May 15, 2025 • 13 mins
Is your team constantly spinning its wheels? Do you find yourself answering the same questions over and over again?
In this episode, Tonya D. Harrison uncovers a simple but powerful shift that could transform how your team works: Standard Operating Procedures. SOPs aren’t just for massive companies – they’re one of the most underrated tools for clarity, consistency, and scaling with confidence.
Tune in to learn how the smartest leaders use SOPs to remove guesswork, boost accountability, and free up time to focus on what really matters.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 0 (00:10):
Hello and welcome back to the Leveraging
Operations in Leadership podcast, the show where we break down
the systems, strategies andleadership insights you need to
build a team that doesn't justget by but actually thrives.
I'm your host, tanya D Harrison, an operations and leadership
(00:31):
consultant, and today we arediving into a foundational yet
often overlooked topic standardoperating procedures, or SOPs
and we're going to talk aboutwhy they are a non-negotiable if
you're serious about building ahigh performing team.
(00:52):
Whether you are just startingto grow your team or managing
one that is already in motion,what I'll share today will help
you lead more with more clarity,consistency and confidence.
Let's get into it.
First things first.
I want to start off by bustinga myth and I have heard this so
(01:15):
many times before, and thequestion is aren't SOPs just for
large organizations?
The answer is no, that's a myth.
They're not just for bigcorporations or government
entities.
They are essential tools forany organization, especially
(01:36):
small businesses and growingteams.
They do two things that everyleader should value.
Number one they protect yourtime, and we already know that
time is a valued resource.
Number two, they multiply yourleadership.
Think about it Every timesomeone comes to you and ask you
(01:59):
how to do something.
They're taken away, they'remaking a withdrawal from your
leadership bank.
Sops put those answers inwriting.
They free up your brain andyour time for higher level
decisions, and they empower yourteam to be more proactive
(02:20):
instead of dependent on you.
Now let's talk about what SOPsreally do for your team.
Okay, so they are extremelycritical to high performing
teams, and I want to break thisdown for you.
Number one they set thestandard.
It's important to understandthe qualities and the needs of
(02:43):
high performing teams, and highperforming teams want to do
great work, but they can't hit amoving target.
They need something that isdefined and they need to know
what great looks like, and oneof the easiest ways to do this
is by documenting your processesstep by step.
Number two they eliminateconfusion and reduce friction.
(03:07):
When everyone follows the sameprocess, there's less second
guessing, people doing what theywant to do, fewer mistakes and
less room for misinterpretation.
Now we're consistent.
We're consistently providing ahigh quality output.
Number three they makeonboarding faster and smoother.
(03:30):
Here's where you start to buyback your time as well.
Every time you bring on a newteam member, sops reduce the
ramp up time.
You're not starting fromscratch, you're plugging into a
system that already works.
It's already in play.
It's a plug and play.
Number four they increaseaccountability.
(03:51):
It's hard to measureperformance when there's no
agreed upon process.
Sops give you and your team aclear point of reference.
Clear point of reference.
We're all on the same page andit makes having tough
conversations a whole lot easier.
They also support scalability.
(04:12):
A team can't scale on hustlealone.
If you want to grow withoutburning out or dropping the
balls, sops are the backbonesthat holds it all together.
It positions your team not onlyfor a more consistent output
and a higher quality of output,but it also positions your team
(04:34):
to be more productive and takeon additional responsibilities
if needed.
Now here's something that SOPsdo that I really don't believe a
lot of leaders understand thevalue of this.
So many times we think thatsomething that's going on in our
department or with our team isa people problem, but it's not
(04:59):
always a people problem.
So here's the real truth.
When your team is inconsistentor quality drops or you feel
like you have to micromanage inorder to yield quality results,
it may look like a peopleproblem, but it's usually a
(05:20):
process problem.
So sometimes a leadershipproblem is disguised, right, but
it's really an operations gap.
But here's the good news, right, when you identify that it's a
process problem, that's goodnews.
Processes can be designed, theycan be improved, they can be
(05:42):
documented.
It's not as heavy of a lift.
So SOPs are a leadership tool.
It's not this admin mundanetask that a lot of people think
of it.
It is a leadership tool.
It's actually like your littlesidekick, right?
They reflect your vision, yourvalues and your expectations in
(06:03):
a way that your team can act onday after day after day.
Even as you restructure yourteam, you may have some people
that get promoted and leave, andpeople get promoted into the
team or within the team andleave, and people get promoted
into the team or within the team.
These SOPs can support all ofthat, and one of the bonus
things that SOPs does and I knowwe don't like to talk about
(06:26):
this, right, we don't alwaysmeasure, but it absolutely
matters is how your team feels.
