Traction - Get A Grip - Audible

1. 1Build the quarterly Rocks from gaps, not wishes. Fill out the Organizational Checkup (20 statements, each ranked 1 to 5) with your leadership team, find the low-scoring statements, and treat each gap as an issue. Prioritize the issues, then convert the high-priority ones into Rocks.
2. 2Cap Rocks at 3 to 7 per person per quarter. Statement 12 of the Checkup sets this range: everyone has Rocks and is focused on them. If someone holds more than 7, cut until the list fits.
3. 3Set company Rocks first, then have each department set theirs as a team. Each department follows the exact same process the leadership team used.
4. 4Share the company Rocks with the whole organization in a state-of-the-company meeting every quarter. Keep it to 45 minutes or less. Cover successes, progress, and the V/TO, then unveil the quarter's Rocks. Plan to repeat the message, because people sometimes have to hear something seven times before they really hear it.
5. 5Run the quarterly session from one fixed agenda every time. Expect drift: focus that was clear last quarter blurs by the next, and people may not remember agreeing. Keep written notes of decisions so you can show what was agreed.
6. 6Start the weekly Level 10 Meeting as a leadership team, at the same day and time every week, with the same printed agenda, starting and ending on time. Use this agenda: Segue 5 min, Scorecard 5, Rock Review 5, Customer/Employee Headlines 5, To-Do List 5, IDS 60, Close 5. To-dos and issues are built into the agenda, not tracked separately.
7. 7Build the Scorecard that feeds the meeting. Spend an hour with the leadership team and imagine you are on a desert island with only one sheet of paper. List every weekly number you would need for an absolute pulse on the business: weekly revenue, cash balances, sales activity, customer satisfaction/problems, A/R and A/P, and project or production status.
8. 8Roll the meeting out to departments only after the leadership team has mastered it. Expect about three months to cover the organization. Departmental meetings run 30 to 60 minutes, use the Level 10 agenda as a template, and spend at least 50 percent of the time solving issues.
9. 9Re-score the Organizational Checkup at least twice a year. Put each new gap on the Issues List and judge whether it is a high enough priority to become a Rock.

The source gives three Checkup-to-Rock conversions. First, a team rates itself 3 of 5 on statement 5, "Our target market is clear, and our sales and marketing efforts are focused on it." The Rock for the quarter: the sales manager redefines the target market, cleans up the sales pipeline, and trains all salespeople on it. Second, a team rates itself 4 of 5 on statement 1, the written, shared vision. It finds that not everyone shares the vision and that it has not been shared often enough. The Rock: address the people who do not share it and decide on their future. A to-do is added to schedule a meeting with everyone to share the vision again and restart quarterly company meetings. Third, a team rates itself 2 of 5 on statement 16, documented processes, and agrees to make documenting its core processes a goal for the year. Each Rock then appears in the weekly Rock Review, and anything blocking it goes into the 60-minute IDS. The score is the measure of progress: moving from 55 percent to 63 percent in a year counts as success, with 72 and then maybe 80 percent to follow.

• If a Checkup statement scores low and is a high-priority issue, then make it a Rock; if not, leave it on the Issues List.
• If a person or team holds more than 7 Rocks, then cut to the 3 to 7 range before the quarter starts.
• If the leadership team has not mastered the Level 10 Meeting, then do not roll it out to departments yet.
• If a departmental meeting is shorter than the 60-minute leadership format, then keep the agenda structure but ensure at least 50 percent of the time goes to solving issues.
• If the team seems unfocused or disagrees with last quarter's conclusions, then treat it as the normal 90-day cycle: rerun the standard quarterly agenda and refer to the notes instead of getting frustrated.

• Meetings float: the day, time, or agenda changes week to week. The tell: the team cannot say when the next meeting is or what is on the agenda, and Checkup statement 14 scores low.
• Too many Rocks, so none finish. The tell: individuals carry more than 7 priorities and the Rock Review turns into a status lecture.
• The IDS hour gets squeezed by reporting. The tell: issues are discussed outside the meeting, or less than half of a departmental meeting is spent solving them.
• Announcing Rocks once and moving on. The tell: employees cannot name the company Rocks, and the quarterly state-of-the-company meeting has lapsed.
• Quitting the weekly meeting because the first one is awkward. The tell: the pulse stops within the first few weeks, before it becomes comfortable and team health, communication, and results begin to rise.

