I love the concept of Get It, Want It, Capacity to Do It (GWC™). This can be a very freeing concept for business owners — even though it probably goes against their instincts. Owners and leaders, especially in the early days, never think about what they want to do, but what they have to do.
For the Love of the Business
New business owners often experience an initial burst of energy when starting their company. After that, they end up doing necessary tasks instead of what they want to do. They start working in the business instead of focusing on it. And they get worn down.
I’ve learned that some people just have a love of numbers and everything that goes into making a business profitable. Some people just … don’t. Either way is fine! Not every owner needs to sit in the Visionary or Integrator™ seat for their company. I’ve seen the faces of some of my clients look like the sky opened when they realized this.
You cannot imagine the enormous pressure that lifts from their shoulders after that. I’ve watched owners experience that massive rush of freedom all over again like when they first started their company. They regained the liberty to no longer be in a place for no reason.
Leading with EOS Life Principles
Owners working from their upper-left quadrant activities of the Delegate and Elevate™ Tool (what they love and are great at) lead using EOS Life principles. They do what they love, with the people they love, and make a huge difference. They hit their sweet spot. In return, they inspire their people to follow suit and have better lives both within the company and outside it.
Because when employees work in their top-left quadrants too, they have a greater work experience and feel more engaged. People who love what they do always outperform others who operate a certain way because they think they have to.
Teams get massively more effective when their people get to use their unique abilities for the company’s greater good. And their people stick around longer because they find the work enjoyable.
Got It, Don’t Really Want It
I hear this all the time in sessions from leaders. Someone got a new role and, either at the outset or after a few months, they really don’t like it. No matter how great the promotion or job title sounded, they now don’t WANT it.
“Great,” I say. “Now what do we do about that? How do we find someone who belongs there?”
If someone doesn’t want a seat, we need to find a way to fill the gap and get them out of it. Sometimes that person finds a different role within the company that they do GWC. Other times, they have to part ways with their employers, but they always end up happier in the end.