Podcast Summary: Second in Command with Cameron Herold
Episode 532 – Next Level Planning Group Managing Partner Richard Scheele: The Untold Secrets Behind Leading a Rapidly Growing Organization
Air Date: December 2, 2025
Guest: Richard Scheele, Managing Partner, Next Level Planning Group
Host: Savannah Brewer (for Cameron Herold)
Overview
This episode features Richard Scheele, Managing Partner at the Next Level Planning Group, in a candid discussion about leadership transformation, scaling rapidly, and evolving organizational structure. Scheele shares insights from his 13-year journey from intern to managing partner, the impactful role of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), and practical wisdom for aspiring leaders—especially those navigating growth, leadership transitions, and team clarity.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Background & Client Focus
[02:29]
- Next Level Planning Group is a comprehensive financial planning firm.
- Their core clients are business owners and top field experts at career inflection points, supercharging growth and wealth but needing expert guidance.
- Quote:
"The people that we serve are primarily business owners and people at the top of their fields... they realize these decisions are now much higher stakes."
— Richard [02:29]
2. Evolving Leadership Titles: Integrator to Managing Partner
[03:52][04:57]
- The firm initially used the EOS term "integrator" for Richard’s role but switched to "managing partner" to reflect actual responsibilities and better resonate with external stakeholders.
- Growth required clear leadership and more defined operational roles.
- Quote:
"We should probably change the title to reflect the actual responsibilities..."
— Richard [03:59]
3. Implementing EOS & Organizational Change
[05:07][10:16]
- EOS adoption in 2020 provided structure for role clarification and accountability.
- Transitioned partners out of department leadership to leverage their client skills, freeing them from operational management.
- Moved from a single visionary model to an executive committee, then back to appointing a new visionary with a focus on goal orientation rather than pure innovation.
- Quote:
"We could create more leverage in our firm by professionalizing the management responsibilities, rather than tacking it onto just a senior person's responsibilities."
— Richard [06:42] - The need for the right kind of “visionary” at different growth stages:
"The visionary is not just one person. We can figure out what kind of visionary do we need at any given point in time."
— Richard [10:09]
4. Defining the Managing Partner Role
[12:19][13:50]
- Three core responsibilities:
- Leadership, Management & Accountability (LMA) for department heads
- Strategic planning process
- Executing the annual operational plan
- Delegation, resource coordination, and ensuring departmental alignment are paramount.
- Quote:
"Whatever our priorities and projects initiatives are, coordinating the resources, getting our team the training... making sure we have the processes... to make sure that those things happen."
— Richard [13:36]
5. Clarifying Role Function and Outcomes
[15:01]
- The role’s clarity evolved through trial and error, identifying overlap, consolidating responsibilities, and continuous expectation management.
- Quote:
"It's shifted every year or two as we've gotten clear... just trying to make sure that expectations stay clear."
— Richard [15:56]
6. Understanding & Implementing EOS
[16:58][18:31]
- EOS explained as a comprehensive small business operating system.
- The team worked with a full-time EOS Implementer for three years, accelerating adoption through structured, facilitator-led sessions.
- Implementer’s value lies in process facilitation, not content expertise:
"The implementer role is really focused on the process and the system. She very rarely... said, 'this is what you should do.' It's more... let's use the tool."
— Richard [20:46]
7. When (and When Not) to Hire an EOS Implementer
[21:43]
- Advice: Hire an implementer if you need structure and discipline or tend to over-customize new systems.
- Host’s Reflection:
"Even if this is a big investment, how much time is it going to collapse versus dragging things out?" — Savannah [23:26]
8. Leadership, Management & Accountability (LMA) in Practice
[23:54]
- Leadership: Creating clarity, direction, sharing vision, and roles.
- Management: Ensuring goals are translated into daily/weekly/monthly efforts.
- Accountability: Monitoring outcomes, learnings, and adjustments.
- Quote:
"I think of leadership as creating clarity and direction... Management is helping them manage... and the accountability is... are we hitting them or are we not?"
