There’s a Tool for That
Tool (noun): “An instrument…used in performing a task necessary in the practice of a vocation.”
For most people, that definition may evoke the image of a carpenter using a hammer, a quilter using a needle and thread, or an electrician using a pair of needle-nose pliers. All simple and practical tools are used by people with varying levels of skill and experience to build, or fix, or create something.
Same Page Meeting™
If you have a Visionary/Integrator™ relationship, or you own or run a business along with one or more partners or co-owners – watch this three-minute video.
A SIMPLE QUESTION TO KEEP YOUR ORGANIZATION HEALTHY AND PRODUCTIVE
Two epidemics kill cultures: end runs and unresolved complaining. Both waste time and energy, and are ultimately toxic to the health and productivity of your company. Luckily, these epidemics can be cured by asking a simple, powerful question.
“Systemizing the Predictable” May Be the Key to Achieving Your Vision
One of my favorite Gino Wickman quotations describes the goal of strengthening the Process Component™ in an entrepreneurial company. According to Gino, you must “systemize the predictable so you can humanize the exceptional.”
Breaking that quotation down gets right to the heart of why strengthening the Process Component is so important, and why it’s different in an entrepreneurial company than it might be in a big corporation. If you’re implementing EOS® right now and you’ve been less than enthusiastic about strengthening the Process Component, I think it might also re-energize you.
No Apology Necessary
During a recent Annual Planning season, one of my clients was moved to tears while reflecting on the past year. He was recounting a “personal great,” and filled with pride for his daughter while sharing a few of her significant accomplishments. He struggled to finish the story, and ultimately needed to take a short break to compose himself. Throughout this touching, heartfelt moment, he kept apologizing to his team for being so emotional.
Are You Running in a Straight Line?
My high school cross-country coach, Chuck Lucas, was a legend. He and his teams won more than twenty league championships, countless district titles and two state titles – my senior year and the year following. There were lots of reasons “Coach Luke” was effective, but one was remarkable. He saw things other coaches never saw.
What the Heck is a Departmental Plan?
When helping an entrepreneurial leadership team clarify, simplify, and achieve its Vision, we use a tool called the V/TO™ (Vision/Traction Organizer™). This EOS Foundational Tool™ contains eight questions, and our job as EOS Implementers™ is to get every member of the leadership team to agree on every word of the answers to each of those questions.
When there’s weakness in the Vision component of your organization, it’s not that there’s no Vision. Often there’s too much Vision – you don’t all agree.
What Relationship Do You Have With Your Issues List?
After a full and productive Annual Season with my clients, I’m always left reflecting on some common themes. This year, what resonated most was the relationship between members of a leadership team and a company’s Issues List. That reflection led me to a question every leader should ask:
“What verb describes how I most frequently impact our company’s Issues List?”
Are You Tough Enough to Build a Strong Leadership Team?
If you’re truly committed to building a great company, you must begin by assembling a strong leadership team with a structure that will take your company where you want it to go, and by making sure that you place the right people in the right seats on your team.
A Great Week = A Great Scorecard
For many organizations and leaders, finding the right set of 5 to 15 leading indicators that provide an absolute pulse on the business (or the department) is a difficult challenge. Often it takes several months or longer to truly fall in love with your scorecard.
