The operating priorities - clear, focused reminders, developed over a career
The Operating Priorities
A set of guiding principles is necessary to achieve excellence. You might call them core values, us-statements or guiding principals, we call them operating priorities.
It’s the man, not the machine.
-B. General Chuck Yeager
There are no hidden agendas, no meetings after the meeting – just clarity and a common understanding of where we are and where we’re going.
A good plan, violently executed now is better than a perfect plan next week.
– General George Patton
Hope is wonderful, it has the power to lift us up, help us dream the unimaginable and endure the terrible – but it is not a plan. In other words, we do not wish our future into existence, we meticulously define goals, set tasks and relentlessly execute.
The target comes first – its in our name. Once we’ve defined our objective we then work backwards to define our roadmap to achieve our goals working towards today, our start point.
We tackle problems directly, without prejudice. We recognize that in order to solve problems we must work with each other and not against each other. Therefore, we fight the problem, not the person, at all times.
We have defined the objective, we have planed our roadmap and now we must understand the building blocks of the business and accurately measure them to ensure we’re moving in the right direction. Experience has taught us, if you want a specific outcome… start measuring it. As a result, people more often than not will give you the results you’re looking for.
We are data driven. Defined goals, accurately measured and confidently reviewed daily and weekly allow us to rapidly make decisions at the speed of business and stay action oriented. Therefore, while decisions are necessary, they are better with data.
Ed Hine, Managing Partner
- Founder, Line 5 Capital
- USMMA alum
- 4 years as an Operating Partner in PE executing a LMM buy-and-build strategy
- 3 platforms, 36 business units, >$30mm TEV
- 3 years in a boot-strapped startup with a strategic-buyer exit
- HAZON Solutions, acquired by PrecisionHawk
- 12 years in the US Navy
- 8 flying F-18s (Goose, not Mav)
- 4 coordinating air strikes for Navy SEALs
- Father of 3, husband, outdoor cooking enthusiast, part time flag football coach and develolper of the operating priorities
Origin of the Operating Priorities
The operating priorities are borrowed or developed from a wide range of sources. The Special Operation Forces Truths (or SOF Truths) are a major influece, as are the leaders and peers Ed had the pleasure of working with over his career. Some of the operating priorities are sourced from time spent flying, some in operating small businesses. But all of the operating priorities are lessons learned over a career and valuable reminders of how to approach each and every day.
Our Name
The US military uses a complex process to provide close air support to ground forces. This process is centered around a communication method known simply as the 9-line. As the name implies, there are nine lines, the fifth is the Target – the supporting air assets goal. Line 5 Capital is and will remain goal oriented, the objective comes first.