COO vertical
A working circle for operators scaling teams, systems and accountability while keeping the business moving. Conversations stay practical, candid and grounded in what execution really demands.
Who belongs here
The working agenda
Each conversation starts with a current decision, draws on relevant peer experience and ends with a practical next move.
Build a continuous process for focusing priorities, assigning ownership and measuring whether the work is producing the intended result. Members compare meeting rhythms, decision paths and review practices that keep strategy visible once daily operating pressure takes over.
Identify where growth has outpaced existing processes, then remove friction through focused improvements instead of unnecessary disruption. The discussion separates systems that create useful consistency from layers of process that consume time without improving the outcome.
Examine the accountability structure, define the seats the business needs and place the right people against clear responsibilities. Operators compare how roles, reporting lines and handoffs must change as the company grows beyond the structure that worked at an earlier stage.
Find the gaps between vision, alignment and execution that quietly drain time, talent and revenue across the leadership team. Members work through unclear ownership, competing priorities and communication habits that make an apparently engaged team move in different directions.
Use practical systems, useful measures and direct feedback to create clarity, trust, accountability and stronger performance. The group examines which measures reveal real progress, how expectations are reinforced and how missed commitments are addressed before they become accepted behavior.
Lead without relying on authority alone by building consensus, communicating clearly and handling conflict productively. Peers compare how they prepare teams for change, surface resistance early and maintain momentum while people learn a new way of working.
How meetings run
Each monthly meeting opens with a concise operating update and a review of the actions each member committed to in the previous circle. One COO then presents a live execution problem with the priorities, owners, measures and constraints already in play. Peers map where the work is slowing, compare systems they have used and challenge the assumptions behind the current process. The session ends with a practical operating decision, named owners, a measure of progress and a commitment the group will revisit at the next meeting.
Beyond the operating plan
COO gatherings move between useful access and time to reset. Members visit real operating environments, take on hands on challenges and build trust through experiences that reward coordination, judgment and a willingness to participate.
Private visits reveal how another organization manages flow, quality, handoffs and execution when the work is moving in real time.
A shared meal begins with planning, clear roles and teamwork before everyone sits down at the same table.
A fast paced evening replaces the meeting agenda with focus, quick decisions and a little healthy competition.
Time outside gives operators room to step back from urgent work and have better conversations at a different pace.
Working with unfamiliar materials creates a practical exercise in process, patience and learning alongside other members.
From the vertical
Cut the weekly executive meeting in half while improving decision ownership.
“The practical value was immediate. I borrowed a peer’s operating cadence and made it ours.”
COO, growing healthcare company
Redesigned regional accountability and restored margin discipline within a quarter.
“No theory, just experienced operators helping me see the levers I had missed.”
COO, $90M professional services
Your seat. Your peers.
Apply to join a circle of operating leaders who understand the pressure between strategy and execution.
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