If it feels like you’re constantly overlooked while others with flashier titles or louder voices get the visibility, the recognition, and the higher rates, you’re not imagining it.
There’s a disconnect in the market.
And it’s costing brilliant Operational Leaders like you.
Here’s what’s happening…
Operational leaders are essential, but are not always seen that way.
The Disconnect Between Founders and Operations
Founders say they want clarity, accountability, and systems.
They say they want less chaos and more consistency.
They say they want someone who can lead the team, connect the dots, and drive results.
But when it comes time to make decisions, they tend to invest in what they can see: marketing, sales, visibility.
They treat operations like a luxury or an afterthought instead of a necessity.
Operations becomes the thing they appreciate...once it’s gone.
Not the thing they prioritize when (re)building.
So they bring you in late. Underpay for the value you provide. Or hire you for what you "do", not how you think.
It can be frustrating.
And if you're like most of the leaders I work with, you’ve tried to solve it by showing up stronger, working harder, and doing even more.
But that’s not the answer.
Closing the Gap Between What a Founder Wants and Actually Needs
The solution isn't to do more or prove your value. It’s to be seen differently.
The real shift is in how you’re positioned, not what you do.
- You’re already doing valuable work
- You're the one bringing structure to a founder’s vision
- You’re aligning the team to strategic goals
- You’re improving systems so the business scales without falling apart
However, when the founder relies on you to “get things done” or “take things off their plate” versus “own outcomes and results”...
The unfortunate reality is that you’re likely seen more as support.
As someone for the founder to delegate the things they don’t want to or have the time to do.
And that is regardless of your title or your depth of experience and expertise.
It shouldn’t happen, but we all know that it does…
You can probably feel it in your own roles, and I am sure you have seen it happen with others.
Your value can be interpreted through the lens of execution, not leadership.
And in a market that increasingly rewards visibility and perceived authority, and that is increasingly looking to AI for execution, that mismatch has big consequences.
Not just in how much you’re paid, but in how much you’re empowered to actually lead.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom.
What Needs to Shift to Be Seen as More Indispensable
Once you recognize the problem, you have an opportunity to address it.
This is where you change the narrative.
When you’re working with growth-stage businesses, especially those between $500K and $5M, founders are looking for someone who will take ownership of operations.
Ownership is the critical word there.
If you’re waiting to be invited into strategic conversations…
If you're hesitating to ask hard questions or influence decision-making…
If you're overdelivering in silence, hoping they’ll see your value…
You're reinforcing the idea that you’re an implementer, not a strategic leader.
Leading from within starts with leading differently.
It means showing up as the partner they say they’re looking for, and removing any barrier that prevents them from seeing you that way.
So, how do you do that in practice?
Stepping Into Strategic Leadership
The solution lies in how you’re seen.
Begin by owning the outcomes you deliver.
Turn deliverables into results.
When you report on a process improvement, tie it to revenue saved or growth unlocked.
Frame conversations around business impact, never just the completion of tasks.
Shape strategic conversations.
Schedule a monthly operations review where you share insights on bottlenecks, resource gaps, and growth opportunities.
Ask hard questions that reveal hidden risks.
Offer solutions that move the needle.
Build your authority through data.
Create a simple dashboard that tracks key metrics and KPIs that tie directly to the business’s goals.
Share it with the founder and other leaders so they see operations as the driver of performance.
Tell your story.
Gather case studies of how you’ve taken chaos and turned it into predictable results within the business.
Present those wins in team meetings or client updates.
When operations become the story that founders share, visibility and recognition follow.
Operational leaders who own outcomes, shape decisions, and tell the story of their impact become indispensable.
When you position yourself as a strategic partner rather than purely an implementation partner, founders invest in you earlier, value your insights more, and reward your leadership.
Get Support Making the Shift Into a More Strategic Operational Leader
If you want support with this shift, that’s where the Lean Scaling System comes in.
It’s the framework we certify operational leaders in to help them show up and be seen as strategic experts critical to a small business’s success and scale.
We believe the founders you work with shouldn’t be the only ones with a scalable, sustainable business. It’s time yours is too.
Learn more about getting certified here.
Join us for the Future of Operational Leadership workshop here.
by Crista Grasso
Crista Grasso is the Founder of the Strategic Ops Institute and the Lean Out Method, and host of the Lean Out Your Business Podcast. She specializes in training and certifying exceptional Operational Leaders to become Strategy + Operations Leaders (SOLs) and become experts at simplifying, streamlining, and sustainably scaling businesses.
