Melissa Sierra Launches the Operator's Intelligence Council

An application-only mastermind designed to restore strategic clarity for founders and executives building businesses that last

SCARSDALE, N.Y., Feb. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Melissa Sierra, leadership strategist and founder known for her work with growth-stage CEOs, today announced the launch of the Operator's Intelligence Council (OIC), a new private mastermind created for CEOs and C-suite leaders navigating complexity at scale.

Designed for companies generating between $500,000 and $10 million in revenue, the Operator's Intelligence Council addresses a growing set of challenges facing modern entrepreneurs. These include cognitive overload, strategic paralysis, founder bottleneck syndrome, and the widening leadership gap created by rapid advances in artificial intelligence.

Admission to the council is application-only, ensuring a high-caliber peer group grounded in discretion, intelligence, and long-term growth.

The Problems the Operator's Intelligence Council Solves

The Operator's Intelligence Council was created in response to a pattern Sierra has observed across growth-stage companies. Founders and executives are facing persistent cognitive overload driven by rapid advances in technology, fragmented media landscapes, shifting consumer trust, and economic uncertainty. Many leaders find themselves stuck in strategic paralysis, unsure which signals matter and which distractions to ignore. At the same time, growth has outpaced systems and delegation, leaving founders as the central bottleneck in their organizations. The result is not traditional burnout, but a quieter form of energy decay caused by sustained decision fatigue and isolation at the top.

"The problem is not burnout," said Melissa Sierra, founder of the Operator's Intelligence Council. "It's sustained decision fatigue combined with isolation at the top. Leaders do not need more content or better prompts. They need judgment, perspective, and space to think clearly."

Another tension the council is designed to address is the pressure to maintain constant visibility. Entrepreneurs are often told to be everywhere at once, yet doing so can dilute credibility, distort positioning, and pull leaders away from the work that actually moves the business forward. Compounding this challenge is what Sierra describes as the AI leadership gap. Leaders do not need more tools or tactical shortcuts. They need sound judgment about what to adopt, what to ignore, and how to guide human teams through accelerating change.

The Five Pillars of the Operator's Intelligence Council

The Operator's Intelligence Council is structured around five core pillars designed to support long-term leadership effectiveness:

• Strategic Signal Intelligence: Learning how to interpret markets, media, and AI trends without chasing every emerging idea or platform.
• Founder-to-Operator Evolution: Supporting the transition from chief doer to architect of the business through systems thinking, decision frameworks, and leadership leverage.
• Authority Without Noise: Building trust and influence without becoming trapped in constant content production or performative visibility.
• Human-Centered Leadership in an AI Era: Leading people effectively when
• technology evolves faster than culture and organizational norms.
• Energy, Identity, and Longevity: Maintaining clarity, personal power, and effectiveness for the long term rather than short-term acceleration.

A Rolling, Three-Phase Experience

The Operator's Intelligence Council operates on a rolling admission model, allowing leaders to apply when the timing is right for them. The experience unfolds in three phases.

The first phase consists of on-demand intelligence briefings covering topics such as the 2026 operating reality, AI as a force multiplier rather than a replacement, founder bottlenecks that cannot be outworked, the visibility trap, and the relationship between leadership capacity and business growth.

The second phase includes monthly live council sessions, featuring facilitated strategy conversations focused on real-world decision calibration with peers who face similar pressures.

The third phase provides private network access to a vetted group of operators committed to discretion, intelligence, and sustainable growth.

Who the Council Is For

The Operator's Intelligence Council is designed for leaders with $500,000 to $10 million or more in annual revenue whose values center on thoughtful growth, strategic clarity, and long-term impact. Admission is application-only to preserve the quality and integrity of the peer group.

Applications for the Operator's Intelligence Council are now open. To apply, click here.

Media Contact:
Name: Melissa Sierra
Company: Melissa Sierra Focal Point Coaching
Location:Scarsdale, NY
Email: msierra@focalpointcoaching.com
Phone: 845.536.2566

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