S1E5: Building a Thriving Team and Company by Embracing Failure | Matt Durrette

Matt Durrette, founder, and CEO of Cozi Vacation Rentals, discusses the challenges of having the wrong Integrator™ and how failure can build your best team.

Matt talks about his passion for breaking through ceilings after growing his business from one rental home to over 270. He also shares how EOS® helped him center the business around his core values and fill leadership positions with those in mind. 

Matt’s relationship with his EOS Implementer has been key for him in taking on the decision-maker role in the company. He credits his ability to make that transition to learning how to delegate and grow leaders in his company. 

Even while completely re-assigning the leadership team, Matt says it’s important to keep the future in view. Company values act as the thread between where the business is now and where you want it to go. 

Matt highlights that putting the values and mission back into the conversation leads to a thriving culture where employees feel empowered to chase success. 

But growth comes with change, and that invites challenges. Matt shares how he had to make the hard decision to replace his Integrator. And while it led to some challenging conversations at first, Matt’s strength gave traction to the team and facilitated their growth. 

As Matt looks back at that experience, he emphasizes how failure has become the strongest learning tool for his team: 

[15:27] “Failing means, for me and our team, the first attempt at learning. And I really want to instill in my leadership team – if all of us do not delegate and elevate, and give someone the opportunity to fail, they will never learn.” -Matt Durrette

Amy Johannesen, EOS Implementer for Cozi Vacation Rentals, shares a few peeks into Matt’s transformational journey as a leader and how he’s learned to be fearless in the face of failure. 

She talks about how Matt learned to slow down and trust his team so he could focus on the company’s growth and the visionary role. While talking about the tough decision Matt faced in letting his first Integrator go, Amy reveals the words that gave Matt the confidence to retake control of his company:

[22:42] “I hope you’ll get to the point where you can make a decision from a position of strength rather than a position of fear.” -Amy Johannesen

This game-changing moment may have caused tension between Matt and his company, but Amy points to those conversations and tools from EOS as the starting point for their new closeness and enthusiasm for the company.

Matt walks through the new ways he and his team measure success as both a transformed business and Visionary. He shares tips for keeping the passion in your business and fun ways to build company culture. Through personal stories, Matt shares how company culture makes a world of difference in the happiness and growth of the team.

As a Visionary, Matt’s transformation has allowed him to grow in his personal relationships and helped him be a better leader in the office. Hitting those ceilings as a leader can hold your whole company back, but breaking through them inspires the team even more. 

Links

1. Cozi Vacation Rentals | Website
2. Matt Durrette | LinkedIn