Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business

by Gino Wickman

Your organization will be worth more as a result. This is what people that purchase businesses are looking for: a turnkey system.

Most leaders know that bringing discipline and accountability to the organization will make people a little uncomfortable. That’s an inevitable part of creating traction. What usually holds an organization back is the fear of creating this discomfort.

What are the two disciplines needed to gain traction? First, everyone must set specific, measurable priorities. Second, you must meet better as an organization. These two essentials are called: Rocks and a Meeting Pulse.

With a clear long-term vision in place, you’re ready to establish short-term priorities that contribute to achieving your vision. You will establish the three to seven most important priorities for the company, the ones that must be done in the next 90 days. Those priorities are called Rocks.

The way you move the company forward is one 90-day period at a time.

The bottom line is that you need to work on the biggest priorities—your Rocks—first. Everything else will fall into place.

A Rock is specific, measurable, and attainable. For example: “Close three core accounts” or “Hire a new controller.” A Rock is not a to-do that is open-ended or vague. “Start working on the Customer Service Process” is not specific, measurable, and attainable, and is therefore not a good Rock.

A Rock must be clear so that at the end of the quarter, there is no ambiguity whether it was done or not. Here is an example of four company Rocks that were set and defined: Company Rocks due by March 31 1. Close $1 million in new business 2. Document delivery process and train all 3. Narrow CFO candidates to two 4. Implement new information systems software

The owner is the person who drives the Rock to completion during the quarter by putting together a timeline, calling meetings, and pushing people. At the end of the quarter, the owner is the one that everyone looks at to assure the Rock was completed.

Please note that while the company and leadership team members should have three to seven Rocks, everyone else in the company should have one to three.

One last point: If you don’t continue to align quarterly, your organization will fragment to the point that you will get far off track, you will start to lose great people, you will lose sight of your vision, and you will end up right back where you started—in chaos.

Two roles are vital in the Level 10 Meeting. One person must run the meeting. This person will move the team through the agenda and keep them on track. Second, someone must manage the agenda. This person makes sure that the agenda, Scorecard, and Rock Sheet are updated and in front of everyone in each meeting. They update the To-Do and Issues Lists in the agenda each week.

Sometimes on your journey, you’ll feel like it’s not working. When this occurs, I urge you to stay the course. Mastery requires total commitment, and gaining traction requires a complete operating system.

The message is that building a great organization isn’t for everyone. Being an integrator isn’t for everyone. You have to know what you want.

With EOS implemented, everything has its place. In other words, every issue, priority, action, or idea that is longer term than 90 days is listed on your V/TO Issues List. Anything that must be accomplished this year becomes a goal. If it needs to get done this quarter and will take weeks or months to accomplish, it becomes a Rock. Any issues that arise during the quarter and must be solved now go onto your weekly Level 10 leadership meeting Issues List. Issues that are departmental in nature get pushed down to the appropriate departmental meeting Issues List, and any that are one- to two-week action items go on the To-Do List in your Level 10 Meetings, creating a simple system for managing all goals, Rocks, issues, and to-dos.

Keeping your head clear, your confidence high, and your focus strong are vital in maintaining forward momentum.

As Henry Ford said, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.”

First, find a challenge inside the business. Focus on your “acres of diamonds.” Put your energy into something that is going to perpetuate the existing vision. Dive into cultural projects that will boost the core values and the people. Experiment with some new products or services in line with the company’s core focus. Go interview your top clients and really dig into what is working and what is not working for them. Take employees to lunch and ask them the same kind of questions. Test current products and services, and make sure they are still relevant. All of these activities will keep you stimulated and further the vision of the company.

Once you have created a business that doesn’t require you to crank every single gear—an entity all its own—you’ll have more freedom for yourself. The journey should be enjoyable. If you’re racing to get to the end of the journey, you’ll be sorely disappointed.

“Society rewards results, not processes; arrivals, not journeys.”

The seven main tools are listed in the order of recommended implementation, along with the 12 secondary tools that go with them: 1. Accountability Chart (which includes People Analyzer and GWC) 2. Rocks 3. Meeting Pulse (which includes IDS, Level 10 Meeting, Quarterlies, and Annuals) 4. Scorecard 5. V/TO (which includes core values, core focus, 10-year target, marketing strategy, three-year picture, and one-year plan) 6. Three-Step Process Documenter 7. Everyone Has a Number