90 DAYS ON EOS: THE FOUR TOOLS MOVING ONE PARTNER FORWARD
Written by Jessica Murray
EOS. Three letters I wasn’t familiar with until I launched Empower. However, I’ve come to appreciate them more and more over the past year.
For others unfamiliar with EOS, the acronym stands for Entrepreneurial Operating System. Developed by Gino Wickman and popularized in his book Traction, EOS gives leadership teams a common cadence to execute and strengthen culture. Wickman constructed this practical framework for entrepreneurial businesses using simple tools to clarify vision, set priorities, track metrics and drive accountability.
Prior to a couple of months ago, I learned EOS on my own, but had yet to put it into action. That changed in May when I started a new Fractional COO engagement. The founder was eager to hit the ground running with EOS. She’d engaged with an Implementor (i.e., someone who guides and coaches organizations on EOS), and we kicked things off essentially on Day 1.
Nearly 90 days later, I can say with confidence that evolution is well on its way. The four tools that made a difference?
Without a doubt:
The Accountability Chart: A role-based organization chart that defines core functions and seats, clarifies who owns each outcome and ensures the right people are in the right roles for growth.
Quarterly Rocks: The 3–7 most important priorities for the next 90 days, with clear owners and due dates, and used to focus execution.
L10 Meeting: A weekly 90-minute leadership meeting with a consistent agenda that keeps leaders aligned, accountable and focused on solving the most important issues so the business moves forward every week.
IDS: Identify, Discuss, Solve. This tool provides a structured process to get to the root causes of issues, determine the best solution and convert decisions into clear next steps.
What’s changed in 90 days
Over the three months, I’ve integrated these tools and felt the impact first-hand.
Not everything is perfect. It’s a very early-stage business, and things shift constantly. But, real progress has been made. I’m also encouraged that installing these fundamentals will pay dividends quarter after quarter.
The early wins?
Clarity around organizational makeup
With the Accountability Chart, we’re now clear as a team about:
The functional areas of the business.
The key responsibilities of those functions.
Functional ownership.
Staffing and capability gaps to execute.
Six months ago, this founder was predominantly operating solo. Now, everyone has a role, and there’s a roadmap for expansion.
Collective alignment around priorities
Quarterly Rocks forced us to narrow our focus on what will move the needle now. They also provided a mechanism to cascade those priorities down to each individual on the team.
We’ve also learned a lot. Not every Rock was perfect this first time. That’s OK. We obtained the signal and inputs needed to better inform the next quarter.
Stronger meetings. Transparent discussion. Tackling thorny issues. Momentum.
Bad meetings are the worst. They drain time, energy and stall progress. The EOS L10 is the opposite. The consistency and structure of the agenda aid in productive discussion and, importantly, make sure leaders don’t leave the conversation without unblocking major sticking points. That’s where the IDS comes into play.
I can point to many instances where we discussed an issue, sometimes painfully drilled down until we pinpointed why the roadblock existed, and then found relief when we unlocked it and put an action plan in motion.
What’s next?
In September, we’ll have our quarterly review with our EOS Implementor. That will provide a good pulse check. There’s plenty of work to be done, but this is also a process.
Traction comes with repetition. Build structure, break down old habits and build new muscle. Rinse and repeat.
Whether you use EOS or another framework, doing this foundational work early prevents a cracked foundation later.
These actions compound. So, make your next move now.