Why Your Office Manager Isn’t Your Operations Leader (and What to Do About It)

Different Challenges Demand Different Expertise

Office managers are indispensable to a growing business. They understand the complex internal processes behind the work you do. If you’re considering hiring an operations leader, your office manager may seem like a natural fit. But the truth is more complex. Mistaking administrative excellence and efficiency for strategic leadership pushes people out of their best-fit roles, and that keeps your business from thriving. 

Small businesses often rely on office managers to “fill in the gaps” when they don’t have a dedicated operations leader (and don’t have the budget to hire one full-time). But these are different roles with different scopes.They demand different skill sets. Office managers excel at managing daily office functions. Handling higher-level decision making, process improvement, business growth strategy, and execution, is a lot to add to their already-full plates. It’s no wonder slowdowns and friction happen. 

Office Manager vs. Operations Leader: What’s the Difference?

When comparing responsibilities, it’s clear office managers and operations leaders are considered different roles for a reason

Office Manager Responsibilities  Administrative coordination (scheduling, facilities, supplies, basic HR tasks) Ensuring day to day office functions run smoothly Handling employee needs and internal communications Managing vendor relationships for office related tasks/services

Operations Leader Responsibilities  Process improvement, workflow optimization, and business efficiency Overseeing cross-functional team coordination and execution Strategic planning and aligning operations with business goals Managing KPIs, budgets, and performance metrics Scaling systems and infrastructure to support growth

Misalignment Causes Problems

It may seem cost-effective and time-efficient to put a capable office manager into an operational leadership role. But this misalignment comes at a cost. I worked with a company where the office manager was tasked with implementing a new project management system. This task (which needed operational leadership skills) was misidentified as an administrative, organizational task. 

The office manager didn’t have working knowledge of the system, and lacked the leadership skills necessary to facilitate company-wide adoption of the tool. The result? A half-launched tool people were either lackluster about, unfamiliar with, or both. We had to re-onboard all employees to the tool to ensure they all understood how it worked and why it mattered. The office manager felt defeated, and the project management tool wasn’t used to its full potential for months.  

When business owners put office managers into operational leadership roles, they risk setbacks at every level, including:

• Burnout, Frustration, and Turnover: Office managers may feel overwhelmed and unsupported, so they struggle in their role.
• Poor Strategic Execution: Business owners expect high-level problem solving from someone without the right experience. Without an operations leader, decisions may not be made with a strategic vision in mind. That can lead to team and company-wide inefficiency, frustration, and confusion.
• Lack of Scalability: One person can only do so much. When they’re asked to take on responsibilities from two different roles, neither role will be able to grow and evolve as readily. 
• Bottlenecks and Stagnation: Processes get bogged down because office managers lack the authority or expertise to make operational change. The business stays in a cycle of reacting to and putting out fires instead of making vital systems changes.

Is it Time to Hire an Operations Leader?

If your business is growing, but internal processes feel scattered and chaotic, it’s time to start planning to add an operations leader (or fractional COO) to your team. More than likely, misalignment is happening at every level:

• Your CEO is constantly pulled into day-to-day operational issues instead of focusing on strategy (i.e. they’re too mired in the business to work on the business). 
• People and teams you know to be capable are struggling with execution because everyone is wearing way too many hats.
• Communication, collaboration, direction, and accountability seem to be breaking down – or running amok.

If this sounds familiar, an operations leader can help you cut through the noise and come out on top. If you’re unsure, check the numbers. You could be hitting a revenue ceiling thanks to operational inefficiencies that need restructuring. 

The Right Way to Structure Your Operations Team

Operations restructuring is often a critical step toward business growth and success. Your business can support and retain strong operations leadership by starting with a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities. Trusting them to follow through with strategic decision-making, process management, and organizational communications takes you much farther together than micromanaging. Invest in their development: give them the tools, resources, and contextual knowledge they need to get the job done. Through their leadership, you can expect more efficient workflows, improved accountability across teams, and greater scalability. 

Give Your Business a Boost

If your office manager is drowning in operational responsibilities, it’s time to reassess. The right operations leader helps streamline your business, improve execution, and set you up for long-term growth. For many organizations, a Fractional COO is an ideal solution, affording all the benefits of specialized expertise without the cost of hiring and retaining a full-time, in-house operations leader.

If your growing team is struggling, we’re here to help. Fraction Force Strategies can help assess your needs and provide temporary or long-term operational support to move your business forward. Ready to get started? Contact us today.