes to give back to the community and society. From a grant program to support their customers to her role evolution from CIO to COO, Shanaz’s experienc...

Join me and our guest, Munish Gandhi, co-founder and COO of Productiv, as we unravel the intricacies of SaaS governance and optimization. We talk about how the rapid growth of SaaS applications, fueled by a wealth of funding, has led to a lax approach to purchasing and implementing applications. Munish expertly guides us through the function of Productiv, explaining how it provides valuable insights and recommendations for SaaS por...

Join us as we sit down with Allen Narcisse, former COO at Workrise and co-founder and CEO of Gigs, for an enlightening conversation about his journey in the gig economy. Allen takes us through his career trajectory, starting from his initial venture, eBuyLine, to his stints building Uber and Lyft, and finally, to his current venture, Gigs. Listen in as Allen shares valuable insights on building marketplaces, the importance of a gr...

Can we really grow sustainable, delicious, and healthy food right in the heart of a bustling city? In this eye-opening episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Tobias Peggs, co-founder and CEO of Square Roots, an innovative indoor urban farm tech company that's revolutionizing how we grow and distribute food in urban areas.

Together, we explored the intricate operations of creating a successful indoor urban farm, from engineerin...

Stephan Jacob, Co-founder and COO of Cotopaxi, joins Michael to talk about building an impact-driven business, how sustainability drives Cotopaxi’s product development, managing a CEO transition, the proliferation of certified B Corps, donating revenue to fight poverty in developing countries, brand building and taking on North Face and Patagonia, and taking llamas on college campuses. 

With a humanitarian-drive and strong business ...

Woody Hartman, COO of Lime and former VP of Global Operations at Lyft, sits down with Michael to talk about the challenges in scaling a micro-mobility company, how Lime’s gained a competitive advantage over other players in the market, and why he chose to climb Mount Everest following his time at Lyft!

A biz ops wizard, Woody’s career started as a Business Analyst at McKinsey in 2006, focused on M&A and private equity due diligence....

On this week’s episode, Michael’s joined by Felicity “Flick” Fisher, Partner and de facto COO of the law firm, Fieldfisher. Flick breaks down all things privacy and data related, including the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, where privacy and data laws may be headed, and the impact privacy advocates have had on the space. 

Now amongst the top InfoSec legal experts, Flick’s journey in the space began when she mov...

Holger Seim, co-founder, and CEO of Blinkist, speaks with Michael about how Blinkist emerged out of shifting consumption patterns, where the company may be headed in the future, and how to stay true to your long-term strategic vision while also incorporating the thoughts and ideas of other stakeholders. 

With an entrepreneurial spirit that emerged during his childhood in Germany, Holger’s journey has been guided by his unsatiated lo...

Diego Camberos, COO of Vodafone Qatar and former CEO of Tigo Millicom Senegal and Rwanda, joins Michael to share insight into navigating cultural differences in different markets, how “radical simplification” has served as the bedrock of Vodafone’s success, and how to build a corporate culture that acknowledges and respects different cultures.  

A citizen of the globe, having spent time living in several countries outside his home c...