Over the years, I’ve worked with many business owners who’ve read Traction or watched a few EOS videos and thought, “We can do this ourselves.” They get their team together, start setting Rocks, hold meetings, build a Scorecard – & for a while, things feel exciting.
But a few months in, something starts to feel off. The team gets busy, but progress stalls. Meetings feel repetitive. Everyone’s working hard, yet the results don’t seem to match the effort.
That’s when the lightbulb usually goes on.
A while back, I was in a 90-minute session with a self-implementing client who’d been running EOS for about a year. Their Strategic Coach looked across the room and said, “You’re not implementing EOS – you’re self-inflicting it.”
It was spot on.
And it’s something I see often. Teams start out trying to self-implement EOS with the best of intentions, but they end up making it harder on themselves. They cherry-pick the parts they like, skip the parts that feel uncomfortable, & then wonder why they’re not getting traction.
When Self-Implementing Turns Into Self-Inflicting
Self-implementing isn’t bad in itself. In fact, for some teams, it’s a great way to get started. But the difference between self-implementing & self-inflicting is huge.
Self-implementing means you’re following the process with discipline & consistency.
Self-inflicting means you’re trying to run EOS without structure, accountability, or outside perspective – & it often ends up creating more frustration than freedom.
It’s a bit like trying to service your own car while driving it. You might get somewhere, but it’s going to be messy, slow, & risky.
Signs You Might Be Self-Inflicting EOS
Here are some of the most common ways I see businesses slip into self-infliction mode.
1. Rocks Have Turned Into a To-Do List
Rocks are meant to be the 3–7 most important priorities that will move your business forward. But when Rocks start looking like a list of day-to-day tasks, you lose the focus & clarity that makes EOS powerful. You end up busy instead of productive.
2. Accountability Chart Without Real Accountability
Many businesses create a great-looking Accountability Chart – then stop there. They don’t clearly define who owns what or hold people truly accountable. Without clarity & ownership, execution slows & issues pile up.
3. The Scorecard Is Just a Numbers Report
The Scorecard is designed to help you see issues before they become problems. But too often, I see teams using it as a report rather than a decision-making tool. If you’re not acting on what the numbers are telling you, it’s just data – not traction.
4. Meetings Happen, But Nothing Changes
Level 10 Meetings are meant to help you stay focused, solve issues & build accountability. But if you’re running meetings without structure, skipping the IDS (Identify–Discuss–Solve) process, or filling the agenda with updates instead of real issues, your meetings start draining energy instead of creating it.
5. Vision Is Written, But Not Lived
I love seeing teams fill out their Vision/Traction Organizer (V/TO). But too often, it gets filed away & forgotten. Your Vision should guide your daily decisions. If your team can’t repeat your Core Focus or 10-Year Target, it’s not alive in your business.
6. Solving Long-Term Issues in Weekly Meetings
Weekly L10 meetings are for short-term problems. Big-picture strategic discussions belong in your Quarterly Planning session. If you’re trying to solve long-term issues every week, you’ll burn out fast & lose perspective.
7. To-Dos That Are Actually Rocks
If a task is big, complex or impactful, it’s not a to-do – it’s a Rock. When you overload your weekly to-do list with Rocks, it’s a sign you’re mixing up priorities. Save those big items for the next quarter & focus your weekly energy on short-term execution.
Why Partial EOS Doesn’t Work
EOS is designed as a complete system. Every part connects with the others. The Vision drives the People, the People drive the Data, the Data highlights the Issues, & so on.
When you skip parts of EOS, the system weakens. You might think you’re saving time, but you’re actually creating more work & confusion.
It’s like baking a cake & leaving out the eggs – it might look okay on the surface, but it won’t hold together when pressure hits.
Partial EOS leads to half results. The structure slips, accountability fades, issues repeat & frustration grows. It’s not that EOS doesn’t work – it’s that it’s not being fully implemented.
The Fix – Self-Implementer Day
If you’re self-implementing EOS & feeling stuck, you don’t have to give up. You might just need a reset.
That’s exactly why there’s a Self-Implementer Day. It’s a one-day session designed for leadership teams who are running EOS on their own but need help fine-tuning it.
Here’s what we’ll do together:
- Review your current EOS setup to see what’s working & what’s not
- Strengthen your Vision, Rocks, Scorecard & Meeting Pulse
- Address the gaps that are slowing you down
- Create a clear plan for better focus, discipline & accountability
Think of it like a pit stop – a chance to refuel, make adjustments & get your EOS engine running smoothly again.
Final Thought – Are You Implementing or Inflicting?
If you’ve started implementing EOS, you’ve already taken a huge step toward creating a stronger, more structured business. But if you’re not getting the results you expected, it might be time to pause & ask:
- Are we truly following the process?
- Are we living our Vision or just reading it once a year?
- Are we making EOS work for us – or are we making it harder than it needs to be?
EOS is simple, but it’s not easy. The good news is, you don’t have to do it alone.
Book your Self-Implementer Day & get your business back on track.