Implementer Posts
What’s the Plan?
The Importance of Planning Season As we enter planning season, when entrepreneurial optimism meets the pessimism of constrained resources and economic outlooks. Whether your planning takes the form of a 50-page document or a note on a holiday cocktail napkin, what matters most is that you have a plan. Why Planning Matters My clients often dedicate two days to align on 5-7 key goals for the year, a plan for the quarter, and to build team trust (a critical piece of the puzzle). This time isn’t about creating a detailed execution plan—that’s for your departments to tackle later. It’s about establishing a shared understanding of where the business is heading. Getting Everyone on Board Once you have a plan, you need to make sure it is shared by everyone in the company. As Lewis Carroll wisely said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you
Selfies and Roosters
Our “Little Gray” hen hatched out five peeps in late June. Unfortunately, one of them had a bad leg, and while she could hop around, she couldn’t roost. After about eight weeks, we had to move her on to greener pastures. Of the remaining youngsters, it appears we have at least three roosters. About four weeks ago, I headed up to the coop for the weekly cleaning, and I found one of those cockerels (young roosters) hanging out in the coop. I kicked him out so I could clean, and as he ran down the ramp, all the other chickens started chasing him and pecking at him. When I intervened, he was crammed up in the corner of the run. I picked him up and found that he was pecked raw and nearly lifeless. At this point, I decided he needed to be moved to the smaller coop just 20
CORE Values…NOT Platitudes on a Wall
Every business is shaped by its core values—principles that guide decisions and define its culture. In my past business, our five core values were: Family Before Work Go All In Crank It Up a Notch H.I.R.E. Character (Humility, Integrity, Respect, Ethics) Just Say It These values weren’t just words; they set the tone for how we operated. But living by them wasn’t always easy. One story stands out as a reminder of how important it is to stay true to what you stand for. The Story In my previous business, we had a team member, let’s call him George. George was highly skilled and had a tireless work ethic. He often stepped up for late-night, weekend, and any after-hours emergency jobs when no one else could. His contributions were deeply appreciated, and he was a reliable go-to in tough situations. However, George didn’t align with our Family Before Work value.
The Three P’s of Great Annual Planning
What’s the ideal setting for annual planning? The answer is, “It depends.” I’ve had clients fly to Arizona, book rural homes, visit a city or just stay at home. The key is to find a place that allows the team to disconnect and relax. Have fun activities readily available, whether this looks like entertainment with gourmet drinks or woods to hike through. Here are three tips to help you define the right PLACE:
Hire Slow, Fire Fast – A Hard Lesson from an EOS Implementer
The Cost of Waiting too Long: A Lesson from an EOS Implementer In over five years as an EOS Implementer, I’ve seen first-hand how having the right people in the right seats can make or break a company. I’ve worked with many clients where the same issue is raised again and again as to the fit of a person in a seat. Often, the end result is a termination, and I can safely say that I’ve never heard a team say they wish they’d waited longer—instead, the common refrain is, “Why didn’t we let go of them sooner?” A leadership team’s reluctance to make the tough decision to let go of an underperforming employee can have unexpected and costly consequences. Here’s a story about one of my clients who waited too long to fire the wrong person, and the painful lesson they learned as a result. The Warning Signs My
Look Ahead
Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, emphasized the power of having a clear vision for success: “You’ve got to visualize where you’re headed and be very clear about it.” When leadership teams share a clear vision, they become nearly unstoppable. Businesses using EOS® create a 3-Year Picture—a mental image of their future, including revenue, profit, and key metrics like production units. The leadership team brainstorms and develops a list of descriptors or qualities the business will have in three years. These qualities may include the number of right people in the right seats, following core processes, expanding locations, upgrading technology, products or service offerings, employee benefits, or enhancing company culture. After gathering ideas, they narrow them down to 10-20 key descriptors that are written clearly, and everyone agrees on. One person then reads these descriptions aloud in one long sentence, as the others envision their future with eyes closed – visualizing