— Richard [23:54]
9. Fostering Departmental Clarity & Team Collaboration
[25:31][27:40]
- Richard’s emphasis on cross-departmental awareness—balancing costs/benefits for interconnected decisions.
- The firm solves cross-team friction through facilitated problem-solving sessions, not role-swapping.
- Quote:
"My job is to say what's the cost of that change on the other end... and make sure that we're accounting for all of those."
— Richard [26:14]
10. Mentoring & Internal Growth
[29:13]
- Richard enjoys teaching and mentoring, leveraging his teaching background in weekly team training.
- He describes the organization as a continual learning environment with consistent problem-solving opportunities, aiding retention and development.
- Quote:
"I really like the technical pie and solving problems and putting puzzles together. And I've got that teacher mentality..."
— Richard [29:27]
11. Building Loyalty and Retention
[31:20]
- Keys to retention: Constant learning, trusting delegation, and opportunity for growth.
- Quote:
"I think our founder... is really good about being a delegator and trusting people with responsibility. And I think that just—it creates a desire to step into that."
— Richard [32:23]
12. Learning Networks: The COO Alliance
[33:06][35:07]
- Richard joined COO Alliance shortly after stepping into the “integrator” role, valuing peer support and collective learning.
- Imposter syndrome is widely shared among leaders at every stage.
- Host Quote:
"You're only an imposter if you don't have confidence because you don't have the track record yet... if you're stretching, you're always going to feel like that."
— Savannah [36:36]
13. Strategic Clarity & Process Innovation
[37:10]
- The company’s current focus: Deepening client relationships through content and streamlining strategic planning.
- Richard’s new definition for “strategic”: Decisions that inform or change other business decisions—not just important, but interconnected.
- Notable Concept:
"Something is strategic if it informs other decisions in the business... If making this decision is going to cause us to need to change other things, then it is a strategic decision."
— Richard [38:21] - Developed a playbook categorizing all strategy decisions for alignment and clarity.
14. Personal Excitement & Work-Life Balance
[41:24]
- Personal highlight: Family reunion in Appleton, WI; prioritizing meaningful connections outside work.
Memorable Quotes & Moments
-
On Giving Up Control:
"I love not having all these responsibilities. I love not having to be in all these meetings. I can just work with clients and help them..."
— Richard on partner feedback post-reorganization [07:33] -
On Imposter Syndrome:
"Raise your hand if you feel like an imposter in your role right now... everybody's hand went up."
— Savannah [35:52] -
On Role Evolution:
"I had none of that because I was a second employee. I grew with the company and my role was changing so often that I didn't even have my own scorecard."
— Savannah [13:50] -
On Company Growth:
"There were always opportunities to take on new things and grow. As my history has shown, I just kept moving through roles and responsibilities."
— Richard [32:06]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [02:29] – About Next Level Planning Group & core clients
- [03:52] – Leadership titles: Integrator vs. Managing Partner
- [05:07] – EOS implementation: Why and how
- [10:16] – Shifts in visionary leadership structure
- [12:19] – Breakdown of the Managing Partner role
- [16:58] – What is EOS? And implementation choices
- [18:31] – Working with an EOS Implementer
- [21:43] – Deciding to hire help vs. self-implementing
- [23:54] – Defining LMA (Leadership, Management, Accountability)
- [25:31] – Supporting department heads, fostering alignment
- [27:40] – Methods for cross-departmental empathy and collaboration
- [29:13] – Approach to mentoring/advisory training
- [31:20] – Building long-term team loyalty
- [33:06] – Role of COO Alliance and learning networks
- [37:10] – What Richard is excited about next in the business
- [41:24] – Personal excitement: Family and work-life
Conclusion
Richard Scheele’s journey from intern to managing partner is a real-time case study in adaptive leadership, continuous learning, and the strategic use of systems like EOS to manage rapid growth. His reflections—practical, honest, and often candid—provide inspiration and actionable insight for leaders at every level striving to professionalize management, foster internal clarity, and build lasting engagement.
Connect with Richard:
Email: richard.scheele@nlpg.com
Web: Visit Next Level Planning Group online