Leveraging Operations in Leadership
Most small business leaders are great at what they do but nobody taught them how to build a team around it.
Leveraging Operations in Leadership is the podcast for entrepreneurs and small business leaders navigating the shift from solopreneur to team. Hosted by Tonya D. Harrison, Founder of Cignal Partners, each episode blends practical leadership development with the operational systems you need to grow a small team sustainably without burnout or overwhelm.
Whether you're hiring your first employee or learning to delegate as a business owner with a growing team, you'll learn how to:
• Strengthen your decision-making and leadership systems
• Improve team communication, accountability, and performance
• Build business operations that reflect your values and scale with your vision
Great leadership starts with values but it's sustained through systems.
Ready to stop doing everything yourself? Subscribe and build the team your business deserves.
Leveraging Operations in Leadership
SOPs: The Secret Weapon for Scalable, High-Performing Teams
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Is your team constantly spinning its wheels? Do you find yourself answering the same questions over and over again?
In this episode, Tonya D. Harrison uncovers a simple but powerful shift that could transform how your team works: Standard Operating Procedures. SOPs aren’t just for massive companies – they’re one of the most underrated tools for clarity, consistency, and scaling with confidence.
Tune in to learn how the smartest leaders use SOPs to remove guesswork, boost accountability, and free up time to focus on what really matters.
Free live workshop, Oct 29: The Capacity Shift: Automate. Systems before software. Save your seat: https://go.cignalpartners.com/capacity
Hello and welcome back to the Leveraging Operations in Leadership podcast , the show where we break down the systems , strategies and leadership insights you need to build a team that doesn't just get by but actually thrives . I'm your host , tanya D Harrison , an operations and leadership consultant , and today we are diving into a foundational yet often overlooked topic standard operating procedures , or SOPs and we're going to talk about why they are a non-negotiable if you're serious about building a high performing team . Whether you are just starting to grow your team or managing one that is already in motion , what I'll share today will help you lead more with more clarity , consistency and confidence . Let's get into it . First things first . I want to start off by busting a myth and I have heard this so many times before , and the question is aren't SOPs just for large organizations ? The answer is no , that's a myth . They're not just for big corporations or government entities . They are essential tools for any organization , especially small businesses and growing teams . They do two things that every leader should value . Number one they protect your time , and we already know that time is a valued resource . Number two , they multiply your leadership . Think about
How SOPs protect your time and multiply leadership
Speaker 0it Every time someone comes to you and ask you how to do something . They're taken away , they're making a withdrawal from your leadership bank . Sops put those answers in writing . They free up your brain and your time for higher level decisions , and they empower your team to be more proactive instead of dependent on you . Now let's talk about what SOPs really do for your team .
Speaker 0Okay , so they are extremely critical to high performing teams , and I want to break this down for you . Number one they set the standard . It's important to understand the qualities and the needs of high performing teams , and high performing teams want to do great work , but they can't hit a moving target . They need something that is defined and they need to know what great looks like , and one of the easiest ways to do this is by documenting your processes step by step . Number two they eliminate confusion and reduce friction . When everyone follows the same process , there's less second guessing , people doing what they want to do , fewer mistakes and less room for misinterpretation . Now we're consistent . We're consistently providing a high quality output . Number three they make onboarding faster and smoother
The game-changing impact on onboarding, accountability, and scalability
Speaker 0.
Speaker 0Here's where you start to buy back your time as well . Every time you bring on a new team member , sops reduce the ramp up time . You're not starting from scratch , you're plugging into a system that already works . It's already in play . It's a plug and play . Number four they increase accountability . It's hard to measure performance when there's no agreed upon process . Sops give you and your team a clear point of reference . Clear point of reference . We're all on the same page and it makes having tough conversations a whole lot easier . They also support scalability . A team can't scale on hustle alone . If you want to grow without burning out or dropping the balls , sops are the backbones that holds it all together . It positions your team not only for a more consistent output and a higher quality of output , but it also positions your team to be more productive and take on additional responsibilities if needed .
Speaker 0Now here's something that SOPs
Process Problems vs People Problems
Speaker 0do that I really don't believe a lot of leaders understand the value of this . So many times we think that something that's going on in our department or with our team is a people problem , but it's not always a people problem . So here's the real truth
Why process – not people – often causes performance issues
Speaker 0. When your team is inconsistent or quality drops or you feel like you have to micromanage in order to yield quality results , it may look like a people problem , but it's usually a process problem . So sometimes a leadership problem is disguised , right , but it's really an operations gap . But here's the good news , right , when you identify that it's a process problem , that's good news . Processes can be designed , they can be improved , they can be documented . It's not as heavy of a lift .
