Find Your Starting Point Riley Operating Partners 5 Find Your Starting Point "*" indicates required fields Step 1 of 10 - Find Your Starting Point 10% As organizations grow, the source of operational strain is not always obvious. Competing priorities and overlapping problems can make it difficult to determine what needs attention first. Answer a few questions to help identify the path most likely to create the greatest impact and strongest return for your organization. Q1. Strategic ClarityHow clear are you on what needs the most attention in your organization over the next 6–12 months?* Very clear — our priorities are defined, and we know what matters most. We know where we want to go, but the path forward is not fully clear. Several priorities are competing for attention, and it is difficult to determine what should come first. Day-to-day demands keep pulling attention away from the priorities that should be moving the organization forward. We know something needs to change, but we are not yet clear on where focused attention will have the greatest impact. Q2. Current Operational LeadershipWho has clear ownership of operational leadership across the organization today?* A senior leader has the authority, capacity, and accountability to move priorities across functions. Responsibility is shared across several leaders, but coordination, decisions, or follow-through are inconsistent. The owner, CEO, or another executive is still carrying much of the cross-functional operational work. Important priorities move between people without one leader clearly responsible for driving them forward. The need is not organization-wide operational leadership — it is concentrated in a specific team, system, process, or function. Q3. Ability to Carry a Clear Plan ForwardIf the priorities were clear, does someone internally have the authority and capacity to turn them into coordinated action?* Yes — we have the leadership, capacity, and ownership in place to move the work forward. Probably — but ownership, accountability, or coordination would need to be stronger. Not consistently — too much would still fall back to the owner or senior leadership. No — no one is currently positioned to lead the work across functions and keep it moving. Q4. Where the Pressure Is Showing UpWhich of these best reflects where the greatest pressure is showing up right now?* Priorities are competing, decisions are stalling, or important work is losing momentum across the organization. Roles, accountability, communication, or team structure are creating friction. Systems, processes, reporting, technology, or back-office operations are creating recurring friction. The pressure is sitting primarily with me as a leader — too many decisions, competing demands, or a significant transition. Several of these are happening at once, and it is difficult to determine what should be addressed first. Q5. Operational Leadership CapacityWhich statement best describes the operational leadership capacity in the organization today?* We have strong leaders, but no one has the capacity to consistently connect priorities, decisions, and execution across functions. Growth or change has created more operational complexity than the current leadership team has capacity to absorb. We need stronger operating structure while someone also keeps current priorities and critical initiatives moving. We are not yet clear whether the real gap is strategy, structure, leadership capacity, or a combination of several issues. Q6. Team and Organizational StrainWhat is creating the most strain within the team or organizational structure?* Roles or responsibilities are unclear, overlapping, or leaving important gaps. Accountability or communication is inconsistent, and important work is slipping through the cracks. Hiring, onboarding, management, or training needs more consistency and structure. The organization has grown or changed, but roles, reporting lines, or team structure have not kept pace. Q7. Day-to-Day Operational FrictionWhere are day-to-day operations creating the most recurring friction?* Our systems or technology no longer fit the way the business actually operates. Processes are inconsistent, overly manual, or depend too heavily on knowledge held by a few people. Reporting or back-office functions lack the structure, visibility, or ownership needed to run reliably. A specific operational function keeps creating gaps because ownership, coordination, or ongoing support is unclear. Q8. Leadership Pressure and Decision SupportWhich of these best reflects what you are navigating as a leader right now?* I am carrying too many decisions and competing demands, and it is difficult to step back and think clearly. I am facing a high-stakes or complex decision and would benefit from an experienced outside perspective. I feel pulled in too many directions and need help sorting through priorities, trade-offs, and what deserves my attention. I am navigating a significant business, leadership, or personal transition and need a trusted, confidential place to work through what comes next. Quiz Complete - Submit to View ResultsYou have reached the end of the quiz. Please click Submit below in order to view your results and next steps.Result: Strategic Mapping™ (hidden) Strategic Mapping™ Result: Team & Organizational Support (hidden) Team & Organizational Support Result: Operational Infrastructure (hidden) Operational Infrastructure Result: Fractional COO Leadership (hidden) Fractional COO Leadership Result: Executive Coaching & Advisory (hidden) Executive Coaching & Advisory
