A business may succeed or fail for a variety of reasons. While entrepreneurs must take risks to reach a level of success, they don’t want to rely on luck or extraneous factors to keep their ship afloat. Likewise, business leaders don’t want to be blindsided by a problem festering underneath the surface. Solid business performance management balances risk-taking with measured preparedness to properly advance without taking a major beating along the way.
At first, this harmony might sound impossible. After all, caution often prevents one from taking risks, nullifying any movement whatsoever. It turns out, however, that businesses both big and small can find continued success with the right tools. The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)™ breaks down a business into its core components. EOS™ trains consultants to work with business leaders. Here’s how a certified EOS Implementer™ can help businesses succeed and, more importantly, understand how to maintain or advance this level of success.
What is the EOS Model™?
The EOS Model™ breaks down business operations into Six Key Components™: Vision, People, Data, Process, Issues, and Traction®. Vision deals with what a business aims to achieve. The People component refers to choosing the right people for the right positions. Data looks at hard numbers and ways to break them down. Process aims to understand the way a business operates in its simplest terms. Issues are common problems every business faces and how best to deal with them. And Traction® is the way in which a business transforms Vision into action by assessing team management, implementing short-term accountability plans (90-day “Rocks”) and establishing a Meeting Pulse™. These Six Key Components™ simplify what otherwise seems like an endless sea of performance management stress and confusion. Achieving Traction means engaging your newly streamlined processes and improved communication systems so you can achieve your vision while sticking.
What a Certified EOS Implementer™ Does
EOS Implementers™ are business consultants that help leaders understand these Six Key Components™ to success and elaborate on how each can be improved in practical ways. Each consultant has gone through a Base Camp or Boot Camp, equipping them with extensive training and real-world knowledge of how to implement the EOS Model™ for any type of business. They will essentially perform an autopsy on every aspect of your business and company culture. What areas need attention or improvement? What’s working without your knowledge, and how can it be even better?
How EOS Implementers™ Can Help Businesses Succeed
With anything in life, knowing what to look for is a major step toward achieving continued success. If a business is doing well, it’s probably in part due to strong leadership and focus. But even so, does that business leader have a solid grasp on every part of the business? Does he or she understand what these parts are and why they matter? Instinct is a great thing to have, but it can get you into trouble when not combined with knowledge. Certified EOS Implementers™ help leaders see the big picture in simpler terms so that if any part of the machine starts to break down, they can spend their time and energy there before overextending everywhere else.
This awareness is actually one of the best leadership qualities one can possess. Leaders who learn from the EOS Model™ know what to look for and when. They can feel more confident in taking risks because their business rests on a strong foundation of Vision, People, Data, Process, Issues, and Traction®. Leadership Resources is the premier provider in Omaha and Lincoln, NE for aligning business around the Entrepreneurial Operating System™. Our purpose is making the impossible possible through people. We aim to do so by helping individuals develop patterns of success that will decrease stress levels and maximize productivity. To learn more about us and the services we offer, contact us here.
Anyone familiar with the Star Wars franchise knows that Obi-Wan plays the mentor role to both Luke and Anakin Skywalker. This archetypal figure became the symbol of wisdom and guidance for millions around the world. Today, most people know what’s meant if asked, “Who is your Obi-Wan,” or, “Do you have an Obi-Wan?” That is to say, do you have a measured mentor? If you struggle to find an answer, you may be missing out on a key relationship.
Mentors come in many forms. They may be a business consultant, a professor, or something more intimate like a father figure. Whatever the case, mentors play an important role in guiding us, helping us grow by learning from them and from our own mistakes. They act as a method of course correction that keeps us heading in the right direction without doing everything for us. Let’s further examine the mentor’s role and how you might find the right guide on your journey.
Mentorship and Reference Points
If you recall from the prequel trilogy, Anakin, a hot-headed Padawan (student) was taken under Obi-Wan’s wing. Anakin occasionally listened to his mentor’s advice, but often acted out of rash arrogance and impulse instead. This, of course, led to his demise. While ignoring the guidance of a mentor rarely results in something so tragic, the story paints a clear picture of the importance of adhering to such guidance.
A mentor’s principal role is to act as a reference point for proper or common behavior. Obi-Wan, though he had his own internal issues with the corrupt politics of the Jedi Order, played his role, acted in accordance with tradition and laws, displayed leadership qualities, and became one of the most esteemed masters. In the original trilogy, Obi-Wan shows Luke the ways of the Jedi, recanting stories of old, displaying his power when necessary, and giving Luke important advice along his journey.
