Leveraging Operations in Leadership

Tonya D. Harrison
  • 5.0 (4)
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  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Leveraging Operations in Leadership is the podcast for values-driven leaders and business owners who are building small, growing teams. Hosted by Tonya D. Harrison, Founder of Cignal Partners and creator of the LeadOpx™ Framework, each episode explores how to lead with purpose and operate with precision — blending leadership development, team performance, and operational excellence into actionable insights. Whether you’re a business owner scaling your first team or a leader refining how your team operates, you’ll learn how to: Strengthen your leadership systems and decision-makingImprove team communication, accountability, and performanceBuild sustainable operations that reflect your values and support your vision Because great leadership starts with values — but it’s sustained through systems. Join us on this journey to elevate your leadership game and achieve outstanding results with your team.

  1. 1D AGO

    Why Being a Great Doer Can Make You a Struggling Leader

    Send us a text Many leaders struggle not because they lack skill or work ethic, but because they are still operating from a doer identity in a leadership role. In this episode, we explore why being great at execution can actually hold leaders back and how identity mismatch shows up as micromanagement, exhaustion, and stalled growth. This conversation is especially relevant for solo leaders preparing to hire and leaders already managing a team who feel like everything still depends on them. This episode challenges the idea that leadership means doing more and reframes leadership as designing clarity, workflows, and capacity so the work does not depend on you. You do not need to stop caring or lower your standards.  You need to stop being the center of execution. If this episode feels uncomfortably accurate, you are likely at a leadership transition point. 🎯 Next Step: Explore The Leadership Shift, a structured experience for leaders and solo business owners ready to move from doing everything themselves to building real leadership capacity. https://cignalpartners.com/theshift Ready to close the gap between goals and results? For a clear and consistent way to lead your business, download the free GAP Guide. Grab the download 👉🏾 https://go.cignalpartners.com/gap If this episode helped you: If this episode resonated, share it with a leader who needs it or leave a review to help more leaders find these conversations.

    13 min

  2. JAN 28

    You Do Not Need More Motivation You Need More Capacity

    Send us a text If you have been telling yourself to lock in, push harder, or be more disciplined, this episode is your reality check. The problem is not a lack of effort. It is that your capacity is maxed out.  In this episode, I break down what capacity actually is, how to recognize when it is tapped, and the simple redesigns that help leaders create space, reduce pressure, and build sustainable momentum. Ready to close the gap between goals and results? For a clear and consistent way to lead your business, download the free GAP Guide. Grab the download 👉🏾 https://go.cignalpartners.com/gap If this episode helped you: If this episode resonated, share it with a leader who needs it or leave a review to help more leaders find these conversations.

    17 min

  3. JAN 21

    Building a Solid Operational Foundation: The Leadership Work Most Businesses Skip

    Send us a text If your business feels heavier than it should, or progress slows the moment you step away, the issue usually isn’t motivation, talent, or effort—it’s your operational foundation. In this episode, I break down what it really means to build a solid operational foundation and why so many leaders struggle to grow without burning out. Operational foundations aren’t about tools or hustle. They’re about structure—the systems, clarity, and leadership habits that allow work to happen consistently without everything depending on you. I walk through the five core elements every leader must put in place to create stability, capacity, and sustainable growth—starting with capacity, because leadership cannot be built on exhaustion. Ready to close the gap between goals and results? For a clear and consistent way to lead your business, download the free GAP Guide. Grab the download 👉🏾 https://go.cignalpartners.com/gap If this episode helped you: If this episode resonated, share it with a leader who needs it or leave a review to help more leaders find these conversations.

    18 min

  4. JAN 14

    The Mindset Shifts Leaders Must Make to Go From Solo to Team

    Send us a text Stepping out of a solo role and into team leadership is one of the most challenging transitions a business owner or leader will make. It is not because hiring is hard. It is because leadership requires a different way of thinking once other people are involved. In this episode, I break down the core mindset shifts every leader must make to successfully move from doing everything themselves to leading a team that performs consistently and sustainably. These shifts are not about tactics or tools. They are about how you think about leadership, responsibility, and capacity. If you are preparing to hire, have recently hired, or already lead a small team but still feel overly involved in the day to day, this episode will help you see where the disconnect is and what needs to change. Key takeaway: You cannot lead a team with a solo operator mindset. If your thinking does not shift, your team never will. 1:1 leadership development and advisory experience, designed for real implementation, for business owners who want more capacity, stronger structure, and a clear path to bringing on support the right way. If that resonates, you can learn more at https://go.cignalpartners.com/leadershipshift Ready to close the gap between goals and results? For a clear and consistent way to lead your business, download the free GAP Guide. Grab the download 👉🏾 https://go.cignalpartners.com/gap If this episode helped you: If this episode resonated, share it with a leader who needs it or leave a review to help more leaders find these conversations.

