In this episode, we discuss: Is it possible to pivot to profitability? We are joined by Libby Penn, she is the COO of Improbable. We chat about the following:  What's the COO's role in the pivot to profitabilityWhat are the right bets to make in a business?How should we balance profitability and growth?What is the importance of well-documented data?What is realistic in terms of profitability?Who is responsible for capturing data? References: LinkedIn Thinking in Bets by Annie...

In this episode, we discuss: The life-ruining power of routines. We are joined by Markham Heid, he is a Journalist with TIME and New York Times.  We chat about the following:  How do we optimise our lives without falling into the trap of routine?Do we need routine and structure to be productive? Are you busy because it’s necessary? What’s the right balance between routine and creative space? How can companies get involved in breaking routine and encouraging creativity?...

In this episode, we discuss: Why does community matter for organisations? We are joined by Jaclyn Pascocello, she is the founder of Fabrik.   We chat about the following:  What are the trends in people and the connections they are building and want to build?Where should the L&D budget be spent?Is it part of the company's responsibility to help foster connections that are not within the company?Are we at the top of a community-building hype cycle? What are the optimal conditions for the...

In this episode we discuss: What are the priorities for COO’s in 2024? We are joined by Cameron Herold, he is the founder of the COO Alliance and author of the Second in Command.  We chat about the following:  What are the priorities for COO’s in 2024? How should we think about budgets this year? How is the COO role changing?What are the commonalities across COO’s? How do you work with a controlling CEO?How should a COO think about their relationship with the CEO?Do you have tips on how-to...

In this unique episode, Bethany Ayers and Brandon Mensinga share their personal stories. This episode is simply titled: Life Lessons. Bethany and Brandon are experienced scale-up COO’s and the co-hosts of the Operations Room.  We chat about the following lessons:  Know where you want to goLean into the fearDon’t try to be somebody elseFocus on the job that is in front of youKnow your superpowerAccept critical feedback for what it is Leadership is about serving othersFind people who stretch...

In this episode we discuss: Which HRIS do I need? We are joined by Matt Bradburn, Founder & CEO of the People Collective.  We chat about the following:  What are our views on Rippling? Personio? Factorial? BambooHR? HiBob? What is a good vendor choice for a scaling company of a few hundred people that wants something that is very customisable? What is a good all-in-one vendor choice that is good at employee engagement and for UK companies supports international expansion into the US? What...

In this episode we discuss: What does a good COO framework look like? We are joined by Simon Wakeman, former COO of TPXimpact and creator of the B3 Framework.  We chat about the following:  Are investment bets the responsibility of the COO? What is an operating model? What is minimum viable governance? How much process is too much process? How to best manage a risk register to make it usefulWhat is in the “systems” box? How do you structure data teams? What are some practices around...

In this episode we discuss: Is wellbeing a complete waste of time? We are joined by Gethin Nadin, cited as one of HR’s Most Influential Thinkers and author of the bestseller “A Work In Progress: Unlocking Wellbeing to Create More Sustainable and Resilient Organisations.” Bethany and I discuss:  What is the COO’s role in solving workplace stress? What can a COO do to optimise employees and support their mental health?  We chat about the following with Gethin:  What is wellbeing? In the context...

In this episode we discuss: How do you build an organisation to compete with Google? We are joined by Omid Ashtari, ex-COO of Streebees and President of Citymapper. We chat about the following with Omid:  How do you think about organisational structure? How proactive should you be in anticipating organisational challenges? What is the highest impact communication challenge you helped resolve? How do you prevent drift from the customer as the company scales?  References:...

In this episode we discuss: How do you scale from 100 employees to IPO? We are joined by Mark Logan, ex-COO of Skyscanner and currently Chief Entrepreneurial Advisor to the Scottish Government We chat about the following with Mark:  What are the foundations of scale? How do you prevent command and control from creeping in? What goes wrong with organisational alignment over time? Why doesn’t OKR cascading work? What are the three golden processes of an organisation?Why do things break when you...

In this episode we discuss: What can VC and PE backed operators learn from each other? We are joined by Sam Smith, the founder & MD of PepTalks, a training provider for private equity backed CEOs and their management teams. We chat about the following with Sam:  What are the types of PE companies? How are company valuations determined? How does the commercial model work between PE companies and LP’s? Can you shift track and move from VC-backed to PE-backed? How does a PE firm structure...

In this episode we answer the question: How do you build a business that is smarter than you? Our guest is Jennifer Sundberg, the co-CEO of Board Intelligence and author of Collective Intelligence. We discuss the following with Jennifer:  Why is it so hard to get great conversations in business review meetings? How do you get good at asking the right questions? How do you develop the habit of asking good questions in the organisation? How do you create phenomenal meetings? How do you cut...

