I love college football. As a lifelong University of South Carolina Gamecock fan (yes, I know — that’s a tough existence), I can’t wait for South Carolina Football Saturdays. I crank up the smoker, work on the pregame spread, and then jump up and down, screaming at the TV for three hours. When I’m done, I’ll even watch the post game press conference. For me, that’s where the game ends.  For the coaching staff, it’s where the next week begins. Win or lose, every college football coach watches film after the game to analyze their performance. Did we run the right plays? Did we have the right players on the field? Could we have communicated with the team better? This typically happens the day after the game. The coaches then meet with the team and use that film review to learn, improve, and give themselves a better chance to win

In the spirit of giving thanks, this quarter I want to talk about how reframing gratitude can help you structure your business in new ways. Often, when we think of what we’re grateful for, we consider the opportunities we’re given or the kindness we’ve been shown, etc. But what about those hard truths? Do you think your employees would be grateful to have a leadership team that’s open and honest? Would you appreciate an employee who is honest with you? Consider this: If your friend had a piece of food stuck in their teeth, are you the type of person to tell them or let them walk around like that? If the food were in your teeth, would you be grateful to know? Or would you be offended?  Sometimes, the trickiest part of running a business is having tough conversations with your team. These conversations generally aren’t about food in

“Jim, it has been just a messed-up quarter. I would grade it a ‘C’ at best,” said the operations leader. “I have to agree. Things are just off with us and the team. I give the quarter a ‘C-’,“ said the integrator. The feedback went on in a similar fashion from the rest of the team and I have to say, I was baffled. This was a great team that rarely had bad quarters. They had their struggles with clients and staff like everyone else, but nothing like “just a messed-up quarter.” The crazy part was that the team and I really didn’t know what the cause was. Now, it isn’t the job of an EOS Implementer® to have the answers to fix our issues. But I am more at ease if I have an idea of at least what to write on the Issues List.   Getting To The Root Of It

Setback, flop, mistake, screw-up, failure, fiasco, botch or—as I like to think of these things—wonderful opportunities to figure out how not to do something. About inventing the light bulb, Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” We have all had failures and, I am sorry to say, we will all have them again. But, as my Dad once said to me, paraphrasing Vince Lombardi, “It isn’t that you got knocked down that matters. It’s that you get up, that makes the difference.” It’s always easier for the one lending a hand than the guy on the ground, but it’s still very true. Learning from Failure One of my favorite personal screw-ups I had the “pleasure” of making is when I owned a bar and restaurant in Chicago called Coyle’s Tippling House. Let me set the stage for how things played out. We

No one cares what you do. I know this seems a bit harsh, but you need to face that reality. Many other companies do what you do and can fulfill the need your company currently fills. Your customers don’t care about your what, they care about how you do what you do. How you do things makes your business special. So what’s your secret sauce? All in the How To continually create the how that keeps your customers coming back, you have to make sure they have the same experience. Every time they interact with your business, they should receive the same standard of how they know and love. To ensure that same standard, you need documented processes that outline your how. I imagine a few of you right now are saying: “We don’t have that problem at our company. We have very detailed standard operating processes.” Then I bet a few others are thinking, “So what? My team generally understands our

Stop planning in 12-Month increments. Start thinking in 3-Year possibilities! As leaders dive into annual planning, it’s easy to get caught in the cycle of short-term goals — hitting numbers, fixing issues, managing the now. But the real power comes when you pause and zoom out. The 3-Year Picture in the Vision/Traction Organizer isn’t just an EOS tool — it’s a mindset shift. It challenges you to describe your future in vivid, aspirational, and desirable terms. What does success look like? Feel like? How does it show up in your culture, your clients, your impact? When done well, this exercise fuels smarter strategy, stronger alignment, and more meaningful growth. It’s how you stop thinking incrementally and start leading intentionally. How clear is your 3-Year Picture for 2028?