9 Books & Tools That Helped Me Build Scalable Operations and Can Help You Too

When I stepped into the role of Chief Operating Officer at Greater Than One, I knew the business had potential—it just needed a structure that matched its ambition. What followed was a transformative journey: restructuring our teams, aligning operations to strategy, and building proprietary tools that ultimately helped make us an attractive acquisition for Real Chemistry.

That experience sparked something in me: a realization that too many small and mid-sized companies are ready to grow but lack the operational clarity to do it confidently. That’s why I launched Vision2Velocity—to help businesses build the kind of systems, teams, and structure that support real, scalable growth.

Along the way, I leaned on a few powerful resources—books, frameworks, and tools—that helped shape my thinking and execution. I’ve curated them here for founders, executives, and operational leaders looking to level up.

My Go-To Reading List for Operational Growth

1.   Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business

Author: Gino Wickman

Why I Recommend It: This book introduces the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), a foundational framework for aligning teams, setting priorities, and ensuring accountability; core components of any operational strategy. I reference many of the EOS concepts in my talk, particularly around leadership roles, scorecards, and quarterly goals. Traction gives you a repeatable structure to lead with clarity and discipline as you grow.

2.   Scale or Fail: How to Build Your Dream Team, Explode Your Growth, and Let Your Business Soar

Author: Allison Maslan

Why I Recommend It: This is one of the best books I’ve found for entrepreneurs ready to shift from scrappy survival mode to structured scale. It complements the section in my presentation where I talk about staffing models and leadership layers. Maslan emphasizes team structure, delegation, and systems; exactly what’s needed when operationalizing for long-term growth.

3.   Big Little Breakthroughs: How Small, Everyday Innovations Drive Oversized Results

Author: Josh Linkner

 Why I Recommend It: This book inspires innovation at all levels of an organization—not just at the top. When we talk about developing team autonomy and encouraging grassroots problem-solving, this book is a blueprint. It's especially relevant to the parts of the presentation focused on empowering people and building cultures that support change.

4.   Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know

Author: Adam Grant

Why I Recommend It: Operational growth requires the humility to challenge assumptions and pivot when needed. I don’t agree with every single takeaway in the book, but it sparked a few key shifts in how I think about leadership evolution. It reinforces the mindset shift I referenced during the “letting go to grow” section—when founders and leaders need to evolve, delegate, and trust new ways of working. It really challenged me to reflect on how often I cling to ‘the way we’ve always done it.’ That mindset shift has made me a better leader.

5.   The Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO

Author: Cameron Herold

Why I Recommend It: This book is invaluable for CEOs and founders seeking an operational partner—or for COOs learning to lead from the second chair. I reference this dynamic in the sections of my presentation about organizational clarity, role definition, and leadership alignment. It shows how to create real operational leverage through trust and structure. I wish I had this when I first stepped into a COO role—so many hard lessons I could’ve learned the easier way.

6.    Lead Well: 5 Powerful Mindsets to Elevate Your Leadership and Accelerate Your Impact

Author: Paula Davis

Why I Recommend It: This book blends leadership psychology with real-world tactics. I recommend it in connection to the “Right People, Right Seats” section, where mindset, resilience, and emotional intelligence are essential for leading high-growth teams. It’s a practical read for anyone managing through scale, stress, or team change.

7.   Harvard Business Review’s On Teams

Publisher: Harvard Business Review

Why I Recommend It: I included this to reinforce points made around team health, cross-functional collaboration, and accountability systems. It’s a compilation of powerful HBR articles that help build effective teams—a must as you scale structure and culture simultaneously.

8.   Harvard Business Review’s On Leadership

Publisher: Harvard Business Review

Why I Recommend It: A collection of some of the most important thinking on leadership, including Peter Drucker’s classic article. If you’re building or re-building a leadership team (as discussed in the growth stage strategy section), this is a high-value starting point.

9.   Pip Decks: Storyteller Tactics & Workshop Tactics

Creator: Pip Decks

 Why I Recommend It: These decks are lifesavers when I need to facilitate fast. They offer practical tools you can use immediately to facilitate better meetings, tell clearer stories, and get teams aligned fast. I used tactics from both decks to design the structure of this very presentation. They’re ideal for anyone running workshops, leading change, or communicating complex ideas simply.

Why This Matters

You don’t need to read all of these books at once. But you do need to surround yourself with frameworks and tools that help you think differently—more clearly, more structurally, and more courageously—about your business.

At Vision2Velocity, I use these ideas not as rigid frameworks, but as starting points to help you build your version of operational clarity and scalable growth.

Ready to Operationalize Your Vision?

If you're navigating growth, team structure, or even prepping for acquisition, let’s talk. These resources gave me momentum—but what you need is a custom roadmap. That’s what we build together at Vision2Velocity.

Let’s turn your vision into value—with velocity.