Ep. 531 - Watters International Realty COO Aldo Siciliano Shares How EOS Drives Remarkable Calm in Rapid Growth

Second in Command: The Chief Behind the Chief with Cameron Herold

In this episode of the Second in Command Podcast, guest host Sivana Brewer sits down with Aldo Siciliano, COO and President of Watters International Realty, a fast-scaling residential brokerage serving multiple Texas markets.

Aldo shares how Watters uses EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to create alignment, simplify decision-making, and support a fast-moving, marketing-driven business. He breaks down the real work of being an integrator, why adaptability matters more than expertise, and how to keep a visionary’s ideas grounded in reality without killing momentum.

They dig into hiring proven talent vs. emerging talent, managing burnout and stress in relationship-heavy industries, and knowing when a new tool is genuinely helpful versus just shiny. Aldo also talks about maintaining simplicity at scale, building systems that teams will actually use, and why emotional management is one of the hardest parts of leading in real estate.

This is a practical, honest, detail-rich episode for any COO navigating growth, complexity, and a CEO with a strong visionary engine.

Timestamped Highlights

[00:00] – What EOS really is and why it works for small to mid-size companies

[01:08] – Introducing Aldo: data-driven operator, people-first leader

[02:51] – Watters International Realty: multi-market residential brokerage across Texas

[03:52] – Aldo’s journey from VP of Marketing to COO & President

[05:17] – Why being a generalist (not a specialist) made him a stronger COO

[07:16] – What made Aldo want to work with CEO Chris, a “zero-to-one” visionary

[08:54] – How the CEO–COO decision-making dynamic works in real life

[10:08] – Why Aldo was chosen for the COO role: integration mindset + complement to the visionary

[10:33] – Why Watters implemented EOS and how it fit their bandwidth

[11:54] – The core pieces of EOS that actually move the needle

[13:36] – Small changes vs. big changes and why incremental improvements matter

[16:48] – SOPs, knowledge bases, and keeping documentation simple

[18:24] – Why Aldo uses Motion instead of Asana/ClickUp

[20:58] – The hidden cost of complex tools and the myth of “software will fix everything”

[22:56] – Lessons from failed system implementations and the danger of poor adoption

[24:29] – “Teach people how to think, not what to do” and how Aldo applies this

[28:09] – Coaching teams through burnout, stress, and emotional fatigue

[29:42] – The emotional load on sales leaders: “You’re in the attitude management business”

[31:25] – Why burnout often comes from the wrong people in the wrong seats

[33:01] – The importance of hiring experienced talent during scaling

[38:40] – Proven talent vs. emerging talent in fast-growth companies

[40:17] – The risk of a wrong sales leader: attrition, client loss, culture loss

[41:47] – Why individual impact shrinks as companies scale

[42:56] – Aldo’s next big initiative: new expansion strategy

[43:40] – Where to find Aldo online

Resources & Mentions

• EOS – Entrepreneurial Operating System

• Motion (project + time management)

• monday.com

• Salesforce

• Asana

• ClickUp

About the Guest

Aldo Siciliano is the COO and President of Watters International Realty, a multi-market Texas-based residential brokerage. Known for his blend of analytical thinking and empathetic leadership, Aldo specializes in building systems that scale simply, supporting sales teams, and translating vision into repeatable execution. He’s driven the rollout of EOS across the company and plays a key role in Watters’ expansion strategy.

🔗 LinkedIn

About the Co-Host

Sivana Brewer is a Fractional COO for Remote Teams and former COO at Closers.io, where she helped scale the company to multiple eight figures and built over 500+ sales teams in just 2.5 years. She specializes in leadership development, remote operations, and systems that empower teams to grow sustainably.

🔗 Connect with Sivana on LinkedIn

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The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold and co-hosted by Sivana Brewer. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.