One of the distinguishing characteristics of leaders is the ability to make a decision. Making a decision literally means to “cut off” other courses of action. It is not uncommon to watch a Leadership Team struggle to make a decision.

Enter 10 do’s and don’ts for great decision making:

1. Do not rule by consensus. Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great, is quoted as saying, “No major decision we’ve studied was ever taken at a point of unanimous agreement.” Consensus management does not work. Too often when we look for team consensus, it means we are going to wait until everyone agrees. The result—our decisions are usually too late and often equally disagreeable to everyone. If everyone has been heard during a discussion, and not everyone agrees with the decision, it is time for the leader to step in and break the tie.
2. Do not play small. Many times a decision sounds simple, yet is not easy to implement. Don’t back down and take an easy way out.
3. Do be decisive. Sit up, set your feet on the floor and don’t look back because we’ve got work to do.
4. Do not rely on hearsay. Get the facts and current information so you fully understand the situation and the issue you are solving.
5. Do fight for the greater good. Leave your ego, title, and historical viewpoint outside the meeting room, and make the best decision for the company.
6. Do solve real problems. Not the ones you can’t impact as a team or as a company.
7. Do make a decision. Your only choices are to live with a situation, end it, or change it.
8. Do decide quickly. Drawing out the decision creates unnecessary pain and suffering.
9. Do enter the danger. Not every decision is easy to address. Set aside your fear and become vulnerable.
10. Do try something. It is better to propose a solution and revise it later than it is to do nothing.

Making good decisions requires patience and practice. With time, you and your team will find it easier to have important discussions and make impactful decisions. My buddy Yoda summed up decision making very simply when he said, “Do or Do Not Do. There is no try.”

I hope you’ll make the decision to complete the consult form below to have a one-on-one phone conversation with me. And after our conversation, I hope you’ll decide you want to move forward. There will be no pressure to do so of course, but I’ll answer all your questions and give you all of the information you need to make that decision. Success results from a series of good decisions. I hope you will make your next one with me.

I learn from every one of my clients. They teach me new ways of thinking, methods they use to teach their staff to create Rocks, or unexpected ways EOS^®impacts their companies. 

I value their teachings because they help me be a better EOS Implementer™. I frequently share what other clients have taught me if I believe it will help the client with whom I am meeting. Each of my clients has heard me say, “I have a client who . . .”

I was working with a client in their Quarterly Pulsing™ session recently. We were having a great discussion about one of the EOS^®tools: the Assistance Track.™ The tool includes several techniques for managing your time better so you can focus on your priorities.

One of the techniques is called The Stack. You have probably heard this one before. It recommends touching everything only once, and creating “The Stack” that you can delegate to someone else.

The Leadership Team’s Integrator had an “aha” moment as we discussed The Stack. The Integrator has a 15-minute stand up huddle with her team each morning. They review their priorities for the day, and let their colleagues know if and where they need help that day. The Integrator saw the huddle as an opportunity to ask the team for help with her Stack. From that idea came a bigger idea — ask the team’s help with the items in the two lower quadrants of her Delegate and Elevate™. Those are the items a person does not like to do, yet is good at, and items the person does not like to do and is not good at.

The rest of the Leadership Team liked the idea, and decided they would try doing the same with their teams. I later received an email from the Integrator — not only did handling “The Stack” at the daily huddle work, but it also helped the Integrator identify colleagues who love to do the things she doesn’t like to do, regardless of whether or not she is good at the task. What a great way to Delegate and Elevate™.

This is another lesson I can share with other clients, and it’s also a perfect example of how EOS^®tools work together. The tools don’t operate in silos. They compliment each other and collaborate as part of an efficient, effective system. The EOS^®process is always evolving; the more you use it, the more you will learn other ways to use it. 

If you’d like to learn more about EOS^®, please fill out the consult form below to request a free 15-minute phone call with me. I welcome the opportunity to learn about your business and share my EOS^®story. After using EOS^®in my own company and then becoming an Implementer myself, I have many perspectives and lessons to share, as I’m sure you do too. I know the system works, and I’m eager to help other businesses grow and thrive. Let’s talk about how we can align your efforts under one vision.

