When EOS is Not the Right Set of Tools

“I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.”

Abraham Maslow

The EOS Toolbox™ is like a Swiss Army knifeⓇ, a multi-tool for your business. In three words: Real. Simple. Results.

This sounds amazing, right? But there’s a catch: No matter how great it is, a Swiss Army Knife is still not the right tool for every job.

In the same way, EOSⓇ works for most organizations, but not for all. Here are five scenarios where we see that EOS might not be the right set of tools for your business.

Keeping the “Untouchables”: Team health trumps all. You need to be willing to have the hard conversations and make the tough calls. This is especially true in the case of your Untouchables. These are the people who, if they weren’t family or you hadn’t worked with them for 25 years, would have been fired long ago. In order for EOS to work, you need to be willing to let them go and put the Right People in the Right Seats. If you can’t make the call, EOS won’t work.

Someone Moved Your Cheese: Whatever you’re selling, nobody is buying. If someone has moved your cheese, you need to be open to the realities of the marketplace. Find a new source of cheese when the cheese you’re selling is out of style. EOS can’t fix a bad business model.

Commitment Issues: EOS is simple, but not easy. Is your leadership team willing to have difficult conversations? Hire the right people? Work extra hours to transform the business? EOS gives you the process and tools to help you solve your problems. This doesn’t mean we solve your problems for you. If you aren’t committed to addressing the challenges revealed by the EOS process, EOS won’t work.

Who’s In Charge: EOS really works best in a privately held company. Does your leadership team “own” the strategic direction of the business, or is it the responsibility of the Board of Directors or Ownership Group? When the ownership and leadership of the business are not aligned, EOS won’t work.

Wrong Fit: Does your experience with EOS align with what you read in Traction and Get A Grip? There has to be a good fit between your leadership team and your Implementer. EOS does not work when the chemistry is off with your Implementer.

EOS is not a silver bullet. That said, it has helped thousands of entrepreneurial teams create Real. Simple. Results. When your organization, your market, and your EOS Implementer are all aligned, EOS is the right set of tools to help you get what you want from your business.

“I think EOS is like a multi-tool for your business.”

Mark O’Donnell