The new book Operational Modernization is now available!Learn more →
Operational Authority

Insights From the Field.

Operator-authored perspectives on how the economics of custom software have fundamentally changed. Real insights on designing and deploying infrastructure around how your business actually operates.

Featured

OPERATIONAL MODERNIZATION

Closing the Continuity Gap

Building Organizations That Improve Themselves

A new management thesis for continuously improving how work gets done across the enterprise.

Explore the Book →
Operational Modernization Book Cover
All InsightsBizOpsAI & AutomationSystems & TechLeadership & GrowthRevOps
Business Modernization Needs a General Contractor
BizOps

Business Modernization Needs a General Contractor

Imagine you are building a house. You hire electricians, plumbers, framers, roofers, drywall crews, HVAC technicians, and dozens of other specialists, each skilled at something different. Nearly all of them will arrive with a drill. The electrician may prefer Milwaukee, the plumber DeWalt, the framer Makita, and someone else will show up with Bosch or Ryobi. As the homeowner, you almost certainly do not care. You care whether the lights turn on, the toilet flushes, the walls are straight...

Read Analysis ⮕
Operational Modernization and the Disciplines That Came Before It
BizOps

Operational Modernization and the Disciplines That Came Before It

Ask an experienced operating executive about Operational Modernization for the first time, and a fair question usually comes back before any agreement does. Isn't this just Lean with a new name? Agile applied to the whole company? Another pass at digital transformation? The skepticism is earned. Most executives in this audience have sat through at least one initiative that promised to change how the business ran and delivered a project instead.

Read Analysis ⮕
Your Best People Are Doing the Worst Work
BizOps

Your Best People Are Doing the Worst Work

Every growing company has one. The person who can tell you, from memory, which reports were finalized before the quarter closed and which were amended after. The person who checks two systems before answering a customer question because the two systems disagree about a third of the time. The person who has a spreadsheet that nobody asked them to build, that nobody else fully understands, and that the finance team quietly depends on every month.

Read Analysis ⮕
New Book Introduces "Operational Modernization," a Management Discipline for the AI Era
BizOps

New Book Introduces "Operational Modernization," a Management Discipline for the AI Era

Operational Modernization: Closing the Continuity Gap argues that AI has exposed a persistent gap in management thinking and proposes a new discipline for closing it.

Read Analysis ⮕
The 5 Operational Bottlenecks That Show Up Around $10M in Revenue
BizOps

The 5 Operational Bottlenecks That Show Up Around $10M in Revenue

One of the biggest misconceptions in business is that growth solves problems. It doesn't. Growth usually exposes them. In the early stages of a company, it's surprisingly easy to hide operational inefficiencies. Everyone is close to the customer. Communication happens naturally. Leadership has direct visibility into most of the business. If something breaks, the team figures it out quickly because everyone is involved in everything.

Read Analysis ⮕
Most Companies Don't Need AI… Yet
AI & Automation

Most Companies Don't Need AI… Yet

Over the last year, I've had more conversations about AI than any other topic. CEOs are talking about it. Boards are talking about it. Investors are talking about it. Every software vendor seems to be adding AI capabilities to their platform, and every company is trying to figure out where AI fits into their business. In many ways, it feels similar to the early days of cloud computing when organizations knew the technology was important but weren't entirely sure how to apply it.

Read Analysis ⮕
What Is Operational Modernization?
BizOps

What Is Operational Modernization?

Over the past several years, I've had the opportunity to work with companies across a wide range of industries and stages of growth. While the challenges are often different on the surface, I've noticed something remarkably consistent underneath.

Read Analysis ⮕
Why Most Revenue Organizations Break at Scale
RevOps

Why Most Revenue Organizations Break at Scale

Growing companies have a funny way of creating their own problems. The things that helped them become successful in the first place eventually become the things that hold them back. I've seen this happen countless times with revenue organizations. A company gets off to a great start because everyone is aligned, communication is easy, and decisions get made quickly. Revenue grows, the team expands, and the business becomes more complex.

Read Analysis ⮕
Finding a Player-Coach for Your Startup's Early Executive Role: Is It Even Possible?
BizOps

Finding a Player-Coach for Your Startup's Early Executive Role: Is It Even Possible?

In the fast-paced world of startups, the search for the right executive can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. As a founder, you may find yourself dreaming of a "player-coach" who not only possesses the experience and strategic insight to guide your company but is also willing to roll up their sleeves and contribute on the ground level. But is this ideal candidate truly out there? And if so, can you afford them without jeopardizing your startup's financial health?

Read Analysis ⮕
Your Desire for Constant Pipeline Updates is Actually Hurting Your Sales Process
Systems & Tech

Your Desire for Constant Pipeline Updates is Actually Hurting Your Sales Process

What most non-salespeople don't understand is the struggle to build trust & rapport between seller and prospect. Sure, follow up is important and persistence is key. But, the cadence of your follow up should be dependent on the prospect and not when your manager has to provide their boss with an update.

