S1E6: Right People, Right Seats: Writing a New Chapter on Company Culture | Bill Van Vliet

Bill Van Vliet, president of Book Depot, discusses building a thriving online book business in the age of audiobooks and the role of culture in growth. 

Many of the early milestones in Bill’s 25 years with the company demonstrate his ability to blend technology into inventory and sales processes. But while machinery helped initial growth, Bill explains how the company began to plateau and couldn’t break through certain ceilings. 

After reading the book Traction, Bill and Visionary Wilf Wikkerink took their first steps into EOS®. Their journey kicked off right before COVID, and those first few months were filled with changes. 

Bill shares how The Accountability Chart™ led him into the Integrator™ role and his hesitancy in taking on that responsibility. But he was the right person, and it was the right seat for him. 

Culture becomes a huge part of that mindset. Bill shares how the leadership team looks drastically different from when they started EOS and ties it into the culture they establish during the hiring process. 

Bill points out how EOS helped shine a light on the company’s people, showing the good and weeding out what’s not working. He credits this “light” as the reason the company was able to shift out of fear-based communication and politicking in the office. 

He shares stories of modeling accountability and how he passes that on to his team and leaders in the business. 

Using the Level 10 Meetings™ and other tools, Bill emphasizes healthy dynamics and breaks down the importance of culture and problem-solving. The team has two core values that drive professional and personal growth: Don’t Be a Donkey and Kick Some Moon Dust. 

 [19:19]“When we started the EOS Process, we developed our core values. And we went back and looked at who our best employees were and what made them the best. And those core values have really laid the groundwork for our culture because it’s taken from our staff.”

But even with growth comes challenges. Bill opens up to talk about the struggles he faced with letting go of control and highlights the influence of personal transformations on the business and his personal life. 

Jim Wardlaw, Expert EOS Implementer™ for Book Depot, shares an inside look into Bill’s transformation and shares how he knew that Bill was the right fit for the role. Jim explains why leadership philosophy is so important to building a productive team and how that carries into the hiring process. The ceilings shatter as the company grows and the leadership team dives deeper into the greater-good mentality. 

Bill gives insight into the Integrator role while exploring the EOS Tools that make his business run smoothly. With new acquisitions and more ceilings to break through, Bill turns his attention toward ensuring his team can experience the same growth as his business.

Links 

1. Bill Van Vliet | LinkedIn
2. Our Team | Book Depot | Website
3. Traction Book | EOS Worldwide