How the Visionary + Operator Duo Is Evolving in the Future of Ops

Have you ever brought in a right hand to take the reins on operations but found yourself jumping back in when things felt too slow or unclear?

Hiring a great person is one thing.

But knowing how to communicate, collaborate, and trust them to lead the journey while you stay focused on the destination is what it takes for you to both be successful.

One of the most significant shifts happening in the small business space today is the evolution of the relationship between the visionary founder and their right-hand.

As operations become more strategic and sustainability becomes essential, the dynamic between a founder and the person leading the operational side of the business (whether a COO, OBM, strategic advisor, or fractional leader) is taking on new importance.

Exploring how the visionary-operator duo is changing through the following themes is what will help you in the future for sustainable growth:

• The biggest disconnects between founders & right hands
• Why cutting back on operations usually backfires
• Trust: what it looks like from both sides
• The importance of “speaking visionary” as an operator
• The invisible impact a great right hand has on growth
• How to blend structure + trust so your team runs itself

We also discuss this in episode 240 of the Simplify to Scale Show, where I was joined by my right-hand and operational rockstar, Jessica Maine, and we unpack what makes a visionary/right-hand relationship actually work from both perspectives.

Tune into Episode 240 of the Simplify to Scale Show or keep reading below.

 The Cost of Overlooking Ops in Times of Uncertainty

When revenue dips or growth stalls, many founders instinctively protect sales and marketing.

They believe that new leads and client acquisition will solve their challenges.

And while those areas are absolutely essential, what often happens is that they cut back on operations first.

That’s exactly what happened with a founder I had worked with.

She finally found her ideal right hand (let’s call her “Tracy”) after struggling to find someone she could trust.

Tracy brought order, efficiency, and room for the founder to breathe again.

But when things got tight financially, operations seemed like the only logical place to cut.

Tracy’s hours were reduced, and almost immediately the founder started to feel the ripple effects: client delivery faltered, small details were missed, and more and more ended up back on her plate.

That’s the irony of great operations: when they’re working well, they’re almost invisible.

It’s only when you remove them that you realize how much weight they were actually carrying.

Why Operators Often Get Misunderstood (And Cut First)

As my right-hand Jessica shares, this is an all-too-common pattern.

When founders look at their budget, operations feel like the easiest thing to scale back. After all, they’re not directly generating leads or closing deals.

But the truth is, operations are often the glue holding everything together:

• Client retention is driven by consistent delivery, which is operational

• Sales success is influenced by backend systems that support follow-up, nurturing, and delivery readiness

• Marketing performs better when there's a clear structure for capturing and leveraging data and insights

When founders cut ops, they don’t only remove a cost center.

They also remove the foundation that keeps sales, marketing, and client experience aligned.

Why It’s the Operator’s Job to Speak Visionary

Many operators express frustration when founders don’t understand or value what they do.

But here's the truth: it's not the founder's job to understand operations.

It’s the operator’s job to communicate their impact in the language of outcomes and vision.

Founders are visionaries.

They think in destinations, not in the logistics it takes to get there.

For example, if they're going on a trip to Aruba, they're not concerned with every detail of how the flights and hotel are booked.

They just want to know if they’ll make it to Aruba on time, and without hassle.

This is where many operators go wrong.

They talk in terms of process, tasks, and technical detail instead of the outcomes that founders actually care about.

So what is the fix?

Learn to speak in outcomes:

• "Here’s how this process will free up your time to focus on sales"

• "This agenda structure will keep the team aligned even when you’re out"

• "By following this plan, you’ll reach your growth goals without being pulled back into delivery"

If a founder doesn’t see the value of operations, it’s not because it’s not there.

It’s because it hasn’t been communicated in a way that lands.

Real-Time Lessons from Scaling Without Structure

Jessica shares a powerful example of what happens when a founder bypasses the operational plan in pursuit of speed.

A client she worked with was eager to get out of the day-to-day and hired two people before the proper systems were in place.

Despite Jessica’s advice, he pressed ahead. The result?

• Fragmented onboarding

• Missed KPIs

• Client dissatisfaction

• Internal confusion and low team morale

Three months later, both hires were gone, the team was frustrated, and the founder was deeper in the day-to-day than ever before.

Contrast that with what happened next: the founder followed Jessica’s full hiring and onboarding process.

Within 30 days, they had fully onboarded the right people who were contributing meaningfully with minimal involvement from the founder.

This highlights how structure is what creates space.

When you trust the operational plan and implement it intentionally, you buy back your time, and you get results.

What the Visionary + Right Hand Partnership Looks Like Moving Forward

For founders and operators to thrive in today’s business climate, both sides of the partnership need to evolve:

For Founders:

• Trust your right hand. If you’ve brought someone in to lead operations, then let them lead

• Stop reacting. Rushing decisions often leads to more rework down the line

• Be open to structure. The right systems will give you more freedom

For Operators:

• Learn to speak outcomes. Stop speaking in terms of tasks and start speaking in terms of vision

• Make the invisible visible. Don’t assume the founder sees the impact of what you do; show them

• Step into your strategic role. Great right hands are not only doers, they are also decision-makers.

When these shifts happen, the visionary can stay in their genius zone and the operator can fully own theirs.

That’s where scaling without chaos becomes possible.

Building a Stronger Visionary + Operator Partnership

To recap, here’s what it takes to build a visionary-operator duo that drives sustainable growth:

• Don’t cut operations first just because they aren’t client-facing. The impact they have on retention, delivery, and growth is often underestimated

• Operators must learn to speak in outcomes, and not tasks. That’s how you build trust and stay essential in the eyes of the founder

• Founders must trust the plan, even when the journey feels slower than they’d like. Skipping steps usually adds time in the long run instead of saving it

• Structure creates freedom. Even simple systems like consistent meeting agendas can free up founder time and empower teams to lead

If you’re a founder who wants to get out of the day-to-day or an operator looking to step into a more strategic role, this is the path forward.

Stronger partnerships, better communication, and a shared focus on outcomes are what the future of operations is all about.

Do you want support developing your right-hand leader or building your next-level operations team?

We train, mentor, and certify exceptional operational leaders to simplify your operations, scale your business, and help get you out of the day-to-day.

Learn more about our certification and mentoring programs here