Five reasons to stop torturing yourself self-implementing EOS®
When I first read Gino Wickman’s Traction in 2014, I was immediately sold. At the time, I co-owned a successful 30-person branding firm, and the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS®) seemed like the perfect model to help the scale the business. I loved how it connected familiar concepts in a way that made them delightfully practical. And it seemed so simple.
I immediately set about self-implementing the system. It would be easy! As a natural Integrator with perfectionist (some might say fanatical) tendencies, I studied the books ad nauseum, watched Wickman’s videos, then rehearsed for our quarterly meetings. It was hard. And time consuming. And, well, kind of lonely.
After getting stuck on several intractable topics (employee reviews, departmental L10s, and especially the Visionary/Integrator relationship), I finally broke down and turned to the person who sent me Traction in the first place: Todd Smart, a certified EOS Implementer here in Chicago.
Todd immediately got what we needed—Same Page meetings and 5-5-5 reviews, for starters. He helped get the Issues List under control by improving our IDS-ing, and showed us how to find leading indicators that improved our company Scorecard. I started to actually enjoy our quarterly meetings as I got to participate fully vs. juggling the “facilitator” and “participant” hats. He was a sounding board when I wanted it, and a shoulder to lean on when I needed it.
Nearly two years later, I’m a full convert. I’m not an EOS Implementer—I’m just an Integrator who appreciates how much better it is to just hire one from the start. Here’s five reasons why:
It saves time, i.e. money.
Reading the books, rereading the books, studying, prepping, rehearsing—you’re burning hours you can’t spare. Implementers follow a process that is built to roll out EOS in an efficient manner that gets everyone on board.
An outside POV is gold.
An EOS Implementer asking the right questions can get you on the right path. She can also spot team dysfunction a mile away, and call out bad behavior without fear. You can’t see the label from inside the bottle.
Access the “secret” toolbox.
Ok, these may not be secret. But have you heard of the Offline Meeting Track™? How about the Assistance Track™ or Trust Builders™? Implementers get these fun tools during certification—and always know just the right tool for the occasion.
Going it alone is lonely.
Once I hired Todd, I had someone to bounce ideas off and who could point me in the right direction. He also had real world case studies and analogies to help through any confusion. (Plus, we could nerd it up about EOS together.)
Fast-acting, long-lasting relief.
The quarterly sessions were less stressful once I didn’t have to carry the full weight of facilitating; having Todd allowed me to be more fully engaged as a participant.
So if you’re serious about growth and your executive team is on board, stop torturing yourself and hire an EOS Implementer already. It doesn’t matter how many years of experience you have, an Implementer can lighten the load and get you back to what you do best.
Which, if you’re like me, probably isn’t rehearsing quarterly meetings.
