Your Future Realized

Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/15. When you’re running your organization’s Operations, there’s always work to do. It is hard to stay on top of everything without getting bogged down just stomping out fires every day. I often think of a story about a cook in a busy restaurant who was frustrated by the constant mess in the kitchen. He complained to a Zen master: “The kitchen is f...

Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/14. I spoke with a bunch of operations executives not long ago and got a good taste of their impressive work ethic. I have one myself. Accomplishing big things for a mission is commendable. But doing it single-handedly is neither sufficient nor sustainable. Many of the operations execs wished for a future where they would spend less time in the da...

Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/13. This episode is for operations leaders who struggle with accountability. It’s hard to hold people accountable when you rely on them. This is true for all leaders. Someone told me this recently: “I can have the tough conversations. But I have trouble going back and enforcing it. I don’t want to be ‘the bad guy’. I really want him on my team, an...

Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/12. Warning: This episode may challenge your beliefs about productivity. Recently, a client was searching for time on her calendar. She’s in New York, but the company HQ is in France, and she has teammates in California. So, she takes meetings anytime between 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. I asked when she slept. She laughed and said: “Oh yeah. I’ll sleep...

Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/11. Everyone doubts themselves from time to time. But for some, it takes the form of a constant uphill battle. When you lead cross-functional operations, your attention is always pulled in different directions. It’s easy to get over-stimulated and take the stress out on yourself. A Director of People Operations recently said to me, “I internalize...

Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/10. Nothing stretches us as leaders like someone shining a spotlight on our blind spots. And as an operations executive, you are no stranger to the feedback process. You probably get it regularly through review cycles and 360s. A client recently said to me: “ I don’t mind feedback, I’ve learned how to deal with it. But it’s so hard to get clear fe...

Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/9. Have you been overcompensating for your operations team’s weaknesses? Then listen up. When you live and eat operations, you know how things work and the best, most efficient ways to do them. And your team is busy. You’ve likely built guard rails for them to minimize burnout because you take good care of your team. So, when a crisis hits, if you...

Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/8. Every high-achieving operations executive I spoke with this year named work-life balance in their top three challenges. One SVP of Global Operations said: “Sometimes I finish at 11:30 at night and am back online at 8 am. I lose sight of what’s important to me, including eating well and working out. I almost never log off before 8 pm and feel go...

Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/7. Interviewing a diverse group of operations executives this summer, one item popped up on many wish lists: Gaining an edge in dealing with different personalities and styles. Some wanted to build greater trust with the CEO. Others wished for an easier path through sticky situations with cross-functional partners. Many could do with more leverage...

Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/6. Compared to other function leads, as an operations lead, you are less likely to connect with people outside your organization. By design, you are focused internally. You keep a finger on the pulse across the system. You’re nurturing relationships, optimizing resources, and carving efficiencies to keep progress rolling. That doesn’t leave much o...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for ops execs at yourfuturerealized.com/5. When I interviewed a bunch of ops execs earlier this year, I was listening for what was most important to them. One theme that bubbled up was the joy execs get watching their team collaborate and grow as they march toward common goals. And Ops never stops! The Ops team is the backbone of your or...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for ops execs at yourfuturerealized.com/4. How often do you get to the end of the workday unable to recall what you accomplished? You know that you were busy, lots of important info was exchanged, maybe some problems solved. But no big stones really got moved. Sound familiar? Operations heroes often find themselves drained and unable to...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for ops execs at yourfuturerealized.com/3. This past summer, I interviewed a slew of operations executives to learn about their most common problems and their best practices for them. Challenges followed clear patterns regardless of company size or industry, age, gender, location, or number of years in their role. And I was surprised by...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for ops execs at yourfuturerealized.com/1.  I am an operations and change management whiz turned executive coach. I love getting to see all sides of a business, being in the eye of a storm, and creating fresh perspectives and possibilities in the chaos. Blending strategic thinking with execution is just fun!  It’s a beautiful thing to br...

Find the full transcript for this episode and more resources for ops execs at yourfuturerealized.com/2. Ops execs make the world go round! You oversee all the cross-functional teams, systems, and workflows, so your org hits its goals. That means there are a lot of plates spinning. And you are the one in the center of that orbit, making sure all those teams and systems make sense and create the rig...

Your Future Realized Podcast is hosted by me, Laura Malinowski, Trusted Advisor to Operations Executives. This show offers inspiration and guidance for ops execs who want to level up and have a more fulfilling experience personally & professionally. Episodes include powerful, actionable insights for strengthening your mindset & communication muscles. The episodes will get you out of the we...