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Introduction · Operations and Leadership

Saša
Cibula

Portrait of Saša Cibula

Operations Leader · Author · Creator of Workplace Power

Saša Cibula is an operations leader, author, and creator of Workplace Power. His work brings together practical operating experience with original thinking on execution, organizational influence, and how people become more consequential inside complex organizations. This site presents the experience, ideas, and work that have shaped that journey.

Leadership Experience

25 years across three industries. Regional and multi-site leadership with full P and L responsibility—grounded in strong management systems, clear accountability, and disciplined execution.

IPresent
200KPackages Processed / Day

Amazon

Operations Manager

Leads operational planning, labor allocation, and execution across a complex, high-volume logistics environment, with accountability for safety, people, quality, cost, and overall site performance. Develops leaders, strengthens operating discipline, and drives cross-functional improvements that improve consistency, efficiency, and execution.

Management Levers
  • Operating Cadence and Performance Control

    Leads a high-volume sort operation and 24/7 shipping dock with a combined workforce of up to 200 associates, using operating mechanisms, KPI visibility, and continuous improvement to drive safety, quality, labor, cost, and service performance.

  • Manager Accountability and Leader Development

    Leads through three levels of management by setting clear expectations, developing leaders, reinforcing ownership, and holding managers accountable for operating discipline, team performance, and results.

  • Standard Work and Cross-Functional Execution

    Drives consistent execution across sort and dock operations while leading projects, priorities, and process improvements with Safety, RME, IT, HR, and other support functions.

IIPrior
10%YoY Labor Savings

Aetna / Atalian

Regional Manager

Full P and L responsibility for a 20-location Kentucky portfolio with salaried management teams and approximately 300 employees. Led Operations, Sales, and Client Retention across the region, driving execution, financial discipline, and account performance. Built regional operating discipline connecting field execution, client expectations, and financial performance.

Management Levers
  • Multi-Site Operating Standardization

    Established consistent management routines, service standards, and performance expectations across a geographically distributed portfolio, contributing to a 10% year-over-year labor savings.

  • Resource and P and L Discipline

    Built the regional budget, executed the business plan, and owned full regional profit and loss, finishing 7% ahead of budget plan.

  • Client and Revenue Governance

    Aligned client expectations with field execution through structured account management and operating accountability, retaining and growing two multi-million-dollar accounts while securing a new million-dollar account.

IIIFoundation
$30MOperation Led

Kroger

Store Manager

“The retail floor was the proving ground — where every decision was visible, every standard measurable, and every leader accountable in real time.”

That environment taught me that strategy only matters when it survives contact with people, pressure, competing priorities, and the realities of daily execution.

Led a $30M, 24/7 retail operation with full P and L accountability across budgeting, labor planning, sales execution, inventory, and multi-department operations. Developed managers and frontline leaders while balancing customer experience, people, productivity, and financial performance in a high-volume environment.

Store Operations and Performance Control

Owned P and L and budget planning for a $30M operation, leading 24/7 execution across customer service, merchandising, inventory, and operating standards while consistently meeting or exceeding goals for labor, shrink, and profitability.

Labor Planning and Resource Allocation

Aligned labor, management coverage, and operating priorities with sales forecasts, customer demand, workload, and budget expectations to maintain consistent execution and service.

Manager Development and Accountability

Developed managers through clear expectations, delegation, coaching, and performance management; served on the salaried-manager hiring committee and trained newly promoted leaders to strengthen ownership for team performance, operational execution, and business results.

The Work Behind the Work

My career has taken me through logistics, facilities, retail, and operations — different environments that repeatedly expose the same management realities. Plans matter, but execution depends on people, relationships, systems, competing priorities, and the ability to influence beyond the limits of a job title.

Over time, I became increasingly interested in what separates managers who can move meaningful work forward from those who struggle despite having the right experience or plan. That question led me into Workplace Power, high-performing teams, and the challenge now facing modern operations: how humans and technology should work together.

My writing grew out of that experience. The books, frameworks, and work I do today are all part of the same pursuit: helping managers navigate organizations, build performance, and design stronger operating systems.

Operating Principles

Built Through
Experience

25 years leading complex operations, large teams, and P and L responsibility now inform his work on Workplace Power, management systems, and disciplined execution.

Education
MBA · PhD Candidate
Practice
25+ Years Leadership
Credentials
Lean Six Sigma · PMP
Focus
Management Systems · Execution · People
Principle 01

Disciplined execution is not speed — it is the repetition of correct decisions, made visible by sound systems.

Principle 02

Accountability is ownership made structural. Without it, performance is borrowed, not built.

Principle 03

Data informs judgment; it does not replace it. The leader's work is interpretation, not observation.

Principle 04

Systems outlast people. The measure of a leader is what continues to perform after they leave the room.