EOS: Getting Started in 5 Steps

You think EOS (aka Traction) can help your business or organization, but you’re unsure where to start. Well, read this!

Last week I posted about EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) and how it transformed kitchen & bath CRATE starting in 2018.

Today’s post walks through five critical steps in getting EOS off the ground. By the end of this post, you’ll have a general understanding of what EOS implementation requires.

As a preface, chapter 10 of Traction details precisely how to implement EOS. But perhaps you’d like an overview first. So here we go!

Step 1 - Commit (Or Don’t Start)

EOS requires two commitments from the organization’s leadership.

The first is a commitment to complete the implementation phase. Implementation takes months and sometimes feels like a slog. Be honest about your willingness to see it through.

The second is a commitment to running the system post-implementation. Running on EOS requires weekly attention. Implementing without then running EOS robs your organization of the real magic. While the implementation phase would undoubtedly benefit any business, I’d highly recommend properly running EOS post-implementation if you want to maximize your potential.

Step 2 - Learn

A great way to start is via two books from the Traction library:

• What the Heck is EOS? - Provides a general overview of the EOS ecosystem. Short, sweet, and perfect for your entire team to read as you start the EOS journey.

• Traction - I suggest reading and listening to Traction before starting EOS implementation. You’ll enter your first meetings with a solid grasp of the system.

After that, I’d spend a few weeks listening to EOS podcasts (search “EOS” on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts) and watching YouTube videos on the topic. (Start with this one and head down the rabbit hole.)

Bonus points if you riff with business owners who run EOS. They’re easy to find on Twitter and Linkedin, and you’d be surprised how willing many are to pull back the curtain and share their experiences.

Step 3 - Identify the Team

Now it’s time to identify your internal and (perhaps) external team.

Internally, determine your leadership team. If you have a long-standing organization, you likely already know who this is. If you’re launching a new business, it may be you and your part-time administrative assistant. (By the way, are you concerned if one of your leaders is in it for the long haul? Have them join in the EOS implementation process, and I assure you, it will quickly bring this question to a head.)

Externally, consider a professional EOS implementor like Craig or Phil. EOS implementors are coaches that help you implement and run EOS. They customize their involvement based on your needs. But not every organization needs an implementor; we didn’t. So in a few weeks, I’ll post about how to know if you need outside implementation help.

Step 4 - Implement EOS

Now the hard work begins. (And fittingly, I just had our first EOS Implementation Meeting with the team at TBS this past week!)

While you can certainly implement EOS quickly via a blitz, there are advantages to implementing it over many months.

A considerable part of EOS is developing mega-themes that will guide your organization for years, if not decades. Your core values, purpose, focus, marketing strategy, and long-term goals (called “rocks” in the EOS ecosystem) are all huge decisions that, in my opinion, require a lot of “sleeping on it.”

Could you take your leadership team on a week-long retreat, lock them in a room and make them complete implementation? Sure, you could. But I’m not convinced you’d get the best results.

Instead, I like to carve out 1-2 hours a week, same time, same place, and walk through implementation one step at a time.

Now, if you use a professional implementer, they will most certainly have a recommendation on cadence, so let that be one of your discussion topics when interviewing an implementer.

Step 5 - Run EOS

So EOS is all setup. You have your Vision/Traction Organizer document dialed in; therefore, you’re now clear on your Core Values, Core Focus, 10-Year Target, Marketing Strategy, 3-year Picture, 1-Year Plan, and next quarter’s rocks (goals).

It’s here that a lot of companies fall off the rails.

They fail to conduct weekly level-10 meetings with the leadership team. They fail to properly maintain the IDS (the list of challenges/problems your company faces that endanger your goals). They fail to hold people accountable to the Core Values. They don’t conduct the quarterly all-day offsite or annual two-day summit.

Yes, this is the hard work, the daily, weekly, and monthly grind.

I’ll be frank with you: If you’re not willing to do this hard work or find an alternate system, you may need to replace yourself as the leader of your company. 

What? Fire me? But I’m the owner! I started this thing! My last name is on the building! I’m the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th generation!

Listen, just because you’re a founder, have a particular last name, or have a specific title, does not mean you’re the one to carry the ball forward. So do the right thing, step aside, empower a better fit, make sure EOS is running, and watch it take off!

Books of Note: Two of my three kids are in high school, so when my friend David recommended Who Gets In and Why? I immediately downloaded the audiobook. What a fascinating look at the college admissions process! The author, a higher education journalist, embedded himself in four admissions offices around the nation for an entire year. What he revealed was eye-opening for me, and it may be for you.

If this post brought you value, I’d be honored if you’d subscribe to my newsletter. I’d also love a follow over on Twitter and Linkedin, as I post things there that are either too brief for the newsletter or are just entertaining things I come up with over a responsibly-sized serving of Blanton’s.