Why Implementing EOS is Key to Optimizing Talent on Your Team

Dec 12

an orange circle segmented into different sections related to a business

Any entrepreneur will tell you that finding, training, and KEEPING great people is one of the keys to success. My world is all about helping entrepreneurs “optimize” all those elements. What I’ve seen over the past year is how beautifully complementary the EOS model is to the efforts we make in aligning talents on teams.

World-renowned as a solid framework for business management, the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), is also a high-functioning people management platform. While it’s not perfect, it’s a heck of a start for businesses who often don’t even have enough staff to require an HR manager on the team. Here are my thoughts on how EOS can support your efforts to attract, develop, engage, and RETAIN great people.

For context, what’s EOS? EOS is a structured framework for defining a business strategy and aligning everyone on the team towards that strategy. It centers around six components: vision, data, process, traction, issues, and people. A clear definition of each component is step one to effectively implement EOS as a business management framework. You can read more about each of them here but I’d recommend you skip the read and just book a free 90-min meeting with one of the many certified “implementers” in the EOS community. Here’s a directory… it will likely be the best 90 min you spend this year.

How does EOS reinforce Talent Optimization?

1. EOS forces you to define, crystallize, and integrate your values: In EOS, Core Values define the company culture and personality. But settling on the right core values for your company can be difficult. One thing is for sure: openness and honesty are key to core value deliberations; after all, your business is an extension of yourself, and your company’s core values should align with those you hold, as well. Check out this article for tips on identifying core values – and once you’ve identified them, use them ruthlessly in hiring, firing, promotions, and recognition to ensure you’ve got the right people on the bus.

2. Leverage the EOS People Analyzer to ensure you’ve got the right butts in the right seats: an evaluation tool that can help make discussions about people in your organization more productive by providing a clear means to fairly judge if individuals are right for an organization and where they fit in. This tool helps get the right people in the right seats and ensures talent alignment to each role in the organization over time. Click here to see a sample People Analyzer.

3. Hold regular “L10” Meetings to improve accountability: In the EOS system, an L10 meeting is a weekly 90-minute, collaborative executive meeting with the same agenda every week. At the end of the meeting, participants rate the meeting on a scale of 1 to 10 based on how well they followed the agenda and how productive the meeting was. Holding regular L10s sets clear expectations and helps team members understand their role in helping the business succeed. Read more about running L10 meetings here.

4. “IDS”… because right now you’re probably doing “ID”: IDS stands for Identify, Discuss, and SOLVE. These scheduled, weekly 60+ min conversations are a perfect place to address resource constraints and ensure that ideas/opinions are heard and considered. Meetings are structured to “IDS” the three most important issues your team needs to discuss during an L10 meeting. They will be identified prior to or at the start of the session, then assigned priorities and solved during the meeting.

5. If you’re committed to the system, find an EOS implementer you love: Professional EOS implementers are people who help entrepreneurial leaders integrate EOS into their businesses, and they do it a LOT faster than you’ll accomplish on your own. They use EOS tools to strengthen the six critical components of their business, which in turn support so many engagement needs your team is experiencing. Learn more here.

We not only speak EOS; we RUN on EOS. We’re running on EOS and think you should consider it too. Activate Human Capital Group uses EOS to identify and retain the right people, to ensure we’re continually improving for our clients, and to stay on track with our goals. If you’re already running on EOS, we’d love to help you get more out of the system and streamline your people components. Our proven process can help you implement more efficient business practices to attract, select, onboard, train, engage, and retain the RIGHT people in the RIGHT seats.

Discover how Activate Human Capital Group can transform your workplace with our unique employee engagement strategies and strengths-based approach. Don't miss the chance to enhance your team's performance and satisfaction. Contact us today to start the conversation about your organization's future!