Read Analysis ⮕
Grow Quickly vs. Grow Responsibly
BizOps

Grow Quickly vs. Grow Responsibly

Congratulations! You've just raised a nice big round of funding. Now what? Time to grow, but how? For some, the focus for so many months, the goal for so many months, has been raising capital. So once you get there, panic can set in because you haven't done much planning for what happens next. You get across the finish line you and then realize that, in fact, you're actually at the starting line of another marathon.

Read Analysis ⮕
Sales & Marketing - What's the Difference Anymore?
BizOps

Sales & Marketing - What's the Difference Anymore?

The buying environment has changed significantly over the past 10 years. Buyers are more informed now than ever before. They have access to more information than any business can control. Whether you're in a B2B or a B2C setting, consumers of your product or service will know enough through 3rd party reviews, referrals, and your website to make a decision before even speaking with someone from your organization. So what does that mean in terms of how businesses adjusting?

Read Analysis ⮕
4 Things COVID-19 Has Taught Us About Data
AI & Automation

4 Things COVID-19 Has Taught Us About Data

We live in the age of information. It is literally, at our fingertips. You can pull many data sets from multiple data sources with a few taps on your phone. We are all learning a lot during this pandemic. One thing that has become clear over the past few weeks is the importance of data. Regardless of your profession or which industry you're in, you've probably heard your co-workers or bosses talking about "data-driven" this or that. Here are 4 takeaways about how data is used from our experience

Read Analysis ⮕
Every Sales Organization Must Eventually Make This Transformation
BizOps

Every Sales Organization Must Eventually Make This Transformation

One of Henry Ford's greatest contributions to the world of industry was the development of the assembly line. The core concept of the assembly line is that the specialization of job functions leads to increased productivity and efficiency. Rather than having an individual own a process from start to finish, you have individuals specialize in smaller, specific micro-processes.

Read Analysis ⮕
Everyone Should Spend 1 Week as a BDR (at least)
RevOps

Everyone Should Spend 1 Week as a BDR (at least)

Maybe this is a radical idea but hear me out. I think every single new employee at your company should spend at least one week as a business development representative (BDR) or sales development representative (SDR). From the C-suite down to entry-level, I mean every single employee should do it. It's the most critical position when it comes to getting the ground-level truth about the product and the customer.

Read Analysis ⮕
The 10 "C's" of Succccccccccess
BizOps

The 10 "C's" of Succccccccccess

For some reason, as I sat there and pondered on what made people successful in life, I kept reading things and coming up with words that started with the letter "c". 🤷🏻‍♂️ Here are 10 of them. Believe it or not, there are more that didn't make my list.

Read Analysis ⮕
Businesses Should Act Like Universities, Not High Schools
Leadership & Growth

Businesses Should Act Like Universities, Not High Schools

I think about my time as a high school student, my time as a college student, and my time as a professional. College is widely considered "the best years of your life" by many. Why do you think that is? Aside from the partying, I have an idea.

Read Analysis ⮕
How to Create and Change Company Culture
BizOps

How to Create and Change Company Culture

Creating and managing corporate culture may be one of the hardest things in building a successful business. It's something that is sort of vague and hard to define but everyone agrees has a massive impact on the performance of the business. Not only is it important for the bottom line, its important for recruiting top talent.

Read Analysis ⮕
What Playing Basketball Taught Me About Business
BizOps

What Playing Basketball Taught Me About Business

I have played basketball my entire life. I fell in love with the sport when I was 8 years old and eventually turned it into a scholarship and an opportunity to further my education. I've played on teams that have cut down nets and I've played on teams that struggled to compete. I've been the best player on the team and I've been a role player. Through success and failure in basketball, I learned a lot about business. Now that I have a career, the similarities between the two are undeniable.

Read Analysis ⮕
The Real Difference Between Features, Benefits, & Value
BizOps

The Real Difference Between Features, Benefits, & Value

I've gotten into arguments about this. People often confuse the three, primarily benefits and value. Salespeople talk about their "value proposition" and then go on to list the features and benefits of the product they are selling. In my mind, there is a very distinct difference between the three and it is important to understand not only when selling but when building a valuable company (pun intended).

Read Analysis ⮕
Salespeople Are Not Getting Worse, Quotas Are Harder to Hit
BizOps

Salespeople Are Not Getting Worse, Quotas Are Harder to Hit

Without a doubt, one important characteristic of being successful in sales is competitiveness. But that may come in a few different forms. It's one of the things I'm looking for when I interview salespeople.

Read Analysis ⮕
4 Ways Millennials Are 'Different' And Why That's A Good Thing
BizOps

4 Ways Millennials Are 'Different' And Why That's A Good Thing

What makes people born during that 20-year window between 1980 and 2000 so different from the generations that preceded them? (Yes, we are different). Is it because they were promised they can be anything they want when they grow up? No. Is it because they were given participation trophies and told, "it's not about what the scoreboard says, it's about having fun!" Nope. Is it because all Millennials are addicted to the devices in their hands, on their wrists, and in their pockets?

Read Analysis ⮕
Stay Informed

Subscribe to Operational Insights