• ▸Checkup statement and score (1-5): Write the low-scoring statement number and your rating.
• ▸Gap description: State in one line what is missing between the score and a 5.
• ▸Issues List priority (high/not): Decide whether the gap is high enough to tackle this quarter.
• ▸Rock (owner, outcome, quarter end): Write one specific, finishable Rock, keeping each person to 3 to 7.
• ▸Weekly Scorecard numbers: List the weekly measurables that tell you whether the Rock and the business are on track.
• ▸Meeting slot: Fix the day, time, and printed agenda: Segue, Scorecard, Rock Review, Headlines, To-Do, IDS, Close.
• ▸Quarterly state-of-company date: Schedule the 45-minute all-hands to unveil Rocks and share the V/TO.
• ▸Department rollout plan: Name each department, its meeting length (30 to 60 min), and a start date after leadership mastery.
• ▸Next Checkup date: Schedule the next re-score; do it at least twice a year.

1. 1Ask each person on the leadership team, separately and in writing, to state the company's vision and where the business is going. Compare the answers. Different answers confirm that people are rowing in different directions, and the spread is your baseline.
2. 2Score the company on the 20-statement Organizational Checkup, 1 to 5 per statement. Tally the count of each ranking, multiply by 1 through 5, add, and read the percentage (20-34% through 80-100%; most EOS clients end up at 80-100%). Repeat at least twice a year.
3. 3Set the core focus. Write the purpose, cause, or passion in three to seven words, in simple language, and test it against the eight-point checklist (big and bold, 'aha' effect, from the heart, involves everyone, not about money, bigger than a goal). Pick one of the three words and delete the others. Then name your niche separately so the two aren't confused.
4. 4Write the vision down and share it with everyone. Put it on the V/TO (Vision/Traction Organizer) and hold quarterly company meetings to restate it. The checkup's first statement asks for a clear vision in writing that is properly communicated and shared by everyone.
5. 5Build the Accountability Chart structure first, with no names in the boxes. Show the major functions (three to ten on the front line, never more than seven for any EOS client) and five bullets of major roles per function. Then seat people who operate in their Unique Ability and who get a 'yes' on all three GWC items. Remember that one name can hold two seats but two names cannot hold one seat.
6. 6Convert the focus into 3 to 7 Rocks per person per quarter, tied to the 1-year plan and listed on the V/TO. Everyone has Rocks and is focused on them.
7. 7Turn every checkup gap into an Issues List item. Prioritize it. If it's high enough, the solution becomes a goal, Rock, or to-do. Run it through the weekly meeting, spending at least 50 percent of meeting time solving issues.
8. 8Screen new opportunities against the core focus before you pursue them. Name the 'shiny stuff' (a competitor, a new idea, a new product, advice that looks good) and put it on the Issues List instead of acting on it.

The passages give two checkup examples. First, the leadership team rates itself 4 out of 5 on statement 1, 'We have a clear vision in writing that has been properly communicated and shared by everyone.' They see the gap: not everyone shares the vision, and they haven't been sharing it often enough. The gap goes on the Issues List and is judged high priority. The solutions are a Rock for the quarter to address the people who don't share the vision and decide on their future, and a to-do for someone to schedule a meeting with everyone to share the vision again and restart quarterly company meetings. Second, they rate themselves 3 out of 5 on statement 5, 'Our target market is clear, and our sales and marketing efforts are focused on it.' The Rock for the quarter is for the sales manager to redefine the target market, clean up the sales pipeline, and train all salespeople on it. The Benefits Company has run this process and reports 30 percent average annual growth over five years.

• If individual answers to 'what is our vision?' differ, treat it as an alignment gap and put it on the Issues List before adding any new initiative.
• If a new opportunity does not fit the core focus, treat it as shiny stuff and park it, however attractive it looks.
• If a statement scores 3 or lower on the checkup, put it on the Issues List. Make it a Rock only if it is a high enough priority, and a to-do if it isn't.
• If a person isn't a 'yes' on all three GWC items, they are in the wrong seat.
• If your purpose statement tells people which business you're in, rewrite it. It should work in any industry and shouldn't be confused with your niche.
• If a function count on the Accountability Chart exceeds seven, recheck the structure. Less is more.

• Assuming the vision is shared because you've said it once. The tell: a range of different answers when you ask staff individually.
• Mistaking a niche for a purpose. The tell: the statement names your industry or product and couldn't move to another industry.
• Chasing shiny stuff because a competitor, new idea, or poor advice looks good, or because the team assumes success in one business transfers to any. The tell: new projects appear that no Rock or goal supports.
• Putting names in Accountability Chart boxes before the structure is right. The tell: the chart mirrors the current people rather than the needed functions.
• Letting the Accountability Chart become a silo. The tell: communication stops crossing departments, though the chart defines only function, role, and reporting.
• Scoring the checkup once and filing it. The tell: no gaps appear on the Issues List and no Rocks derive from the scores.

