Perhaps I can understand how "the administration of business practices to create the highest level of efficiency possible within an organization" could not excite everyone. And maybe “leveraging the day to day activities of utilizing location, resources, personnel and process to produce products and provide services efficiently and cost-effectively” does not automatically ignite passion. But at its core, business operations is the function of ensuring that all business groups, units, departments -- whatever you call them -- are integrated into the guiding business plan.
Here's a description that, for me, puts it into perspective, and when you put it into perspective, that's when it gets good.
Operational leaders bridge the gap between high level strategic planning and tactical implementation. With one foot rooted firmly in planning and the other in process, they skillfully anticipate how the next great strategy can impact real day-to-day issues. On the floor they are facilitators, but in the boardroom they are translators.
It's about taking a bird’s eye view and noticing interconnections among all things -- marketing, HR, accounting, business units, the available resources, the CEO, the vision. It’s about effective collaboration. It marries the poetry of strategy and peasantry of the day-to-day. It's conducting a classically trained orchestra, or bringing together a jazz ensemble without allowing improvisation and artful discordant notes to become chaos. And it’s doing all of this while never allowing the melody of the strategic goal to get lost.
Now that's attractive. Right?
Right. :-)
ReplyDeleteWell done.