I keep a Hoberman sphere on my desk. You’ve probably seen one: that mesmerizing geometric toy that collapses into a compact ball and expands into an intricate lattice of interconnected joints and struts. It’s become my favorite metaphor for what happens inside growing organizations.
When the sphere is small, you can grasp it easily. Every connection point is visible. The structure is simple. But expand it, and something fascinating happens: the number of connection points multiplies exponentially. What was once straightforward becomes a web of relationships, each one adding complexity to the whole.
This is exactly what happens to your team as your business grows.
The Hidden Cost of Growth
When your company had five people, communication was simple. Everyone knew what everyone else was doing. Decisions happened quickly. Energy flowed naturally because there were only ten possible connections between people (mathematically, that’s n(n-1)/2 for you formula lovers).
But add just five more people to reach 10, and those connections jump to 45. At 20 people? 190 connections. The complexity doesn’t just increase; it explodes.
Here’s what most leaders don’t realize: each of these connections requires energy. Human energy. The energy to communicate clearly, to stay aligned, to resolve conflicts, to maintain accountability, to keep everyone rowing in the same direction.
And unlike the Hoberman sphere with its fixed structure, human connections are messy. They’re influenced by unclear roles, misaligned expectations, communication breakdowns, and the simple fact that we’re all trying to interpret reality through our own experiences and biases.
Where Your Energy Is Really Going
I ask every leadership team I work with the same question: “Where is your energy going?”
The answers are telling. Most of it is going to:
- Revisiting the same conversations because nothing was truly decided
- Managing conflicts that arise from unclear accountability
- Filling gaps created when people aren’t in the right seats
- Interpreting what others “really meant” in meetings
- Second-guessing whether everyone is actually on the same page
This is energy that could be driving your business forward. Instead, it’s being consumed by organizational friction, which is the natural result of complexity without structure.
The EOS Solution: Structure That Simplifies
This is where the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) comes in, and why I’m passionate about this work.
EOS doesn’t eliminate complexity; that’s impossible as you grow. But it does something crucial: it gives leadership teams a complete system with simple, practical tools to manage human energy. It’s like adding intentional structure to that expanding Hoberman sphere so that even as it grows, every connection point has a purpose and a place.
Here’s how EOS manages human energy across your organization:
- Vision alignment ensures everyone is connected to the same destination. When people share a clear vision, they stop wasting energy pulling in different directions.
- Clear accountability through the Accountability Chart means people know exactly who owns what. No more energy lost to confusion, territorial disputes, or balls being dropped.
- Structured Level 10 meetings with a specific agenda create a consistent Pulse. Your team stops spending energy wondering when they’ll communicate and starts using that energy to solve real issues.
- Data-driven decisions through Scorecards and Measurables replace gut feelings and debates with objective reality. When a Measurable is off track, you drop it down to the Issues List and to solve it.
- Issue-solving through IDS (Identify, Discuss, Solve) helps your team identify the real issue, discuss it openly and honestly, and solve it.”
Managing Energy THROUGH EOS
What makes EOS work is its explicit focus on the human element. Yes, it provides tools and processes, but the underlying principle is about managing the human energy that powers your business.
Think back to that Hoberman sphere. Without its carefully designed structure, all those struts and joints would just be a pile of plastic on your desk. The structure doesn’t fight against the sphere’s nature; it enables it to expand and contract smoothly.
Similarly, EOS doesn’t fight against human nature. It works with how people actually operate, providing clarity where there was ambiguity, creating accountability where there was confusion, and establishing rhythm where there was chaos.
Reclaim Your Team’s Energy
So here’s the question I’ll leave you with, the same one I ask leadership teams on our first day together:
Is your operating system managing your team’s energy, or consuming it?
If you’re spending more time managing internal complexity than focusing on your customers and your market, you have your answer. And if that resonates, it might be time to explore how a simple, proven system could help your leadership team reclaim that energy and channel it where it actually creates value.
Because at the end of the day, your business doesn’t grow because you work harder. It grows because you direct your human energy more effectively.
Ready to simplify your organizational complexity and help your team gain Traction? Schedule a 90-Minute Meeting with an EOS Implementer to discover what’s really getting in the way and whether EOS is the right fit for your leadership team.