• ▸Core focus (3-7 words): write the purpose, cause, or passion and check it against the eight-point list.
• ▸Niche: state it separately so it isn't confused with the core focus.
• ▸Vision-recall test: record what each leader wrote when asked for the company's vision, and note where they differ.
• ▸Checkup score and date: total percentage from the 20 statements and the date taken.
• ▸Lowest-scoring statements: list each statement number scoring 3 or below.
• ▸Issue: restate each gap as an Issues List item.
• ▸Solution type: mark it as goal, Rock, or to-do, or note if it isn't a high enough priority.
• ▸Owner and quarter: name who owns it and when it's due.
• ▸Shiny-stuff log: list each distracting opportunity raised and whether it fit the core focus.

1. 1Score the traction items first. Rate items 12–20 of the Organizational Checkup from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): Rocks, weekly meetings, meeting discipline, issue solving, documented processes, feedback, Scorecard, a number for everyone, and the budget. Also rate items 15 and 16 on how the company runs. Your lowest scores show where plans stop turning into results. Score all 20 items for the full percentage. Total points are the percentage: 20–34% means read on, 35–49% is normal, 50–64% is above average, 65–79% is well above average, and 80–100% is where most EOS clients end up.
2. 2Fill in the Traction side of the V/TO in order: 1 Year Plan (future date, revenue, profit, measurables, goals for the year), Rocks for the quarter (a Who for each), and the Issue List. Each page must cascade from the one before it. The Vision side (core values, core focus, 10-year target, 3 year picture) is the source the year's goals are drawn from.
3. 3Write the 1 Year Plan with a future date and numbers for revenue, profit, and measurables. Then list the goals for the year. Fewer than the 10 lines the template allows is better, because every goal competes for the same people's attention.
4. 4Set Rocks for the quarter: 3 to 7 priorities per person, as the checkup (item 12) defines them. Write each Rock with a named Who. Keep company, leadership team, and individual Rocks visible on the one-page quarterly list. A Rock without an owner is a wish.
5. 5Fix the weekly meeting rhythm. Hold all meetings on the same day and at the same time each week, with the same printed agenda, starting and ending on time (item 14). Everyone attends and engages (item 13). The rhythm creates the weekly pulse that carries quarterly Rocks.
6. 6Install the Scorecard and give everyone a number. A Scorecard holds the weekly metrics and measurables (item 18), and each person owns a number (item 19). Review it in the weekly meeting so an off-track number surfaces in days, not at quarter end.
7. 7Run the Issue List with the sequence on the V/TO: Prioritize, Identify, Discuss, Solve. Pick the most important issue first, name the real issue, discuss it, and solve it for the greater good and the long term (item 15). Do not carry unsolved issues indefinitely.
8. 8Protect the plan from distraction. Test every new opportunity against the core focus. 'Shiny stuff' (a competitor's move, a new idea, a new product, advice that looks good) is what pulls the team off its Rocks. Check the budget monthly or quarterly (item 20) to see whether spending still follows the plan.

The source includes a completed V/TO for a Canadian logistics company. It has five core values (Flexible, Innovative, Respectful, Spirited, Team), a core focus of 'Create raving fans through living our core values', a niche of 'Being your Canadian logistics partner', and a 10-year target of $25 million in revenue at a 10% net margin. Its 3 year picture lists concrete items: 3 total $1.5M+ clients, 3 total $1M+ clients, 15 total $200k+ clients, 50% of new projects from new clients, its own location, lettershop capabilities, properly incented employees, company-wide automation, and fending off acquisition. The traction work is to pull a short list from that picture. Illustration only: a team might choose 'company-wide automation' and 'properly incented employees' as the candidates for this quarter's Rocks, and leave 'own location' for a later quarter. Each chosen item then gets a Who, and the company drops out of the 3-to-7 range if it names more. The weekly Scorecard and Level 10-style meeting show whether the Rocks are moving, and anything blocking them goes to the Issue List. The 3 year picture only becomes real through this chain from the 10-year target to the quarter to the week.

• If a person has fewer than 3 or more than 7 Rocks, then fix it: the source sets 3 to 7 priorities per quarter, so cut or add until the person is inside that range.
• If an opportunity does not fit the core focus, then treat it as 'shiny stuff' and decline it or park it on the Issue List instead of adding a Rock.
• If someone has no number on the Scorecard, then assign one. Item 19 says everyone has a number, and a person without one cannot be held to a weekly standard.
• If a weekly meeting changes day, time, or agenda, or runs late, then restore the fixed format. Item 14 depends on consistency.
• If an issue keeps reappearing on the list, then stop discussing symptoms: use Identify, Discuss, Solve to name the real issue and assign the fix, so it leaves the list.

