[SOLO] 5 Operational Trends I’m Watching as We Head Into Q4

In this solo episode, Hilary Corna shares five operational trends she is seeing as organizations return from summer and prepare for Q4. She explains why teams often come back to too many competing priorities, how unresolved process issues begin to look like people problems, and why growing companies can outpace the systems they rely on.Hilary also discusses the risks of automating inefficient processes with AI, why companies should begin reflecting on the year before January, and the practical steps leaders can take now to finish the year with greater focus and a stronger operating system.TIMESTAMPS[00:50] Returning from vacation and preparing for Q4[02:09] Trend #1: Everyone is coming back to too much[02:45] Why prioritization matters more than moving faster[04:08] Trend #2: Process problems are starting to look like people problems[05:00] Questions to uncover the real source of operational friction[05:39] Trend #3: Growth has outpaced the company’s operating system[06:36] Identifying processes that haven’t kept up with growth[06:56] Trend #4: AI is exposing bad processes[07:52] Simplify before you automate[08:44] Trend #5: Learn from the year before January[09:29] Using PDCA to reflect, refine, and improve[10:27] Five actions leaders should take right now[10:59] Why doing a few things well beats trying to do everything[11:32] Closing + upcoming programs and resources