Are you aiming to become a CEO? The ops department could be a good place to start. Operations teams work closely with financial management, human resources, equipment and technology, process optimization, customer support, and risk management, providing a comprehensive experience that can prepare you to lead the entire company.

Find out what your journey may entail.

What Do Ops Teams Do?

Ops teams handle various processes that provide general company oversight. They include:

• Financial Management: Although ops teams don’t directly regulate financials, they must ensure they align with the company’s overall budgeting goals, which typically involves developing more efficient strategies.
• Align with Company Goals: Beyond finances, ops teams should align with company goals in terms of output speed and quality.
• Physical Resources: Ops teams must ensure resources are utilized wisely to promote efficiency. They must oversee raw materials, technology, and equipment to ensure optimal allocation and utilization. Maintenance ensures materials withstand the test of time.
• Human Resources: Supervisors oversee workers, ensuring they maximize their availability without producing waste.
• Identifying Areas of Improvement: With an eye on efficiency, ops teams learn to monitor processes to ensure they are updated for optimal output.
• Standardizing Processes: Operations typically determine standardized processes for systems that produce the best outcomes.
• Manage Supply Chains: Teams must continually monitor supply chain operations to ensure they have the necessary products to meet demand. They should be aware of possible obstacles and minimize risk.
• Risk Management: Risk may occur in supply chains, but that’s not the only area of concern. Operations teams can also encounter technological, security, and other risks. As with any department, they must develop a mitigation strategy.
• Collaboration: Ops teams collaborate with various departments, including marketing, sales, finance, and tech, to ensure they align with company goals. In doing so, they gain a broad oversight of business strategies.
• Customer Service: An ops team’s ultimate goal is customer satisfaction. They focus on product quality, minimize time to market, prioritize improvements, and can even aim to reduce costs, all while delivering excellent service to the customer.

What CEOs Learn from Operations Experience

It’s easy to see how CEOs can benefit from operations experience. They gain a broad oversight on implementing efficient operations, work with various departments, align strategies with company goals, develop a mindset of continuous learning, and mitigate risks. However, they must take it one step further to qualify for a leadership position.

Here’s what’s involved:

• Strategic Planning: Ops teams learn how to align with strategic goals, but strategic planning is a different beast. Processes vary from team to team, but generally require defining the mission and values, conducting a SWOT analysis, setting strategic goals, developing an action plan, implementing it, and monitoring the results.
• Decision-Making: Effective decision-making requires confidence, but fortunately, today’s leaders also rely heavily on data that makes it easier to predict the best outcomes. It is beneficial for CEOS to learn how to utilize data for informed decision-making purposes.
• Leadership Skills: A good leader should communicate effectively, foster a sense of transparency, understand how to motivate teams, effectively delegate tasks, and develop skills in conflict resolution. Leadership skills don’t come naturally to everyone, but there are training courses that can aid with development.
• Financial Management: Many CEOs work with CFOs and accountants, ensuring the burden of financial management doesn’t fall solely on their shoulders. However, finances are typically at the core of strategic planning, and CEOs should have a comprehensive idea of what’s involved. Depending on their level of insight, they may consider taking classes to learn cash flow management, budgeting, forecasting, and financial statement analysis.
• Performance Management: This skill is an easy carryover from operations, as op teams are often focused on efficiency. However, CEOs must further develop these insights to determine how they relate to teams and workers throughout the company. They must also understand various performance indicators to ensure their company remains competitive.
• Stakeholder Management: CEOs must adjust their approach to ensure effective communication with various stakeholders, including board members, customers, employees, and other executives. They must adopt a transparent approach, keep communication channels open, and avoid jargon to ensure everyone is on the same page.

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