• Too many Rocks. The tell: people carry far more than 7 priorities, and at quarter end most are half done.
• Rocks with no owner. The tell: the Who column is blank or says 'team' and nobody can say who is accountable.
• Meetings that float. The tell: the day, time, or agenda changes, people arrive late, or they run over, so the weekly pulse breaks.
• A Scorecard nobody uses. The tell: metrics exist but not everyone has a number, or off-track numbers are first discussed at quarter end.
• Chasing shiny stuff. The tell: new products or ideas appear mid-quarter and displace Rocks, and nobody can link them to the core focus.

• ▸Checkup traction score (items 12–20): enter your 1–5 rating for each and note the lowest three.
• ▸1 Year Plan future date: write the date the plan runs to.
• ▸1 Year Plan targets: enter revenue, profit, and measurables.
• ▸Goals for the year: list only the few goals that move the 3 year picture.
• ▸Quarter Rocks and Who: list 3 to 7 per person, each with one named owner.
• ▸Weekly meeting standard: record the fixed day, time, and printed agenda.
• ▸Scorecard numbers: list each weekly metric and the person who owns it.
• ▸Issue List (Prioritize, Identify, Discuss, Solve): record the top issue, its real cause, and the agreed solution.
• ▸Core focus distraction test: for each new opportunity this quarter, note whether it fits the core focus, yes or no.

1. 1Gather the leadership team and have each person rank all 20 Organizational Checkup statements from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong). The statements span the Six Key Components: vision (1-6), people (8-11), data (18-19), issues (15), process (7, 16-17), and traction (12-14, 20).
2. 2Settle on one rating per statement as a team. Where individual ratings differ, discuss the difference before you score, because the gap in perception is itself useful data.
3. 3Count how many statements received each ranking (1 through 5). Multiply those counts by ×1, ×2, ×3, ×4, ×5 respectively, then add the five products. The source says this total yields the percentage score for the current state of your company.
4. 4Place the result on the scoring bands: 20-34% (this book will change your life), 35-49% (normal), 50-64% (above average, room to improve), 65-79% (well above average), 80-100% (where most EOS clients end up, and your goal).
5. 5Treat every low-rated statement as a gap between where you are and where you want to go. Put each gap on the Issues List and decide whether it is high enough priority to tackle now.
6. 6Convert the priorities you keep into goals, Rocks, and to-dos for the coming year. Give each Rock an owner and keep Rocks to 3 to 7 per person per quarter.
7. 7Retake the Checkup at least twice every year and compare to the last score. Judge success by the distance traveled, not by a comparison with other companies.
8. 8Record the date and score each time so you can see the trend, for example 55% last year and 63% this year.

A leadership team scores itself and rates statement 5, "Our target market is clear, and our sales and marketing efforts are focused on it," a 3 out of 5. The gap goes on the Issues List and is judged high enough priority. The solution becomes a Rock for the quarter: the sales manager redefines the target market, cleans up the sales pipeline, and trains all salespeople on it. On statement 1 (clear vision shared by everyone) the team rates itself a 4. The gap is that not everyone shares the vision and it has not been shared often enough. The Rock is to address the people who do not share the vision and decide on their future. A to-do is added to schedule a meeting with everyone to share the vision again and restart quarterly company meetings. On statement 16 (systems and processes documented, simplified, followed), the team rates itself a 2 and agrees to make documenting core processes a goal for the year. The Benefits Company, at 88%, has averaged 30 percent growth every year for five years. A company at 55% last year and 63% this year is succeeding, and the guide projects roughly 72% the next year.

• If a statement scores 3 or below, then put it on the Issues List and test whether it is a high enough priority; if it is, assign a Rock or goal, and if not, leave it listed.
• If the gap is a one-time fix (such as sharing the vision again), then make it a to-do; if it needs a quarter of focused work (such as redefining the target market), then make it a Rock.
• If the issue is large and year-long (such as documenting core processes), then make it an annual goal.
• If your score is below 80%, then treat that as normal and aim for steady improvement rather than perfection; the goal is progress, not perfection.
• If your score rose since the last Checkup, then count it as success even when it is below 80% or below another company's score.