    22 min

  5. JAN 7

    Stop, Start, Continue: A Leadership Reset Using the Core Pillars

    Send us a text Most leaders start the new year by setting goals. Strong leaders start by deciding what needs to stop. In this episode, I break down how I use the Stop, Start, Continue method as a leadership reset, not a reflection exercise, and how pairing it with defined Core Leadership Pillars creates clarity, focus, and real capacity before annual planning begins. This is a framework I’ve used year after year in my own leadership and with business owners and team leaders who want sustainable growth without burnout. 1:1 leadership development and advisory experience, designed for real implementation, for business owners who want more capacity, stronger structure, and a clear path to bringing on support the right way. If that resonates, you can learn more at https://go.cignalpartners.com/leadershipshift Ready to close the gap between goals and results? For a clear and consistent way to lead your business, download the free GAP Guide. Grab the download 👉🏾 https://go.cignalpartners.com/gap If this episode helped you: If this episode resonated, share it with a leader who needs it or leave a review to help more leaders find these conversations.

    24 min

  6. 12/24/2025

    Leadership Unfiltered: Stop Pushing Through Ask Better Questions Instead

    Send us a text In this Leadership Unfiltered episode, I’m talking about the power of asking better questions and why pushing through is not a leadership strategy. I’ve learned over years of leadership experience: the questions we ask determine whether we adapt to pressure or redesign what’s creating it. In this episode, I explore how survival questions keep leaders stuck in overwhelm and how reframing helps create clarity, capacity, and leadership that lasts. I also share why this matters even more for small business owners, especially when data shows that 72 percent of small business owners report feeling stressed about their business at least once a month. This conversation is for leaders who are tired of carrying everything and ready to lead in a way that protects their health, focus, and long-term capacity. Ready to close the gap between goals and results? For a clear and consistent way to lead your business, download the free GAP Guide. Grab the download 👉🏾 https://go.cignalpartners.com/gap If this episode helped you: If this episode resonated, share it with a leader who needs it or leave a review to help more leaders find these conversations.

    11 min

  7. 12/17/2025

    How Teams Build Capacity Without Hiring: Simpler Systems, Smarter Workflows

    Send us a text This is Part 2 of a two-part series on building capacity without hiring more people. In this episode, I shift the focus from leadership to team execution, breaking down how small teams increase their capacity by simplifying processes, clarifying ownership, and effectively utilizing automation and AI.  If your team is working hard but still feels stretched, overwhelmed, or stuck fixing the same issues over and over, this episode will help you identify where capacity is being lost and how to fix it through smarter systems.  The Leadership Shift helps leaders build capacity, simplify systems, and prepare their department or business for onboarding new team members. Learn more ➡️ https://go.cignalpartners.com/leadershipshift Ready to close the gap between goals and results? For a clear and consistent way to lead your business, download the free GAP Guide. Grab the download 👉🏾 https://go.cignalpartners.com/gap If this episode helped you: If this episode resonated, share it with a leader who needs it or leave a review to help more leaders find these conversations.

    18 min

  8. 12/10/2025

    Before You Hire: Leadership Shifts That Actually Create Capacity

    Send us a text This is Part 1 of a two-part series on building capacity without increasing headcount. In this episode, Tonya Harrison breaks down the leadership shifts that help small teams operate with more clarity and ease — before you think about hiring. If you're feeling stretched thin, overwhelmed by decisions, or unsure why your team can’t keep up, this episode shows you where capacity is really lost and how to rebuild it through stronger leadership systems. 1:1 leadership development and advisory experience, designed for real implementation, for business owners who want more capacity, stronger structure, and a clear path to bringing on support the right way. If that resonates, you can learn more at https://go.cignalpartners.com/leadershipshift Ready to close the gap between goals and results? For a clear and consistent way to lead your business, download the free GAP Guide. Grab the download 👉🏾 https://go.cignalpartners.com/gap If this episode helped you: If this episode resonated, share it with a leader who needs it or leave a review to help more leaders find these conversations.

    27 min
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About

Leveraging Operations in Leadership is the podcast for values-driven leaders and business owners who are building small, growing teams. Hosted by Tonya D. Harrison, Founder of Cignal Partners and creator of the LeadOpx™ Framework, each episode explores how to lead with purpose and operate with precision — blending leadership development, team performance, and operational excellence into actionable insights. Whether you’re a business owner scaling your first team or a leader refining how your team operates, you’ll learn how to: Strengthen your leadership systems and decision-makingImprove team communication, accountability, and performanceBuild sustainable operations that reflect your values and support your vision Because great leadership starts with values — but it’s sustained through systems. Join us on this journey to elevate your leadership game and achieve outstanding results with your team.

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