In 2024, a fast-growing professional services firm with a multi-region footprint entered a pivotal phase of growth as its founder transitioned into a more visionary leadership role. However, increasing operational demands, driven by a growing client base and expanding geographic reach, made it difficult for them to step away from day-to-day execution to focus on long-term strategy.

While the business had strong technical expertise and a loyal national client base, many staff leaders were newly appointed and lacked the structure and accountability needed to operate at full effectiveness. At the same time, the founder faced a familiar challenge: how to delegate operational responsibility without losing momentum or alignment.

To support this transition, the business engaged Vannin Chief of Staff to introduce greater structure, strengthen leadership capability, and help prepare for the eventual hire of a full-time operational leader.

Vannin Chief of Staff paired the client with Jamie Cole, an experienced fractional chief of staff who quickly embedded into the organization and became a trusted partner to the president and leadership team. Her work focused on building structure, strengthening leadership, and enabling a successful long-term transition.

Establishing Structure and Operating Rhythm

Jamie introduced a consistent leadership cadence across a geographically distributed team, including structured weekly meetings and clearer expectations around accountability. She helped create a shared language for performance and decision-making, bringing greater clarity and predictability to how the leadership team operated. This shift enabled the president to step back from daily execution and focus more on strategic priorities: “She helped me articulate a lot of the things that I had on my mind but didn’t know how to say… She was the right person for the job.”

Coaching and Developing the Leadership Team

Alongside structural improvements, Jamie played a key role in developing leadership capability across the organization. She supported the president in articulating expectations and provided ongoing coaching on communication, performance management, and team dynamics. This approach helped leaders build confidence in their roles while reinforcing a culture that balanced support with accountability, ultimately strengthening alignment across teams and regions.

Designing the Transition to a Full-Time Operator

A central focus of the engagement was preparing the organization for a full-time operational hire. Jamie supported this process from role definition through to onboarding. Once the new leader was in place, she led a structured transition, ensuring a clear transfer of knowledge, context, and operating practices. Her close collaboration with the incoming hire provided continuity and set them up to lead effectively within a multi-location, client-facing environment.

The engagement delivered meaningful impact, strengthening both day-to-day operations and the company’s long-term trajectory.

Successful Operational Transition

• The business successfully onboarded its first full-time COO through a structured and well-managed handover, ensuring continuity across teams and maintaining service quality for a national client base.

Stronger, More Aligned Leadership Team

• With clearer expectations and improved accountability, the leadership team became more confident and aligned. Collaboration improved across functions and locations, supported by a more consistent and intentional operating rhythm.

President Focused on Strategic Growth

• With operational responsibilities effectively delegated, the president gained the capacity to focus on higher-value strategic priorities, including growth initiatives and expansion opportunities.

Positioned for Scalable Growth

• The organization now operates with greater clarity, stronger leadership, and improved structure. With dedicated operational ownership in place, the business is well positioned to scale its services, support a growing client base, and expand into new markets.