Speaker 0So SOPs are a leadership tool . It's not this admin mundane task that a lot of people think of it . It is a leadership tool . It's actually like your little sidekick , right ? They reflect your vision , your values and your expectations in a way that your team can act on day after day after day . Even as you restructure your team , you may have some people that get promoted and leave , and people get promoted into the team or within the team and leave , and people get promoted into the team or within the team . These SOPs can support all of that , and one of the bonus things that SOPs does and I know we don't like to talk about this , right , we don't always measure , but it absolutely matters is how your team feels . They make your team feel more productive Because , see , here's the thing Even though they make your team more accountable , high performing teams like accountability .
Speaker 0They like to take accountability when your team knows exactly what's expected , where to find the information they need and how to get the work done without roadblocks , without bottlenecks , without waiting for you to come out of a meeting . They feel more competent , more focused and more in control of their day . That sense of clarity fuels momentum , and momentum fuels morale . Now you have a more engaged team , so when SOPs are in place , your team members spend less time asking repetitive questions and redoing work . Not only have you bought back some of your time , you've bought back some of their time . They're not waiting on you to answer questions , respond to emails , waiting on you to come back from a meeting , trying to catch you in between meetings , or waiting on a Slack message to move forward . They're being more productive because they're actually getting things done . They're not embarrassed by preventable errors or unclear processes , because the truth of the matter is high performing teams . They like high quality and they can end the day knowing that they made real progress . You can end the day knowing that they made real progress and that's motivating for everyone . So , in short , sops create a work environment that feels smoother , lighter and rewarding . And remember , productivity isn't just about output , it's about emotional energy as well , and when people feel productive , they show up stronger the next
How to start documenting and updating SOPs for your team
Speaker 0day .
Speaker 0Now I know I'm talking a lot about SOPs , right ? So your question may be where do I start ? Or how do I start ? This seems , or sounds , like a heavy lift , and it's not that it's a heavy lift . It's an extremely important lift . Here's what I recommend Two different versions .
Speaker 0Right One if you have no processes at all , here's where you start . You're going to document all of the processes that you need for your department , and this is just a brainstorm . You're just going to do a brain dump . Here's all of the processes that I need , right ? So it could be how you onboard clients , how you process a claim if you're in healthcare , how you publish content . List out all of your processes . Brain dump and get your team involved . This is a great time to get your team involved .
Speaker 0Then you want to prioritize those things , and you can prioritize them in a lot of different ways . Right , what's done more frequently ? What causes the most confusion ? What puts your team at risk ? Things that are related to direct client output may take priority . How you interact with another department those may be some low hanging fruit , some things that you want to focus on , but prioritize your list .
Speaker 0Once you prioritize your list , this is when you're going to start documenting the steps . Simple language . Okay , step by step , you're going to document your process . Once you document your process , you're going to give it to someone to execute . You want to make sure it is in alignment with what's actually happening and if there's adjustments that need to be made , you can make those adjustments real time . Once you finalize them , you're going to have whoever needs to sign off on them get them to sign off . And then you're going to have whoever needs to sign off on them get them to sign off , and then you're going to keep them accessible . You're going to put them in a place where everyone that needs access to them has access to them , whether that's a shared drive that you have for your department , whatever that looks like , you're going to make them accessible and you're going to treat them like a living document , one that grows , one that evolves as your team matures , and this is extremely important .
Turning SOPs into a living document and leadership tool
Speaker 0So that's version number one . You have nothing and you're starting from ground zero .
Speaker 0The second version is for people who have processes . One of the things we find is that sometimes people have processes but they never go back and look at them . They don't treat them like they're a living document . You want to go through and you want to look at the list of processes that you have and identify if there's any gaps . What are some of the things that have come up in the last couple of months that you find that you don't have documented ? Now you're going to add those to the list . Those are new processes that need to be created , but then you're also going to go back through your processes . Are they up to date ? Is the information in there still relevant ? And then you're going to make updates as needed .
Speaker 0Keep in mind that your role as a leader is not just direct , but to design . You're going to design how work gets done . You're going to design how success is defined . You're going to design how people show up and deliver , and SOPs is one of the ways that you could do that , and it helps you to scale in a lot of ways in terms of the productivity , the amount of work that you put out , the amount of work that you put out , the quality of work that you put out . Sops help you do all of that . That is the power of standard operating procedures , and this is why it is important that you integrate operations with your leadership . Having a solid operations is going to support your leadership journey .
Speaker 0All right , so that is
Conclusion and Next Steps
Speaker 0it . Thanks for tuning in to the Leveraging Operations and Leadership podcast . If this episode helped shift your mindset about SOPs , do me a favor . Share it with another leader who's growing a team . And if you want help building simple strategic SOPs , do me a favor . Share it with another leader who's growing a team . And if you want help building simple strategic SOPs that support your team's performance , head over to signalpartnerscom to connect with me . You can request a meeting and then we can get started on your next project . Until next time , lead well , design smart and keep building that powerhouse team .
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