If it feels like your business keeps running into the same problems over and over again, you’re not alone.
Most leadership teams don’t struggle to identify problems. They struggle to solve them permanently. Issues get discussed, temporarily addressed, or worked around, only to resurface weeks or months later, often under a different name.
EOS addresses this exact challenge with a simple, proven approach to business problem solving that helps leadership teams regain control, reduce frustration, and move the business forward with confidence.
Why Do the Same Problems Keep Coming Back in a Business?
When problems repeat, it’s rarely because leaders aren’t intelligent or hardworking. It’s because the business lacks a consistent, root-cause-driven way to solve those problems.
Having worked with hundreds of thousands of companies, EOS has found that these recurring complications most often boil down to five business frustrations the system specifically resolves.
The Five Business Frustrations
1. People Problems
You have the wrong people in the wrong seats. Accountability is unclear. Communication breaks down. Cultural alignment feels off. Leadership spends more time refereeing than leading.
2. Lack of Control
The business starts running you instead of the other way around. You’re reactive, putting out fires, and working longer hours with less flexibility and freedom.
3. Profit Shortfalls
There isn’t enough profit or cash to invest in people, training, systems, or to pay yourself what the business should allow. Financial pressure limits long-term thinking.
4. Hitting the Ceiling
Growth stalls or accelerates faster than the business can support. What worked before no longer works. The company feels stuck, inefficient, or out of balance.
5. “Nothing’s Working” Exhaustion
You’ve read the books, attended the seminars, tried new ideas, but nothing sticks. Every fix feels temporary. Momentum fades. Frustration builds.
When these frustrations persist, it’s usually because problems are talked about, but not solved at the root.
Related Reading: Eliminate Your Five Biggest Business Frustrations
How EOS Approaches Business Problem Solving
EOS treats problem-solving as a core operating discipline, not an occasional activity or a leadership personality trait.
Rather than allowing them to linger or resurface quarter after quarter, EOS gives leadership teams a simple, repeatable way to identify, prioritize, and solve problems permanently.
That discipline lives inside one of EOS’s Six Key Components: Issues.
At the center of that component is a proven method called IDS.
What Is IDS in EOS?
IDS (Identify, Discuss, Solve) is the EOS problem-solving process. It helps leadership teams eliminate the Issues that lead to their most common frustrations, rather than managing around them.
Identify
Leadership teams capture Issues as they arise and prioritize the most important ones. This prevents minor problems from quietly turning into major obstacles.
Discuss
The team digs into the root cause of the Issue, not just the symptom. The goal isn’t consensus or debate; it’s clarity.
Solve
Once the root cause is clear, the team decides on a solution and assigns clear ownership and next steps.
By running IDS consistently, leadership teams stop revisiting the same problems again and again. Issues get solved (or at least meaningfully moved forward) every single week.
Download the Issues Solving Track
Why IDS Works When Other Problem-Solving Approaches Don’t
Many businesses spend a lot of time talking about problems, but very little time solving them permanently.
IDS works because it’s:
- Focused on the most important Issues
- Root-cause driven, not symptom-focused
- Action-oriented, with clear ownership
- Consistent and practiced weekly
Over time, this discipline restores:
- Control to leadership
- Predictability to execution
- Stability to profit
- Momentum to growth
- Health to the leadership team
Problem-solving stops being exhausting and starts becoming productive.
From Recurring Issues to Real Solutions
For many business owners and operators, IDS is the moment EOS truly clicks.
They realize:
- Problems don’t have to linger
- Meetings can actually move Issues forward
- Leadership teams can regain control
- Growth doesn’t have to create chaos
And while IDS is the core problem-solving engine in EOS, it’s made even more effective by the other structured, practical EOS Tools that surround it.
For example:
- Level 10 Meetings create a weekly rhythm where IDS happens consistently, so problems don’t sit unresolved between meetings
- The Scorecard helps teams spot potential problems early by tracking a small set of critical Measurables, turning data into early warning sign
- The People Analyzer helps leadership teams address people-related Issues by clarifying expectations around Core Values and performance
- The Accountability Chart brings clarity to roles and ownership, preventing many Issues before they start
If you want to explore how IDS and these EOS Tools work together in practice, sign up for EOS Academy to start learning the EOS Tools for free.
FAQs
Why do the same problems keep coming back in my business?
Because most businesses lack a consistent, root-cause-driven problem-solving process. Issues are discussed but not solved permanently.
How does EOS solve business Issues?
EOS uses the IDS (Identify, Discuss, Solve) process to help leadership teams address Issues at their root, assign ownership, and move forward with clarity.
What is IDS in EOS?
IDS is EOS’s problem-solving method. It stands for Identify, Discuss, Solve, and is used weekly by leadership teams to eliminate Issues and restore traction.
How does IDS help with people, profit, and growth problems?
IDS helps leadership teams solve the underlying Issues driving people problems, profit shortfalls, stalled growth, and lack of control, rather than managing symptoms.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If the challenges described in this article feel familiar, EOS may be the right next step.
EOS helps leadership teams solve problems at the root, regain control of the business, and create the discipline and accountability needed for consistent execution.
If EOS resonates, the best next step is simple: schedule a quick 15-minute call with our team.
Our Client Advisors have helped thousands of leadership teams address their most persistent business problems by finding the right EOS Implementer. During your call, we’ll learn more about your business, determine whether EOS is the right fit, and help you identify the best next step to get started.
