A business cannot thrive without a strong People Component™. I remind leaders of that time and time again. Do I sound like a broken record? Likely. But I can’t overstate the importance of having the right people in the right seats.
One of my clients, who is in a very competitive and complex industry, illustrates just how powerful a force the People Component is for an organization. The business owner’s journey with EOS began several years ago after facing stagnant revenue growth for three years and several other challenges. He chose me as his company’s EOS Implementer®, and I worked with him for two years until his company graduated (i.e., reached the point where they could operate on EOS without me).
Unfortunately, my client’s initial EOS Integrator (a company employee) didn’t really buy into EOS and lacked the leadership characteristics and skill set to be in that role. As the company kept failing to hit its quarterly Rocks (getting around 40 – 50%, which is substandard—putting it kindly) and achieving only approximately 25% of its annual goals at the end of the first year, it became evident the individual wasn’t the right fit. So, my client reassigned her to a different role in the organization where she could be effective, and he stepped into the Integrator role for a while.
Finally, his company began to make strides, completing over 80% of its Rocks and meeting other goals by the next quarterly session.
Despite that improvement, my client knew serving as both his company’s Visionary and Integrator wasn’t a sustainable situation. He wasn’t wired to be an Integrator long-term, so he considered a fractional Integrator who could support him in running EOS meetings and holding team members accountable.
My client brought in a very well-respected fractional Integrator for six months. That Integrator knew how to make sure tough but necessary conversations with team members happened to address issues head-on and help the company stay true to the EOS Model®.
As a result, my client’s company made significant gains toward EOS mastery—consistently hitting over 80% of its Rocks. Moreover, the quarterly and annual meetings embodied more open, honest, and productive conversations.
It was the beginning of some serious positive momentum—even through the COVID pandemic and the ensuing tumultuous business environment. The fractional Integrator then helped my client through the process of hiring a permanent full-time Integrator, one who is committed to the EOS model, aligns with my client’s vision, and continues to move the business on a positive trajectory.
My client has been actively working on his company’s People Component for the past 5 years and it has paid off immensely. The company has tripled its revenue. Its sales, utilization, and profitability are strong.
With a healthy leadership team, my client knows his business is in capable hands at all times—and he can even take uninterrupted family vacations!
By trusting in the EOS process—especially the People Component—my client has taken his business from “stuck” to “spectacular.” I’ve seen him and his team grow a lot. They are living the EOS life, doing what they love—with more time to do it—while making a huge difference for their clients and team, and having time for other passions.