As a company’s key leaders master EOS^®, there comes an exciting—and sometimes scary—milestone in implementing EOS^®. It is time to show the rest of the company how to use it. 

We call this the “Rollout,” and it is typically introduced in a meeting where everyone on the senior leadership team presents one aspect of the system.

Whether you roll EOS^®out to one management tier at a time or take another approach, there are several things you can do in advance to make sure the process goes as smoothly as possible.

Here are seven keys to a successful rollout:

#1: Set a reasonable time frame for the rollout.

Remember, it took your leadership team about 60 days, in addition to three all-day sessions with your Implementer, to learn what you are now going to teach. Make sure you allow ample time for everyone else to get up to speed.

#2: Make sure everyone on the leadership team knows the Five Foundational Tools and your Core Values cold.

This means not just knowing each tool’s contents and how to use them, but also having a prepared explanation of each tool and Core Value ready to share with others at any time. This is a great time to share your Core Value Speech.

#3: Have your key documents prepared in advance.

Exactly how and when you roll out the Five Foundational Tools is up to you; whatever you choose to do, you should at least have a simple sheet that sets forth your Core Values and one that introduces the Five Foundational Tools.

#4: Develop a rollout presentation that every member of the senior leadership team takes part in.

This approach is far more powerful than having the CEO/President stand up and give one long, detailed speech. Involving the entire senior leadership team demonstrates to your employees that you have become a healthy, cohesive team that is on a mission to achieve the company’s vision, and you are inviting them to join you on that quest.

One of my clients used an informal meeting format. The leadership team sat on stools at the front of the room and tag-teamed the presentation, rather than each senior leader presenting one tool and presenting in the seated order.

#5: Practice your rollout presentation.

Once you have figured out which topics will be addressed by whom and everyone has written his/her speech, then practice, practice, practice! Do a dress rehearsal with everyone who will be involved in the presentation. The more you practice, the more confident you will be when you give your talk, and confidence is key if you want your words to get your workforce as fired up about EOS^®as you are.

#6: Consider giving some of your key thought leaders a sneak preview.

If you have a few star employees who are thought leaders and are especially strong on your Core Values, give them a preview. You may get some valuable feedback from these folks, and it will give you a chance to rehearse your rollout presentation.

#7: Try to over-communicate your message.

Actually, over-communicating the message can’t be done; you can’t repeat yourself enough. Repetition is essential to creating clarity in your organization. You will have to say key words like “vision” and “core values” at least seven times before people begin to take notice and really start to listen. The advice I give my clients is, “Tell ’em 7 times, 7 ways.” Just keep talking about EOS^®in your rollout meeting, your weekly Level 10 meetings, in company newsletters, emails from the Visionary and/or Integrator, and in your one-on-one conversations. Try to repeat yourself “too much”, and you’ll probably be doing it almost enough.

As you plan and prepare for the rollout, remember you do not have to roll out all the tools at once. Be sure to roll out the tools with which your leadership team is comfortable, understands completely, and is satisfied. For example, if the leadership team is not yet completely satisfied with the Scorecard, you are not ready to share it with the rest of the company.

One final point to remember as you plan your rollout is that this is the beginning of a process. It will take about two years for this system to fully gel with everyone and become the backbone of your company’s culture, but ask anybody who has seen the process through to the end — it’s worth the wait!

As an EOS^®Implementer, I have the exciting privilege of leading each company I work with through their own EOS^®journey. My excitement stems from walking in your shoes—owning a business, working in it instead of on it, and more or less feeling like I was spinning my wheels. But EOS^® helped me change all that. EOS^® is a set of simple, practical business tools that gave me a foundation and focus, and I’m confident it can do the same for you.

Do you have specific questions about the process or would you like to know more about the rollout? If so, please use the form below to request a 15-minute phone consultation with me. The EOS^®Rollout marks a new chapter and direction for your company. Let’s talk about how to get it started.     

