My most recommended resources for Operators


A Year in the Life of a COO: How I Set Myself Up for Success

Advice for new executives is often vague, aspirational, or overly conceptual, and those transitioning into a C-Suite position for the first time—or growing into the role from an adjacent one like Chief of Staff—have much gain from actionable guidance that can help them find their feet. That’s what I aim to do here. 


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Operator Reading List & Resources for COOs and Heads of Operations

Learn the role

Find your Tribe

Operators Guild: Home to the world’s top operators

Venwise: Where the C-Suite connects for advice

COO Alliance

Invest in becoming your Best Self

📖The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness by Jeff Olson

📖Leading Lightly: Lower Your Stress, Think with Clarity, and Lead with Ease by Jody Michael

Stay Inspired

Founders podcast: Learn from history's greatest entrepreneurs. Every week I read a biography of an entrepreneur and find ideas you can use in your work.


Resources for Building a Performance Culture

My most-recommended books, tools, and resources for anyone working on creating a performance culture:

  1. Read The 4 Disciplines of Execution, which uses research to explain the foundational elements of what drives execution. This book will help you diagnose and articulate which disciplines are missing.

  2. Then, implement Mastering the Rockefeller Habits immediately. If your team isn’t effectively executing, you need to implement a proven framework ASAP so you can begin to build a performance culture. This isn’t the time to start from scratch and design your own system.

OKRs and Goal Setting

My most-recommended books, tools, and resources for anyone tasked with implementing a new goal-setting system in an organization.

  1. Read Measure What Matters by John Doerr. Even if you’re not setting goals, read this book so you can understand the lingo. Venture capitalists love this book, so I recommend reading it if you’re fundraising or working with investors.

  2. Short on time? Read a few of these articles listed in The Best OKR Reading List in the World.

  3. Subscribe to the Measure What Matters blog.

  4. So now that you understand OKRs, dive into specialized resources such as Stride Consulting’s OKR Best Practice’s for Technology Teams.

OKR management Tools

  • WorkBoard. WorkBoard’s CEO and Co-Founder, Deidre Paknad, is incredible. I saw her speak at the 2019 Chief of Staff Summit in DC. It’s also an amazing product that I recommend.

  • Lattice. Lattice transforms your people strategy by connecting performance management, employee engagement, and career development in one unified solution. If you’re already using Lattice, start with this as it’s one less platform to implement and manage. If you’re not using Lattice, check it out with your People leaders! (Update July 2024: Lattice made a highly questionable announcement related to AI and immediately walked it back. While I question their judgment, I still strongly recommend their product.)


What else would be helpful? Reach out and let me know!

Articles for Operators