Operational failures don't come out of nowhere. In this episode of Handled It, Joe Perkins and Brent Hillabrand sit down with Meredith Steinmeyer, Director of Fleet Services and Energy at Floor & Decor, to break down the three weak points quietly eroding performance in operations everywhere: handoffs, visibility gaps, and single points of failure. Meredith brings real-world perspective from scaling Floor & Decor from 149 to 270+ stores, managing over 3,000 material handling assets, and navigating everything from COVID disruptions to hydrogen infrastructure risks.

This conversation challenges the common assumption that operational breakdowns are unpredictable. The signals are almost always there. The problem is that leaders aren't in the field, the silos are too high, and by the time leadership feels the pain, the customer already has.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why handoffs don't break operations immediately — they quietly erode performance until the customer feels it

• How visibility gaps shift operations from controlled to reactive

• What single points of failure look like in people, systems, and equipment

• Why you can't justify preventing downtime if you can't quantify it

• How Floor & Decor uses pink reach trucks, monthly strategy cadences, and cross-functional pilots to stay ahead of failure

Your operation isn't broken — but it might be signaling. Learn how to build the visibility, accountability, and team connection that keeps failure from becoming a surprise.