People
Hiring your first operations lead
What the role is for, what it is not for, and why the job description matters less than the first ninety days.
Most owner-led companies hire their first operations lead too late, and then ask them to do everything the owner no longer has time for.
What the role is for
Running the weekly rhythm of the business: the operations meeting, the scorecard and the handoffs between teams.
What it is not for
It is not a catch-all for every task nobody else wants. Give the new lead one clear area first, and let the rest follow once they have earned the team's trust.
The first ninety days
Agree on three outcomes for the first ninety days, and meet every two weeks to see how they are going.
Amara Lewis
Managing partner
Amara co-founded Lodestar in 2011 after twelve years running operations for an engineering consulting firm. She leads our work with professional services firms.
