Strategic Operations Executive | COO | Digital Transformation & Operational Excellence | Process Optimization | P&L Management | Healthcare & Higher Education

As a Strategic Operations Executive with nearly 18 years of proven success, I specialize in driving organizational transformation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth across healthcare, higher education, digital finance, and media. My career is defined by delivering measurable results, including $12M+ in annual cost savings, operational restructures that doubled productivity, and seamless M&A integrations that strengthened enterprise value.

I partner with executive leadership to align operations with corporate strategy, improve financial and operational performance, and build resilient organizations equipped for long-term success. My expertise spans process optimization, Lean Six Sigma, and enterprise-wide program management, where I now leverage AI-enabled tools to accelerate results. I have successfully scaled national operations, launched and sold multimillion-dollar businesses, and led diverse teams across multiple countries.

Recognized by Industry Era Magazine as a Top 10 Industry Leader, I bring a strong record of translating strategic vision into actionable results. With experience leading high-performing teams of 25+ across global markets, I focus on driving efficiency, advancing digital transformation, and building innovative solutions that deliver meaningful impact for organizations and their stakeholders.

Chris Muller

Most leadership models fail under pressure—because they weren’t built to hold it.
They assume the leader is stable. Clear. Trusted. But what if you’re not?

I build systems for that moment.

I'm a transformation strategist and author of Influence: The Sophia Model—a presence-based leadership model designed for complex environments where authority alone isn’t enough.

Sophia replaces compliance-driven change with replicable emotional infrastructure:  
Credibility. Clarity. Command. 
Not as traits—but as pressure-tested influence states.

I’ve developed:
- Diagnostic tools like the Triangle Influence Assessment and Sophia Mood Compass
- Field guides that apply presence-based leadership inside Agile and OD ecosystems
- Scholar-practitioner studies exploring fractal presence and emotional traction
- A strategic publishing model that turns research into real-world traction

I coach selectively. I publish deliberately. I build tools for leaders who don’t flinch.

Currently focused on:
- Publishing The Sophia Influence and related diagnostic tools  
- Running field pilots and publishing practitioner-academic hybrids  
- Partnering with transformation leaders building emotionally grounded systems

Who I work with:
- OD professionals bringing theory to the field  
- Agile and transformation leaders navigating influence breakdowns  
- Executives and educators shaping next-generation leadership models

Follow for sharp, pressure-tested leadership strategy.  
Subscribe if you want the research behind the model.  
Message me if you're building what comes after frameworks.

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The Battle

Chris Muller

Markus Leonard

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