Traction first - Vision second
Posted on 20th December 2019 at 14:27
Before you start growing your business, you need to make sure everything is in place. Let’s find out more.
If you were building a house, the first thing you would do is dig the foundations. When you’re digging, you’re looking for solid ground to construct your home on. If you don’t find it, you need to dig deeper.
The same is true when you’re growing your business. Before you can start working to fulfil your ambitions, you need to have your foundations in place. You have to make sure your business is functioning in an optimal way. Only then can you execute on your growth plans.
In EOS, we call this ‘Traction first - Vision second’. Your Vision, your ideas for your business, can only become a reality once you have Traction; discipline and accountability in your leadership team, eventually spreading throughout your business.
In this article, we’ll look at the steps and tools for laying the foundations that are followed in the EOS Process on the Focus day before you can start to implement your vision.
Accountability Chart You can’t realise your vision alone; you need a talented team around you. You need people that buy into your core values for the business, but you also need them to have the right roles that match their skills. In EOS, we call this ‘Right People, Right Seats’. When you have the right people in the right seats on your leadership team, strengthen your foundations by designing a solid flow of accountability. Your people know what they are responsible for; they get it, want it and have the capacity to do it.
Rocks Once the accountability in your business is in place, discover the top priorities with your leadership team and call them Rocks. Rocks are your most important priorities for the next 90 days. With Rocks, you narrow your scope to the shortest possible time i.e. 90 days, which makes it more manageable and in line with how we deal with big tasks, after 90 days we tend to lose interest. We recommend you set between 3 and 7 Company Rocks for your team. You can also set the same number of Individual Rocks for your leadership team. All should be specific and measurable, focusing on what you absolutely need to get done in the next 90 days.
Meeting Pulse This tool helps you keep communications and issues clear. With a weekly Meeting Pulse, you ensure everything is in place and functioning well for the week. If you can get your business running smoothly on a week-by-week basis, the quarter takes care of itself. With Meeting Pulse, you use what we call a Level 10 Agenda. This keeps the meeting on track, focusing on what is essential. It eliminates those seemingly endless meetings where everyone talks and nothing gets done. Items you will focus on include your path to achieving your Rocks, accountability and smoking out Issues.
Scorecard When you measure it, you can manage it. Our final step for laying strong foundations is to measure the important things with a Scorecard. This will help you evaluate and make informed decisions - no more gut instinct. Items on your scorecard will be based on activity, with weekly goals, that lead to outcomes which are essential for keeping track of your business. Once you have your foundations set, it’s onwards to putting your Vision together. Remember, Vision without Traction is a hallucination.
Over to you
If any of this resonates with you, and your a business owner or a member of a leadership team that isn't working well let’s get together.
To find out if you have the right people in the right seats, or more about EOS, please contact me to schedule a free 90-Minute Meeting with your leadership team and an EOS Implementer. If this seems premature – we get it. We’re entrepreneurs, too.
Please know, this is NOT a high-pressure sales pitch. It’s just the simplest, best way for you and your team to connect with an EOS Implementer for a detailed overview of the system, the tools and the process.
There’s no charge for this meeting, and no obligation. It’s a valuable learning event that will answer all your questions and fully equip you and your team to decide how best to move forward with EOS (or not).
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