It is, of course, the student’s role to follow their mentor’s guidance by internalizing their teachings and mimicking their behavior. While Anakin fails to do so, Luke eventually succeeds, willingly sacrificing his ego for a greater purpose. If you’re willing to learn and grow like Luke, you want an Obi-Wan to show you his ways so you can follow suit.
Finding the Right Mentor
In works of fiction, the protagonist tends to stumble upon his/her mentor as an act of fate. While this can happen in reality, finding the right mentor usually takes some effort. Leaders who want to improve their skills might enroll in executive coaching programs to learn from multiple mentors. Or, leaders can actively seek advice from those with more experience. Even if you don’t build a strong relationship with this person, you’re participating in the role of student, and they the role of teacher.
The truth is, you can’t force any kind of relationship, whether it’s with a business advisor or a significant other. If your Obi-Wan is out there, you will naturally build this connection. You simply have to show a willingness to learn. Ask questions whenever possible, go to more networking events if the opportunity arises, and take on more responsibilities as long as you can handle them. This will draw Obi-Wan-like figures to you naturally, as they will see your potential, passion, and spirit.
Leadership Resources can help you find your Obi-Wan through business consulting services, coaching programs, educational content, and organizational checkups. Contact us here to learn more.
By now, most of us are familiar with the bad leader trope. Shows and movies like The Office and Horrible Bosses parody the worst possible qualities a boss could have, some of which may ring true to life. These so-called leaders lack empathy, fail at communicating, speak rashly, micromanage, and unwittingly abuse their employees. As a result, their employees become bitter, resentful, indifferent, or too distracted to do a good job.
While we clearly see what makes for poor leadership, it’s a bit less clear to discern what employees truly want in their leaders. Interestingly enough, we can find these answers by looking at the inverse behavior of these awful fictional bosses. The best leaders exhibit qualities that actually encourage employees to work harder. Let’s examine why by looking at five of the most in-demand leadership skills.
Honesty
A good leader shouldn’t lie to or hide things from his/her employees. There are of course exceptions when it comes to confidential information. But in general, leaders must be as transparent as possible. This means giving honest feedback to staff, admitting mistakes when they occur, and letting everyone in on new goals, developments, and challenges. Any HR business consultant can tell you that a leader who exhibits honesty will encourage honesty in employees, creating an open atmosphere where problems aren’t bottled up to fester and burst.
Responsiveness
Like honesty, responsiveness involves maintaining a clear line of communication between leaders and employees. Leaders must be able and willing to hear concerns and criticism from employees and then act on them. Bad leaders always think they’re in the right and scoff at negative feedback while doling it out. Good leaders accept any and all feedback and take action to resolve problems, whether or not they’re responsible for them to begin with. When employees see that their leaders truly listen to them, they’ll want to listen to their leaders as well.
Clear Instructions and Feedback
When consulting a business advisor to improve your company’s operations, they’ll probably indicate the importance of clarity. Clear instructions and guidelines help everyone do their job better. There should always be some flexibility, of course. But overall, employees will work harder and do a better job if they know exactly what they’re doing and why. If things aren’t completely clear or someone makes a mistake, they should also receive descriptive and constructive criticism to prevent these errors in the future. The best leaders train their employees with precise, coherent instructions, giving them helpful tips, corrections, and methods along the way.
Trust and Independence
If a leader has displayed honesty and trained his/her people well, employees should be trusted to do their job with little interference. According to business consulting services and employees, micromanagement is one of the least helpful and most annoying methods of leadership to deal with. Whether employees work in teams or alone, they want to be left to their work and trusted to do it well. If they have questions, they should feel comfortable enough to approach their leaders. Leaders should trust their people enough to not have to check in every half hour and pull them away from their work.
Passion
Employees want to work for someone who cares, not only about them but about the work being done. Indifference and cynicism can become highly contagious and negatively affect the entire workplace. Likewise, positive energy, devotion, and excitement can spread even faster. Even if not all employees share the same level of passion as their leaders, they will naturally feel better about their work if they encounter this energy. Of course, effective leadership doesn’t mean ignoring bad things when they happen, but remaining positive and seeking solutions rather than dwelling on the negative.
You may notice that the fictional bosses mentioned earlier carry none of these qualities, at least not until the final act. And to be fair, some of these skills can be difficult to hone, which is why executive coaching programs can come in handy. These programs help leaders develop skills such as responsiveness and transparency. Things like passion can’t necessarily be taught, but they can be expressed in helpful ways. Employees will naturally work harder for leaders with these qualities and will develop leadership traits of their own. Leadership Resources provides tools for leaders as they grow to become even better. Contact us here to learn more.
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