Podcast Summary: The Ops Experts Club Podcast

Episode 69: The Need for Speed: Balancing Growth and Team Success
Date: June 12, 2025
Hosts: Aaron and Taryn (The Collab Team)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Aaron and Taryn dive deep into the ever-present entrepreneurial desire for “speed” in growing and scaling businesses. Drawing on their experience working with high-level entrepreneurs and their teams, they dissect what realistic expectations around speed look like, how the rush to move quickly can inadvertently sow chaos, the role of culture and systems in sustainable growth, and best practices for onboarding and managing new hires. The conversation is filled with practical operations wisdom, real-life stories, and actionable guidance for founders and teams alike.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What "Speed" Really Means in Operations

• Defining Speed:
  Aaron kicks off by clarifying that “speed” is about the time from idea to execution, not rushing haphazardly or cutting corners ([03:06]).
• Entrepreneurial Pressure:
  Many visionaries expect new team members to be immediately productive, which often leads to burnout and high turnover.

"Entrepreneurs... are burning through teams, right, because they expect a pretty high level of performance and they, quite frankly, burn a lot of people out."
—Aaron ([01:52])

2. Systems and Foundations: The Prerequisite for Speed

• Lack of Systems Equals Chaos:
  Aaron draws a vivid analogy: Without clear pathways, even talented people are “blazing through the underbelly of the Amazon”—it’s slow, tough, and full of roadblocks.
  Teams need repeatable processes to maintain pace ([04:14]).
• Self-Made Traps:
  Many entrepreneurs started scrappy and now expect others to replicate their unique “whatever it takes” approach, often without giving them enough structure.

"You can't just expect people to follow a blind trail... once you've created it, you probably need to create a repeatable process...”
—Aaron ([04:39])

3. The Role of Company Culture in Retaining Speed and Talent

• Undercurrent of Negative Culture:
  Aaron compares undetected cultural problems to a “riptide” that drags teams down, even when surface actions look okay ([07:22]).
• Affirmation vs. Critique:
  Founders who only critique stifle team confidence and performance; affirmation and clarity are crucial for long-term results.

"Visionaries... are good at critiquing. It is very few I find that are good at affirming. So you’re gonna have insecure people, or people who aren't sure what winning looks like, and so there's frustration.”
—Aaron ([06:57])

4. Onboarding: The Key to Team Velocity

• Onboarding Process Criticality:
  Taryn and Aaron stress that new hires need clear, structured onboarding, including internal training and defined expectations ([08:38]).
• Why People Leave:
  Without organized onboarding, new hires feel lost, question whether they want to stay, and churn quicker.

“If you don’t have a good onboarding process, your new people are going to wander… and some people may be able to operate in that environment, and some people may just push eject and get out.”
—Aaron ([08:59])

5. The “Right Person, Right Seat” & The EOS Framework

• Get It, Want It, Capacity:
  Taryn outlines an EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) method for assessing if a team member is fit for a role—do they get it, do they want it, and do they have the capacity? ([10:13])
• Beyond Skills:
  Even with the right skillset, every new hire needs time to acclimate to company voice, culture, and product.

“If you put them through the rungs—right training, right process, all those things—and they start failing after that, then I think that you need to ask yourself, is this the right person?”
—Aaron ([11:59])

6. Investing in Talent vs. Trying to “Go Cheap”

• Cheap ≠ Fast or Effective:
  Aaron cautions listeners: High expectations paired with low investment (e.g., expecting leadership from low-cost VAs) is a recipe for disappointment ([13:14]).
• Scaling Talent:
  It's okay to hire someone junior and develop them into leadership, but recognize this is a longer journey.

“Either you want it done well, or you want it done cheap. But it’s really hard to do cheap well… if you want them to get to the goal quickly, have a quick path for them.”
—Aaron ([14:09])

7. Management, Clarity & Accountability Tools

• The Importance of Middle Management:
  Overseas hires or VAs need ongoing management and clear interpretation of requests ([15:39]).
• Visibility and Accountability:
  Use tools like ClickUp, Asana, or time tracking software to ensure expectations are visible and progress is transparent ([16:14]).
• Clear Ownership:
  Every task should be assigned to a specific person with a deadline.

"You can't jump on a call and throw a bunch of deliverables out there without pinning somebody down on it. And then really honing in on a time."
—Aaron ([18:12])

8. Meetings, Deliverables, and Grace

• Don’t Procrastinate To-Do’s:
  Schedule action items during meetings to avoid last-minute scrambles ([19:17]).
• Completion Standards:
  The EOS approach allows for 80% completion as a win—realistic expectations matter.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Boom shakalaka is right, Taryn... and we definitely are not talking about narcotics on this show, so."
  —Aaron ([03:06])
  [Humorous banter as they clarify the “need for speed.”]

• "It actually was pretty nominally successful. And then they show up at the Monday meeting only to be chastised... It's not a good environment. Everybody just feels defeated."
  —Aaron ([17:31])
  [Describing a common pitfall of post-project critiques without affirmation]

• "What I really love about EOS all the way through is there's some room for grace, right? It's like, hey, what we're expecting is at least 80% to done."
  —Aaron ([19:30])
  [Highlighting the importance of balancing high expectations with realism.]

Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment Description | |----------|---------------------------------------------------------| | 01:43 | Framing the episode: The need for speed in entrepreneurship, its realities, and effects on teams. | | 04:14 | Why systems are essential for scaling and speed. | | 06:18 | The unseen impact of company culture. | | 08:59 | The critical role of onboarding. | | 10:13 | EOS: “Right person, right seat” explained. | | 13:14 | The risks of “hiring cheap” for high expectation roles. | | 16:14 | Management, accountability, and process documentation. | | 18:12 | Assigning clear ownership and timelines for deliverables. | | 19:30 | Maintaining grace and realistic expectations (80% rule).|

Takeaways for Listeners

• Speed should be structured: Growth must be supported by repeatable systems and intentional culture.
• Onboard thoughtfully: A clear process helps new hires ramp faster and reduces churn.
• Don’t confuse cost savings for efficiency: Investment in talent—either by developing or hiring experienced people—pays off.
• Accountability breeds clarity: Assign owners, set deadlines, and use tools for visibility.
• Give grace, but set standards: Pace must be realistic, and consistent improvement is more important than perfection.

For operators and founders seeking sustainable growth, this episode is a must-listen, packed with behind-the-scenes operations wisdom, real-world cautions, and empowering examples.