They make your team feel moreproductive Because, see, here's
the thing Even though they makeyour team more accountable, high
performing teams likeaccountability.
They like to take accountabilitywhen your team knows exactly
(07:01):
what's expected, where to findthe information they need and
how to get the work done withoutroadblocks, without bottlenecks
, without waiting for you tocome out of a meeting.
They feel more competent, morefocused and more in control of
their day.
That sense of clarity fuelsmomentum, and momentum fuels
morale.
Now you have a more engagedteam, so when SOPs are in place,
your team members spend lesstime asking repetitive questions
(07:25):
and redoing work.
Not only have you bought backsome of your time, you've bought
back some of their time.
They're not waiting on you toanswer questions, respond to
emails, waiting on you to comeback from a meeting, trying to
catch you in between meetings,or waiting on a Slack message to
move forward.
They're being more productivebecause they're actually getting
(07:45):
things done.
They're not embarrassed bypreventable errors or unclear
processes, because the truth ofthe matter is high performing
teams.
They like high quality and theycan end the day knowing that
they made real progress.
You can end the day knowingthat they made real progress and
that's motivating for everyone.
(08:07):
So, in short, sops create awork environment that feels
smoother, lighter and rewarding.
And remember, productivityisn't just about output, it's
about emotional energy as well,and when people feel productive,
they show up stronger the nextday.
(08:27):
Now I know I'm talking a lotabout SOPs, right?
So your question may be wheredo I start?
Or how do I start?
This seems, or sounds, like aheavy lift, and it's not that
it's a heavy lift.
It's an extremely importantlift.
Here's what I recommend Twodifferent versions.
Right One if you have noprocesses at all, here's where
(08:50):
you start.
You're going to document all ofthe processes that you need for
your department, and this isjust a brainstorm.
You're just going to do a braindump.
Here's all of the processesthat I need, right?
So it could be how you onboardclients, how you process a claim
(09:11):
if you're in healthcare, howyou publish content.
List out all of your processes.
Brain dump and get your teaminvolved.
This is a great time to getyour team involved.
Then you want to prioritizethose things, and you can
prioritize them in a lot ofdifferent ways.
Right, what's done morefrequently?
What causes the most confusion?
(09:33):
What puts your team at risk?
Things that are related todirect client output may take
priority.
How you interact with anotherdepartment those may be some low
hanging fruit, some things thatyou want to focus on, but
prioritize your list.
Once you prioritize your list,this is when you're going to
(09:54):
start documenting the steps.
Simple language.
Okay, step by step, you'regoing to document your process.
Once you document your process,you're going to give it to
someone to execute.
You want to make sure it is inalignment with what's actually
happening and if there'sadjustments that need to be made
(10:14):
, you can make those adjustmentsreal time.
Once you finalize them, you'regoing to have whoever needs to
sign off on them get them tosign off.
And then you're going to havewhoever needs to sign off on
them get them to sign off, andthen you're going to keep them
accessible.
You're going to put them in aplace where everyone that needs
access to them has access tothem, whether that's a shared
drive that you have for yourdepartment, whatever that looks
(10:37):
like, you're going to make themaccessible and you're going to
treat them like a livingdocument, one that grows, one
that evolves as your teammatures, and this is extremely
important.
So that's version number one.
You have nothing and you'restarting from ground zero.
The second version is for peoplewho have processes.
(10:59):
One of the things we find isthat sometimes people have
processes but they never go backand look at them.
They don't treat them likethey're a living document.
You want to go through and youwant to look at the list of
processes that you have andidentify if there's any gaps.
What are some of the thingsthat have come up in the last
couple of months that you findthat you don't have documented?
(11:20):
Now you're going to add thoseto the list.
Those are new processes thatneed to be created, but then
you're also going to go backthrough your processes.
Are they up to date?
Is the information in therestill relevant?
And then you're going to makeupdates as needed.
Keep in mind that your role as aleader is not just direct, but
(11:42):
to design.
You're going to design how workgets done.
You're going to design howsuccess is defined.
You're going to design howpeople show up and deliver, and
SOPs is one of the ways that youcould do that, and it helps you
to scale in a lot of ways interms of the productivity, the
amount of work that you put out,the amount of work that you put
(12:03):
out, the quality of work thatyou put out.
Sops help you do all of that.
That is the power of standardoperating procedures, and this
is why it is important that youintegrate operations with your
leadership.
Having a solid operations isgoing to support your leadership
(12:26):
journey.
All right, so that is it.
Thanks for tuning in to theLeveraging Operations and
Leadership podcast.
If this episode helped shiftyour mindset about SOPs, do me a
favor.
Share it with another leaderwho's growing a team.
And if you want help buildingsimple strategic SOPs, do me a
favor.
Share it with another leaderwho's growing a team.
