The Journey from Operations to Strategy: Lessons Learned

Written By Mahak Vedi

Making the leap from operations to strategy is a journey—a mindset shift that requires stepping back, seeing the big picture, and staying one step ahead.

But what's the real difference between keeping the machine running (operations) and deciding where the machine is headed (strategy)?

And more importantly, how do you make the leap?

From Tactics to Strategy

For years, I lived in the weeds—optimizing processes, ticking off task lists, putting out fires. Ops was my comfort zone. But then came that pivotal moment where I realized that fixing the broken faucet wasn’t enough. I needed to figure out how to redirect the entire plumbing system.

The first challenge? Thinking long-term. Operational folks (you probably know the feeling) love seeing immediate results. KPIs today, outcomes tomorrow. Strategic thinking, though, forces you to think in months or even years.

Instead of “How do we hit this quarter’s target?” the question shifts to “What do we need to build today to achieve sustainable growth in three years?” It’s a different set of muscles—you’ve got to exercise critical thinking, prediction, and big-picture problem-solving.

Lessons Learned

Here’s what changed the game for me—and what might help you, too, if you’re eyeing that shift from ops to strategy:

1. Zoom Out Before You Zoom In

It’s easy to get bogged down in the nitty-gritty, but strategy forces you to step back. Start thinking like an architect instead of a carpenter. Think like an architect designing a blueprint before construction begins. Step back to envision the overarching strategy, then focus on the details that bring it to life.

2. Data Is Your Best Friend (But Don’t Overstay the Party)

Operational folks love data—and rightly so. But if you want to switch to strategy, it’s not all about spreadsheets. It's about cutting through the noise, spotting trends, and distilling insights that drive decisions. TL;DR: Become a storyteller with your data.

3. Make Friends Across Departments

Strategy doesn't live in a vacuum. Everyone from sales to marketing to customer success has a seat at the table. If you want to think strategically, build a deep understanding of their needs and align them with your priorities.

4. Don’t Just Solve Problems. Find Opportunities.

Operations is often about fixing what’s broken. Strategy is about finding what’s missing. Its about asking "Whats next?" and taking out the time to figure it out. Identifying untapped markets or trends makes you invaluable.

5. Keep Asking ‘What’s Next?’

Strategic thinking is inherently forward-looking. It’s about asking “What’s next for our business? The market? Our competitors? Our team?” And yes, it’s OK if your answer is “We’ll figure it out!”. Asking the right questions is a good start!

For Those Making the Leap

If you’re an ops pro with big dreams of stepping into strategy, know this—you’re already halfway there.

Your operational expertise gives you the foundation for understanding how everything runs. Add that layer of big-picture thinking, and you become unstoppable.

The tangible next steps

Here’s where I would start:

  1. Take out a couple of hours every week. Even if its just one on a Friday to start

  2. Map out all of the projects you’re working on

  3. What is the long term impact of your project(s)? E.g. new revenue stream/improve NPS Score/process improvement

  4. THINK. No distractions. No outside input. What can you do to get to that long term goal faster or what else can you do to make your stakeholders’ lives easier?

  5. Communicate that information! Talk to your stakeholders and share your ideas.

Mahak Vedi