Diary of a Leader: Why the COO Role Makes Vision Possible
- Lindsay Sheldrake
- Nov 23
- 5 min read
Updated: Nov 25
Welcome to Diary of a Leader: Real Stories, Leadership Lessons, and Personal Growth
Ah, Visionaries.
They see the future before anyone else can.
They imagine possibility faster than others can process it.
And they often wonder why everyone else can’t simply “see it too.”
Welcome back to Diary of a Leader, where we explore the real dynamics of leadership, growth, and operational partnership.
This week is all about a truth many founders only realize after years of carrying too much alone:
the freedom unlocked when the COO role is empowered to do what it does best.
What Experienced Founders All Had in Common
Last week I spent time with a group of seasoned Visionaries — leaders who’ve built, rebuilt, and grown through cycles of success and strain. What stood out wasn’t their ambition or big thinking (that was expected).
It was their freedom.
These founders weren’t overwhelmed.
They weren’t bogged down in firefighting.
They weren’t longing for a break.
They were energized — more than ever.
And when I leaned in with curiosity about why, they all pointed to the same thing:
“I finally found my Ops Leader... my COO.”
Some had a full-time COO.
Some had a Fractional COO.
Some had an Integrator or Operator.
Some had a second-in-command who quietly held the operational load behind the scenes.
The title didn’t matter.
The COO role did.
For the first time, they weren’t carrying everything alone.
Their ideas felt lighter.
Their minds felt clearer.
Their businesses felt supported.
And here’s where the story gets interesting.
The very next evening, I discovered that another leader — one who had built a successful business over 20 years — had also experienced this freedom… without ever realizing why.
When Visionaries Feel Free — Even If They Don’t Know Why
Over dinner, my retired friend talked about her “back-office partner” — the operational force behind her business success.
She laughed about how they sometimes bumped heads.
Sometimes her partner would tell her she had “too many ideas.”
Sometimes she wished things moved faster.
Sometimes she didn’t understand why execution took so long.
But then she paused and admitted something I hear from so many Visionaries:
“I didn’t really know how she made my job easier… I just know she did.”
She had lived the benefits of the COO role —but she never understood the responsibility, complexity, and invisible work happening behind the scenes.
So I grabbed a pen, flipped over a napkin, and drew the picture that finally connected the dots for her.
A Napkin Diagram That Brought Clarity
I marked X:
“You — the Visionary.”
I marked Y:
“The destination you see so clearly.”
Then I drew the Visionary’s line — a clean, direct arc from X to Y.
“This is how you see the path,” I said. “Straight. Immediate. Obvious.”
Then I drew the COO’s path — the real path.
Winding.
Indirect.
Sometimes backward.
Full of dependencies, risks, sequencing, approvals, capacity constraints, and the operational landmines no one sees until they're already in them.
Same destination.
Completely different journey.
She stared at the napkin.
“Wow. I never understood how much she carried for me.”
Most Visionaries don’t — until someone shows them.
The Myth: The COO Role Isn’t Moving Fast Enough
Visionaries rarely say “my COO is slow.”
What they actually say is:
“I’m impatient.”
“I want to move faster.”
“I have ten ideas — why aren’t we already doing them?”
“Why can’t the business keep up with me?”
It feels like the COO role is the bottleneck.
But here’s the truth:
Visionaries move at the speed of thought.
COOs must move at the speed of reality.
Your impatience isn’t a flaw — it’s your superpower.
It’s the force that sparks innovation.
But the COO can’t sprint recklessly because you see the future clearly.
Their role is to accelerate the business safely — not impulsively.
What feels like “slowing down” is actually:
• protecting the business
• sequencing the work
• managing the people load
• mitigating risk
• considering interdependencies
• keeping the business stable while it grows
It’s not resistance.
It’s stewardship.
The COO isn’t trying to keep up with your brain.
They’re building what your brain creates.
The Operational Reality: Visionary Speed vs COO Speed
Visionary speed is internal.
COO speed is operational.
Visionaries leap ahead in possibility.
COOs bring the business with them — the people, the systems, the processes, the commitments, the capacity, the risk profile.
You see the destination.
Your COO sees the terrain.
You accelerate.
They stabilize.
Your mind jumps.
Their work ensures the business doesn’t break.
The COO role can feel “slow” only because they aren’t moving to the idea —they’re moving the entire organization toward the idea.
And those are not the same thing.
When founders finally understand this, everything shifts.
They stop mistaking caution for constraint.
They start appreciating the complexity being carried on their behalf.
The COO isn’t holding you back.
They’re holding everything together.
The Leadership Lesson: Your Impatience Isn’t a Liability — It’s a Signal
Visionaries often assume their impatience is something to fix or temper.
But impatience is simply an indicator:
“I see something no one else sees yet.”
“I feel momentum others haven’t caught up to.”
“I know what’s possible before anyone else does.”
Your COO’s role isn’t to slow you down.
It’s to translate your pace — into something executable, sustainable, and safe for the team and for your business.
When the COO role is empowered, your impatience becomes:
clarity
direction
momentum
expansion
Not chaos.
Reflection Prompts for Visionaries
Where am I expecting everyone to move at the speed of my mind?
Where am I confusing operational protection with resistance?
Where could I trust the COO role more fully to carry the load I’m not meant to hold?
What creativity or momentum would unlock if I stopped trying to execute alone?
Wrapping Up: Speed Needs Structure — and Structure Needs Vision
Visionaries create direction.
COOs create movement.
Visionary speed is the spark.
COO structure is the engine.
And when both roles operate in their strengths, the business moves faster and steadier — with clarity, alignment, and far less friction.
Because the truth is simple:
The COO role doesn’t slow you down — it makes your speed possible.
Want operational partnership that supports your speed instead of stalling it?
Let’s explore what empowering the COO role could look like in your business.
Stay tuned for more real-world lessons on leadership, operational clarity, and purposeful growth in the next installment of Diary of a Leader. Because leading teams and managing projects isn’t about doing it all. It’s about focusing on what matters most—and doing it with intention, rhythm, and excellence.