And if you want help buildingsimple strategic SOPs that
(12:47):
support your team's performance,head over to signalpartnerscom
to connect with me.
You can request a meeting andthen we can get started on your
next project.
Until next time, lead well,design smart and keep building
that powerhouse team.
Hello and welcome back to the Leveraging
Operations in Leadership podcast, the show where we break down
the systems, strategies andleadership insights you need to
build a team that doesn't justget by but actually thrives.
I'm your host, tanya D Harrison, an operations and leadership
(00:31):
consultant, and today we arediving into a foundational yet
often overlooked topic standardoperating procedures, or SOPs
and we're going to talk aboutwhy they are a non-negotiable if
you're serious about building ahigh performing team.
(00:52):
Whether you are just startingto grow your team or managing
one that is already in motion,what I'll share today will help
you lead more with more clarity,consistency and confidence.
Let's get into it.
First things first.
I want to start off by bustinga myth and I have heard this so
(01:15):
many times before, and thequestion is aren't SOPs just for
large organizations?
The answer is no, that's a myth.
They're not just for bigcorporations or government
entities.
They are essential tools forany organization, especially
(01:36):
small businesses and growingteams.
They do two things that everyleader should value.
Number one they protect yourtime, and we already know that
time is a valued resource.
Number two, they multiply yourleadership.
Think about it Every timesomeone comes to you and ask you
(01:59):
how to do something.
They're taken away, they'remaking a withdrawal from your
leadership bank.
Sops put those answers inwriting.
They free up your brain andyour time for higher level
decisions, and they empower yourteam to be more proactive
(02:20):
instead of dependent on you.
Now let's talk about what SOPsreally do for your team.
Okay, so they are extremelycritical to high performing
teams, and I want to break thisdown for you.
Number one they set thestandard.
It's important to understandthe qualities and the needs of
(02:43):
high performing teams, and highperforming teams want to do
great work, but they can't hit amoving target.
They need something that isdefined and they need to know
what great looks like, and oneof the easiest ways to do this
is by documenting your processesstep by step.
Number two they eliminateconfusion and reduce friction.
(03:07):
When everyone follows the sameprocess, there's less second
guessing, people doing what theywant to do, fewer mistakes and
less room for misinterpretation.
Now we're consistent.
We're consistently providing ahigh quality output.
Number three they makeonboarding faster and smoother.
(03:30):
Here's where you start to buyback your time as well.
Every time you bring on a newteam member, sops reduce the
ramp up time.
You're not starting fromscratch, you're plugging into a
system that already works.
It's already in play.
It's a plug and play.
Number four they increaseaccountability.
(03:51):
It's hard to measureperformance when there's no
agreed upon process.
Sops give you and your team aclear point of reference.
Clear point of reference.
We're all on the same page andit makes having tough
conversations a whole lot easier.
They also support scalability.
(04:12):
A team can't scale on hustlealone.
If you want to grow withoutburning out or dropping the
balls, sops are the backbonesthat holds it all together.
It positions your team not onlyfor a more consistent output
and a higher quality of output,but it also positions your team
(04:34):
to be more productive and takeon additional responsibilities
if needed.
Now here's something that SOPsdo that I really don't believe a
lot of leaders understand thevalue of this.
So many times we think thatsomething that's going on in our
department or with our team isa people problem, but it's not
(04:59):
always a people problem.
So here's the real truth.
When your team is inconsistentor quality drops or you feel
like you have to micromanage inorder to yield quality results,
it may look like a peopleproblem, but it's usually a
(05:20):
process problem.
So sometimes a leadershipproblem is disguised, right, but
it's really an operations gap.
But here's the good news, right, when you identify that it's a
process problem, that's goodnews.
Processes can be designed, theycan be improved, they can be
(05:42):
documented.
It's not as heavy of a lift.
So SOPs are a leadership tool.
It's not this admin mundanetask that a lot of people think
of it.
It is a leadership tool.
It's actually like your littlesidekick, right?
They reflect your vision, yourvalues and your expectations in
(06:03):
a way that your team can act onday after day after day.
Even as you restructure yourteam, you may have some people
that get promoted and leave, andpeople get promoted into the
team or within the team andleave, and people get promoted
into the team or within the team.
These SOPs can support all ofthat, and one of the bonus
things that SOPs does and I knowwe don't like to talk about
(06:26):
this, right, we don't alwaysmeasure, but it absolutely
matters is how your team feels.
They make your team feel moreproductive Because, see, here's
the thing Even though they makeyour team more accountable, high
performing teams likeaccountability.
They like to take accountabilitywhen your team knows exactly
(07:01):
what's expected, where to findthe information they need and
how to get the work done withoutroadblocks, without bottlenecks
, without waiting for you tocome out of a meeting.
