As IT professionals, the concept of an operating system is a basic principle for us.
Without Windows, macOS or even iOS, our devices wouldn’t run.
But what about an operating system for your business?
Is that a crazy idea?
Not, it’s not. If you think of an operating system as the fundamentals of how you want your business to operate, it makes perfect sense.
That’s where EOS comes in.
Have you heard of it before? EOS – or the Entrepreneurial Operating
System – is a framework to help optimize how your business runs.
EOS has the potential to become the very core of your business, helping everyone to understand what they should be doing, and why.
The program has a heavy focus on a comprehensive business strategy, as well as management theories which help you:
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- See the best way of doing what you want to do
- Keep control of your business
- Make fewer mistakes along the way
Before any business gets started with EOS, your whole team should read Gino Wickman’s book Traction. This will help everyone understand exactly what needs to change, and more importantly, why. It helps everyone to realize their role in the change and why everyone must pull together.
the 6 key components
EOS focuses on 6 key components that will help you get the most out of the program and see the best results from your work. Each component must be followed for the highest chance of success.
VISION
As we’ve mentioned, you need to get everyone in the business on board. The entire team needs to know where the business is going and how you’re going to get there.
PEOPLE
You can’t achieve great vision without great people. Surround yourself with a great team from the top to the bottom.
DATA
You must reduce the business down to a simple set of numbers that will give you the exact view of where you are, at a very simple, straightforward level.
ISSUES
You’ll become excellent at problem-solving, making sure that business issues disappear
for the long-term rather than temporarily.
PROCESS
You’ll learn to systemize your business by identifying and documenting all of its core processes. These define the way you run the business, so you need to create consistency and scalability.
TRACTION
This step allows you to bring discipline and accountability to your people. Everyone should know what they’re supposed to be doing, and what will happen if they don’t.
PRINCIPLES
While the key components tell you what you’ll gain from using EOS, the principles tell you how you’ll get there.
STRATEGY
Your first step is to create a plan for how to run your business. Yes, you probably have a good idea how to run your business already. But this will look at what you want to accomplish, who will be involved in helping, and what resources you’ll need.
EXECUTION
Of course, when you have a plan, you’ll need to understand how to execute it. This stage helps ensure every new idea in your strategy has been well thought out in order to prevent you making mistakes. Careful consideration means your strategy will have the very best chance of success.
CONTROL
The other thing you need is the right control mechanisms and business operating tools. This gives everyone clear guidelines what they should be doing and what will happen if tasks aren’t completed properly.
PRINCIPLES
While the key components tell you what you’ll gain from using EOS, the principles tell you how you’ll get there.
STRATEGY
Your first step is to create a plan for how to run your business. Yes, you probably have a good idea how to run your business already. But this will look at what you want to accomplish, who will be involved in helping, and what resources you’ll need.
EXECUTION
Of course, when you have a plan, you’ll need to understand how to execute it. This stage helps ensure every new idea in your strategy has been well thought out in order to prevent you making mistakes. Careful consideration means your strategy will have the very best chance of success.
CONTROL
The other thing you need is the right control mechanisms and business operating tools. This gives everyone clear guidelines what they should be doing and what will happen if tasks aren’t completed properly.
your people
We all know that a business is nothing without its people. In EOS, there are two roles that are absolutely vital if you want success. You’ll need to carefully consider who takes on which role, as well as anything they might need from you in order to fulfil the role to the best of their ability.
THE VISIONARY
Ideally, this will be your role as the business owner. It involves coming up with new ideas for products and/or services your business can offer. The operators – your team – are there to support you by being experts at their jobs and helping to bring your ideas to life.
THE INTEGRATOR
This person brings order to the chaos you create as the visionary. They should have a wealth of experience to provide support that helps with real, measurable business growth.
Your main consideration is to understand how your whole team will fit together to make sure each area in your strategy gets the right support at the right time.
However, it’s also important that your people are given the right level of autonomy throughout the process. This can be a delicate balancing act, but when you have the right people in the right roles, navigating the rest shouldn’t be too difficult.