In this episode we unpack the topic of: Why is hybrid working an inclusivity issue?. We talked with Brian Elliott, he is the co-founder of Future Forum, author of the bestseller How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to do the Best Work of Their Lives  We then discuss the following with Brian:  What does the data say on return to work and the push back from employees? What is the connection between inclusivity and remote working? What do you do when the CEO blames missed targets on...

In this episode we unpack the topic of: What is it like being COO of a private equity backed business? We are joined by Pete Harris, COO of Pipedrive.  Bethany and I discuss: When are we at our best? Our worst? What are we passionate about in a business context?What is our why?  We then discuss the following with Pete:  Why the title COO versus CRO or CCO? How are you being evaluated by your PE investors? How do you motivate employees given you are not founder led? What does a board meeting...

In this episode we unpack the topic of: Do product leaders make good COO's? with Martyn Fagg, COO of Tillo and Matt Jones COO at ex-COO at ParentPay.  Bethany and I discuss the following:  What does a good product leader look like? What does a good product manager look like?  We then discuss the following with Martyn and Matt:  How did the transition to COO happen?Was picking up the people function challenging? How do you get the people function to be more data-driven? How do you get product...

In this episode we unpack the topic of: How do you tame a visionary CEO? with Rob Liddiard, B2B SaaS Founder (acquired 2022); Reformed Lawyer. Bethany and I discuss the following:  Forecasting in 2024Simplifying performance managementSurfacing issues in leadershipDocumenting the processes of the company We then discuss the following with Rob:  Is the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) just another OKR styled book? How do you tame a visionary founder? What are the components of EOS? What...

In this episode we unpack the topic of: The COO Role: Why Would You Ever Want the Job? with Chuck Orzechowski, CEO of the COO Forum.  Bethany and I discuss the following:  How do you avoid being the dumping ground for things that others don’t want to do?  Why would you want the COO job?  We then discuss the following with Chuck:  What are the most common issues you see across your COO membership? What is the best approach to clarifying decision-making authority with the CEO? Why is “pace of...

In this episode we ask the unpack the question of: Do COO's have a two year shelf life? We discussed this topic with Casey Woo, CEO @Operators Guild.  We discuss the following with Casey:  What is the role of the COO? Why does the COO have a two year shelf life? If that is the reality, how should one think about their career? What does this mean for 4 year option grants? What are the key terms every COO should...

In this episode we unpack the topic of: Leadership Transitions: Uncompromising Strategies for Success with Andrew Duncan, Talent @ Atomico (ex-UpGroup) and Maddy Cross Partner @ Erevena (ex-Notion Capital) We discuss the following with Maddy and Andrew:  Given the average tenure of senior execs in scaleups, what advice would you give execs and what should companies that are hiring consider? How uncompromising do you need to be to get the right leaders in place?What is the difference in...

In this episode we unpack the topic of: "Cracking the Code: Exploring Emotional Literacy and Embodiment” This is Part 2 in our emotional literacy and embodiment series. Our special guests are returning alumni with Divinia Knowles, Founder of the COO Roundtable and Maddie Fox, a leadership development coach across venture-backed organisations. We are also joined by Pippa Richardson, Somatic Therapist, Educator, Speaker and Clinician.  We discuss the following with Pippa, Maddie and...

In this episode we unpack the topic of: "Cracking the Code: Exploring Emotional Literacy and Embodiment” This is Part 1 in our emotional literacy and embodiment series. Our special guests are returning alumni with Divinia Knowles, Founder of the COO Roundtable and Maddie Fox, a leadership development coach across venture-backed organisations.  Bethany and I discuss the concept of “reading the room” and “the pause”.  We discuss the following with Maddie and Divinia:  How far can you push as a...

In this episode we unpack the topic of: "Transitioning Roles: From COO to CEO". This is Part 2 in our transitioning roles series. Our special guest is John Saroff, CEO of Chartbeat.  Bethany and I discuss what a CEO does, and how a COO can build competence in these areas:  VisionFundraisingBoard relationshipsSetting the tone for the culture We then discuss the following with John:  What is the role of a CEO and how does it differ to the COO role?Do you have a COO now? Why not? How does the...

In this episode we unpack the topic of: "Transitioning Roles: From COO to Venture Capitalist". This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Our special guest is Cleo Sham, Venture Partner at StrideVC. We discuss the following:  Why did you decide to move from operator to investor? How did being an operator inform your role as a VC? Where did you find joy in the COO role? As a VC?Which role is more stressful: COO or VC? When you received critical feedback as a leader, how did you deal with it? How do...

In this episode we discuss: "The Wartime COO”. Our special guest is Huw Slater, COO of Oliva Health, formerly COO of TravelPerk and Bella Riemer, Head of Operations at Joblift. We discuss the following with Huw and Bella:  What is a Wartime COO? How does this impact how you operate the business?How do you surface existential threats to the organisation and inject a sense of focus, without scaring folks?What have been some of the worst storms you’ve weathered? Lessons learned?More broadly,...