They feel more competent, morefocused and more in control of
their day.
That sense of clarity fuelsmomentum, and momentum fuels
morale.
Now you have a more engagedteam, so when SOPs are in place,
your team members spend lesstime asking repetitive questions
(07:25):
and redoing work.
Not only have you bought backsome of your time, you've bought
back some of their time.
They're not waiting on you toanswer questions, respond to
emails, waiting on you to comeback from a meeting, trying to
catch you in between meetings,or waiting on a Slack message to
move forward.
They're being more productivebecause they're actually getting
(07:45):
things done.
They're not embarrassed bypreventable errors or unclear
processes, because the truth ofthe matter is high performing
teams.
They like high quality and theycan end the day knowing that
they made real progress.
You can end the day knowingthat they made real progress and
that's motivating for everyone.
(08:07):
So, in short, sops create awork environment that feels
smoother, lighter and rewarding.
And remember, productivityisn't just about output, it's
about emotional energy as well,and when people feel productive,
they show up stronger the nextday.
(08:27):
Now I know I'm talking a lotabout SOPs, right?
So your question may be wheredo I start?
Or how do I start?
This seems, or sounds, like aheavy lift, and it's not that
it's a heavy lift.
It's an extremely importantlift.
Here's what I recommend Twodifferent versions.
Right One if you have noprocesses at all, here's where
(08:50):
you start.
You're going to document all ofthe processes that you need for
your department, and this isjust a brainstorm.
You're just going to do a braindump.
Here's all of the processesthat I need, right?
So it could be how you onboardclients, how you process a claim
(09:11):
if you're in healthcare, howyou publish content.
List out all of your processes.
Brain dump and get your teaminvolved.
This is a great time to getyour team involved.
Then you want to prioritizethose things, and you can
prioritize them in a lot ofdifferent ways.
Right, what's done morefrequently?
What causes the most confusion?
(09:33):
What puts your team at risk?
Things that are related todirect client output may take
priority.
How you interact with anotherdepartment those may be some low
hanging fruit, some things thatyou want to focus on, but
prioritize your list.
Once you prioritize your list,this is when you're going to
(09:54):
start documenting the steps.
Simple language.
Okay, step by step, you'regoing to document your process.
Once you document your process,you're going to give it to
someone to execute.
You want to make sure it is inalignment with what's actually
happening and if there'sadjustments that need to be made
(10:14):
, you can make those adjustmentsreal time.
Once you finalize them, you'regoing to have whoever needs to
sign off on them get them tosign off.
And then you're going to havewhoever needs to sign off on
them get them to sign off, andthen you're going to keep them
accessible.
You're going to put them in aplace where everyone that needs
access to them has access tothem, whether that's a shared
drive that you have for yourdepartment, whatever that looks
(10:37):
like, you're going to make themaccessible and you're going to
treat them like a livingdocument, one that grows, one
that evolves as your teammatures, and this is extremely
important.
So that's version number one.
You have nothing and you'restarting from ground zero.
The second version is for peoplewho have processes.
(10:59):
One of the things we find isthat sometimes people have
processes but they never go backand look at them.
They don't treat them likethey're a living document.
You want to go through and youwant to look at the list of
processes that you have andidentify if there's any gaps.
What are some of the thingsthat have come up in the last
couple of months that you findthat you don't have documented?
(11:20):
Now you're going to add thoseto the list.
Those are new processes thatneed to be created, but then
you're also going to go backthrough your processes.
Are they up to date?
Is the information in therestill relevant?
And then you're going to makeupdates as needed.
Keep in mind that your role as aleader is not just direct, but
(11:42):
to design.
You're going to design how workgets done.
You're going to design howsuccess is defined.
You're going to design howpeople show up and deliver, and
SOPs is one of the ways that youcould do that, and it helps you
to scale in a lot of ways interms of the productivity, the
amount of work that you put out,the amount of work that you put
(12:03):
out, the quality of work thatyou put out.
Sops help you do all of that.
That is the power of standardoperating procedures, and this
is why it is important that youintegrate operations with your
leadership.
Having a solid operations isgoing to support your leadership
(12:26):
journey.
All right, so that is it.
Thanks for tuning in to theLeveraging Operations and
Leadership podcast.
If this episode helped shiftyour mindset about SOPs, do me a
favor.
Share it with another leaderwho's growing a team.
And if you want help buildingsimple strategic SOPs, do me a
favor.
Share it with another leaderwho's growing a team.
And if you want help buildingsimple strategic SOPs that
(12:47):
support your team's performance,head over to signalpartnerscom
to connect with me.
You can request a meeting andthen we can get started on your
next project.
Until next time, lead well,design smart and keep building
that powerhouse team.
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