Strong businesses aren’t built on strategy alone. They’re built on teams that trust each other, communicate honestly, and stay aligned even when things get hard. Over the past year, several leadership teams I work with have shown just how powerful that kind of health can be. One healthcare organization is now serving more patients with fewer doctors while running more smoothly operationally.  A construction company grew by 30 percent with the same number of team members and improved production efficiency so much they’re ready for more sales.  A nonprofit that once felt stuck is now solving root issues, operating with clarity, and delivering more value to its members. Different industries. Different challenges. One common thread:  Each of these teams made a deliberate investment in becoming healthier.  Because they did that work, they’re now seeing the results in measurable growth, stronger alignment, and better decision making. So what actually makes a

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlTS_tMhPro Listen in to hear why an employee drew an unflattering picture of me on a bar bucket. It was all my fault!

Scorecards have been a common theme at EOS sessions I have facilitated lately. In general, I find the EOS Scorecard is one of the most misunderstood tools in the EOS Toolbox. But it doesn’t need to be. For anyone who isn’t familiar, the Scorecard we use in EOS is a set of 5-15 weekly metrics, reviewed at your weekly Level 10 meeting. These metrics should provide you with a true pulse on the health of the business. It’s only 5-15 because you want to be tracking critical activities, not just anything that would be nice to know. And here is where people wander off the path. The ideal metrics are leading indicators. These are activity-based metrics that will help you understand whether you are on track to hit your monthly or quarterly objectives. The Scorecard doesn’t take the place of your monthly report or your quarterly financials. Those are still

Last month, I wrote about the importance of systems—and the role they play in achieving meaningful goals. This post builds on that idea, but zooms out to something just as critical: alignment. (If you missed January’s post, it’s worth a read for context.) Recently, I finished the book American Icon, which tells the story of Ford’s remarkable turnaround under CEO Alan Mulally. What struck me most wasn’t the brilliance of the strategy. It was how simple—and how relentlessly consistent—his focus was. Mulally summed up Ford’s entire turnaround with two words: One Ford. That idea was broken down into three parts: One Team One Plan One Goal That’s it. No binders. No buzzwords. No competing priorities. Everything—on just two pages—pointed in the same direction, and it was reinforced over and over again. One Team One Team meant eliminating silos and internal competition. Leaders weren’t allowed to optimize their department at the

I watched a CEO fire his best mate last year. They’d started the business together. Ten years of late nights and cash flow crises and trying not to kill each other. Genuinely close. But he had hit his personal ceiling in the business and geniunely wasn’t having fun anymore. He wasn’t up for the growth journey. And honestly, everyone in that room knew it. Had known for a while. So we did the People Analyzer. Not to prove anything, just to get it out of people’s heads and onto paper. Scores came back and the room went dead quiet. They had the conversation that Friday. I won’t pretend it went well. Even though he had hit a ceiling and wasn’t enjoying working in the business that it had grown to be, he was gutted and the CEO looked like he hadn’t slept for a week after. The best mate is

In the military, leaders don’t assume everyone “gets it.” They communicate clearly, repeatedly, and from the top. Orders are delivered face-to-face. Expectations are spelled out. Questions are answered. Alignment is non-negotiable. That’s exactly what the EOS State of the Company Address is meant to do. What It Is (And What It’s Not) The State of the Company Address is a formal, leadership-led briefing to the entire organization. It happens once a quarter, right after Quarterly Pulsing. This is not a pep talk.It’s not a slide deck full of buzzwords.And it’s definitely not optional. It’s a clear, honest update on who we are, where the company stands, where it’s going, and what the plan is for the year/quarter ahead. Why It Matters Most employees don’t leave companies, they leave confusion. When people don’t know the plan, they make one up. And made-up plans create rumors, misalignment, and disengagement. The State of