When I’m on the honored journey with my clients to “be their best,” I ask that very question from time to time in our EOS® Sessions. At first, it may be a rhetorical question, but over time, it must be answered. An extension of that question, one that I have been pondering recently, is, “How much are you willing to invest to be your best?” Many know that I had the honor of leading the USAF Auxiliary, the Civil Air Patrol, and our 61,000 airmen serving our nation. Spanning across the US and Puerto Rico, our team prosecuted more than 85% of all the search and rescue missions, as well as performing disaster relief missions, cadet programs, and aerospace education to ourselves and our communities. Each of these mission types has a flight component – with all of the good and the bad that could come with flying missions, departing the

by Ken Bogard and Mike Maddox, two EOS Implementers radically committed to open and honest Transparency has always been a cornerstone of effective leadership. But what does it really mean to be transparent? It’s not just about being honest with information; it’s about fostering trust, encouraging dialogue, and leading with authenticity. Yet, the phrase “you can’t say that” often echoes in the corridors of leadership. So, what’s the deal with this common refrain, and how does it impact our ability to lead transparently? When it comes to transparency I often think about the role of a therapist. They are there to hear from you, help you cope with emotions, understand your thoughts, identify harmful patterns, and improve the quality of life. The relationship between you and a therapist is an example of a place where “you CAN say that”. The more transparent you are, the deeper understanding both you and

Are your company meetings draining time and energy without moving the needle on critical issues? You’re not alone. Many businesses struggle with unproductive meetings that leave team members frustrated and key problems unsolved. As an Implementer, I’ve seen firsthand how EOS can transform leadership team meetings from time-wasters into powerful drivers of business growth.  At the heart of EOS is a set of simple, powerful tools that transform how teams communicate and solve problems, saving time and reducing frustration. Here’s how EOS can help you run better meetings—and solve issues faster. The Power of a Level 10 Meeting The Level 10 Meeting is one of the cornerstones of EOS. Unlike traditional meetings that tend to drag on without focus, the Level 10 agenda is carefully designed to keep your team focused on what matters most—no more meandering discussions or getting sidetracked by minor issues. With clear roles and expectations, everyone knows

In October 1987, a group of million-dollar investors gathered in a Manhattan hotel to meet the new CEO of the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA), Paul O’Neill. The company had been struggling with new product lines and stagnant growth, and the investors expected a strategic discussion about increasing profits, reducing costs and expanding into new markets. Instead, O’Neill surprised everyone with a different focus: worker safety. He stood in front of the audience—trim, dignified, in a gray pinstriped suit and red tie—radiating confidence. And then he delivered a message no one had anticipated: “I intend to make ALCOA the safest company in America. I want to achieve zero injuries.” The audience, full of financial experts and stockholders, was dumbfounded. This was not the typical speech about profitability and shareholder value they were expecting. O’Neill didn’t mention profit margins, cost-cutting or new product strategies. Instead, he was adamant: “If you want

Perhaps you used to say those words and mean them from your core. Perhaps you never felt that strongly about what you are doing. True, you founded a business or inherited it or were hired to run it, making you the “captain of the ship.” Yet, in the privacy of your own mind, you feel like a prisoner – with your business weighing you down as effectively as a ball and chain. If that is your situation, it is wise to probe how the business became a ball and chain. In doing so, you may discover that you can turn the situation around and feel again (or for the first time) the exhilaration and energy of being in command of a ship heading toward an amazing destination. Four vision-oriented questions lie at the center of the probing process. The first is “Is there a clear vision for the business?” A

Implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System® (EOS) can transform a business, but it’s easy to fall into traps that limit its effectiveness when self-implementing as a company. As a Certified EOS Implementer®, I’ve had the privilege of working with numerous companies that were initially self-implementing. Overall, I’ve seen recurring issues that could easily have been avoided with expert guidance. Here are 12 of the biggest mistakes I see—and how you can prevent them. The Accountability Chart® Is People-Focused EOS founder Gino Wickman says, “The root of all evil in an organization lies in the Accountability Chart.” Yet, many businesses fall into the trap of building their Accountability Chart around specific individuals, basing roles on people’s talents rather than on the true needs of the business. The danger here? When those individuals leave, so does the structure. A bulletproof Accountability Chart focuses on function—not on personalities—creating a robust system that can weather