Bill Canady distinguishes operators from visionaries: operators manage day-to-day business, develop strategy, and ensure daily actions align with goals. They own execution and drive commitment to delivery through hands-on knowledge of their unit.
I thought we'd talk about the team that it takes to lead the business. We're going to focus on the operators today. Now, these folks are the leaders who run the day-to-day business. Typically, an operator corresponds to the company or business unit title of president, although this is not necessarily the case. In the type of conglomerates I've ran during my career, the operators have been the presidents of segments or, or the actual business units. Unlike the visionary, they don't set the goal, but they are charged with developing, implementing, and executing the strategy within their businesses. What they do have is an intimate working knowledge of their company or BU, business unit, and they themselves are thoroughly evangelized on the strategic vision and processes and practices that are necessary to ensure that their business is perfectly aligned with the strategy and meets and exceeds all the goals. Because they own the strategy, they're committed to delivering.