Sam Parker is the author of 212° the Extra Degree. The first two pages of the book set its intention: “At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam . . . and with steam, you can power a train.”

I discovered this powerful book several years ago, and Mr. Parker’s words frequently come to mind when I feel stuck in the moment, or feel as though a project isn’t progressing as well as I want. Often times with one more degree of effort, I can move forward, get unstuck, and make progress.

What could you accomplish with one more degree? 

• Would you sort through the resumes sitting on your desk and discover that right person for the new seat in your company? 

• Could a Leadership Team member move a Rock that is “off track” to “on track”? 

• Perhaps the sales team would be able to celebrate their progress toward achieving their sales goal with just two more sales calls this week.

Consider having two or three staff members get together as a 212° team, offering each other support and mentorship to move a project forward. Maybe extra effort will prepare a colleague for the additional responsibility they seek. 

I’m not suggesting one more degree of effort guarantees getting the exact results you want. However, the extra degree creates momentum . . . and with momentum we move forward.

Moving forward does require accountability and commitment on your part. That’s when an EOS^®Implementer, such as myself, comes in. I provide the support and answers you need to keep you razor-focused on your goals. 

As we have all probably experienced, the never-ending, day-to-day crises and problems that come up often hijack those goals. I know how it is, because I’ve been in your shoes. EOS^® provides a set of simple, practical business tools that help get your business pointed in the right direction.

I invite you to fill out the consult form below and request a free, 15-minute phone consultation with me. Implementing EOS^®in my own company was one of the best business decisions I ever made. And I believe in it so much that I became an EOS^®Implementer to help others. We all need that push to move our business forward one more degree. Let’s get it done.

You spend at least 40 hours per week working “in” your business. And hopefully, you spend at least 90 minutes each week with your Leadership Team working “on” your business. 

Have you ever thought about where you do that work, what type of environment you create for your work? Let’s think about that today.

Some number of years ago I read a blog that recommended referring to your workplace as a studio. The author made the case that “studio” replaces the drudgery we often associate with the word “work” and captures the creativity that occurs in our businesses. 

Every business creates something — a product, a service, actual artwork, design work, customer engagement — you get the picture. 

So we started referring to our company as a studio, as in, “I’ll be back at the studio about 2:00 p.m.” or “Our new customer will tour our studio on Thursday at 10:00 a.m.” That word completely changed how we viewed our company, our workplace, and our colleagues. A simple change with significant impact.

If EOS^®is your company’s management system, where do you have your Level-10 Meetings™?

Are you meeting in a closed office or conference room? Does staff know those 90 minutes are sacred and, unless the office is struck by a lightning bolt, they are not to interrupt you? Does everyone on the Leadership Team disconnect from all technology for the 90 minutes? 

Yes? Great! This is important because those 90 minutes every week are your Leadership Team’s opportunity to work “on” the business. Protect that time by sequestering yourselves and staying focused on your business. Doing so will make for a better week.

How about your Quarterly Pulsing™ and 2-day Annual Planning sessions each year? 

Not only are you well served by disconnecting from technology; you are also well served by meeting off-site. Yes, get out of the office! Scheduling these sessions out of the office changes how you behave, how you act, how you think. 

These are five critical days for your company each year. You are evaluating the previous quarter and year, reflecting on what you did well, what you could have done better, and what you learned. And you are prioritizing for the next quarter or planning your next year; you are solving key issues; and you are working to strengthen team health. 

You need to show up ready to participate, because it is a privilege to be here. You cannot do that fully if you are in the conference room listening to the discussion going on in the hall. 

I encourage you to try on referring to your workplace as a studio —humor me and see how it feels. Think about where you hold meetings. It is important to get your mind in the right place. 

And please let me know if referring to your office as a studio changed your mindset about work. I’d also like to hear about your ideas for upcoming off-site meetings. Please reach out to me using the contact form below if you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts with me. The consult is free, with no obligation. I welcome the opportunity to talk about EOS^®and how its systems and processes can get your mind in the right place.