• Taking the Checkup once and filing the score. The tell: no gaps appear on the Issues List and no Rocks trace back to a statement. The source calls for at least two Checkups a year.
• Scoring alone rather than with the leadership team. The tell: the owner's ratings are higher than what staff would say, especially on shared-vision statements, where the source warns you would get a range of different answers.
• Treating the percentage as a grade and chasing 100%. The tell: frustration at not matching the 88% Benefits Company, instead of tracking the improvement from last year.
• Finding gaps but not converting them to action. The tell: the same low statements score low on the next Checkup, with no goals, Rocks, or to-dos behind them.
• Acting on every low score at once. The tell: more than 3 to 7 Rocks per person per quarter, which contradicts the priority-setting the Checkup is meant to feed.

• ▸Date and team members scoring: record who took part and when, so you can compare against the next Checkup.
• ▸Count of 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s: tally how many of the 20 statements got each ranking.
• ▸Weighted total (×1, ×2, ×3, ×4, ×5): multiply each count by its multiplier and add the five results.
• ▸Percentage score and band: record the percentage and which band it falls in (20-34, 35-49, 50-64, 65-79, 80-100).
• ▸Previous score and change: write last Checkup's score and the point difference.
• ▸Gap statements (rated 3 or below): list each statement number and its rating.
• ▸Issues List decision: for each gap, mark yes/no on whether it is high enough priority to tackle.
• ▸Action type and owner: for each priority gap, choose goal, Rock, or to-do and name the owner.
• ▸Next Checkup date: schedule the retake, at least twice a year.

1. 1Write the targets on the Vision/Traction Organizer. Set a 10-year target (the example: $25 million in revenue at a 10% net margin), a 3-year picture with a future date, revenue, profit and measurables, and a 1-year plan with revenue, profit and measurables. Every growth number you track traces back to these.
2. 2Score the Organizational Checkup at least twice a year. Rate each statement 1 to 5 across the 20 statements, multiply the count at each ranking by 1 through 5, and add the five products to get a percentage. Read it against the bands: 20-34% (read on), 35-49% (normal), 50-64% (above average), 65-79% (well above average), 80-100% (where most EOS clients end up).
3. 3Turn gaps into issues. Take every low-rated statement to the leadership team and put it on the Issues List. Decide whether each gap is a high enough priority to tackle now.
4. 4Convert the chosen issues into the 1-year goals, quarterly Rocks (3 to 7 per person) and to-dos. A 3 out of 5 on 'Our target market is clear...' becomes a Rock for the sales manager to redefine the target market, clean up the pipeline and train all salespeople on it.
5. 5Build a weekly Scorecard. Spend an hour with the leadership team on the 'desert island' exercise: list the numbers you need for an absolute pulse on the business. Include weekly revenue, cash balances, sales activity, customer satisfaction/problems, A/R and A/P, and project or production status. Give everyone a number and keep a budget monitored monthly or quarterly.
6. 6Run the Weekly Meeting Pulse (Level 10 Meeting). Hold meetings on the same day and time every week and spend at least 50 percent of the time solving issues. Leadership masters it first. Rolling it to departments typically takes about three months, with department meetings of 30 to 60 minutes.
7. 7Share the Rocks with the whole company in a quarterly state-of-the-company meeting, so everyone sees the same picture of where the business is going.
8. 8Hold the core focus against 'shiny stuff.' Check each new opportunity against your purpose and niche before it gets resources, so growth comes from the core and not from distractions.

The Benefits Company began The EOS Process and has since grown 30 percent on average every year for five years. The source shows the mechanism behind that kind of growth. The Organizational Checkup exposes gaps. Say you rate 'Our target market is clear, and our sales and marketing efforts are focused on it' a 3 out of 5. That gap goes on the Issues List, and if it ranks high enough it becomes a quarterly Rock: the sales manager redefines the target market, cleans up the sales pipeline and trains all salespeople on it. Say you rate the vision statement a 4 and find that not everyone shares it. The Rock is to talk with those who do not share it and decide on their future, and a to-do is to schedule an all-company meeting to share the vision. A second sample company shows the targets a result is measured against: a $25 million, 10%-net-margin 10-year target, with a 3-year picture of 3 clients at $1.5M+, 3 at $1M+ and 15 at $200k+. Another company's growth path ran 4 people/$500K, then 15 people/$2.1M, 26 people/$6M, and 43 people/$14.1M in year 5.

• If a checkup statement scores 3 or below and it affects revenue or profit, put it on the Issues List and make it a Rock this quarter. Otherwise leave it on the list.
• If sales and marketing are strong but operations is weak, then fix delivery first, because customers are leaving out the back door.
• If sales and operations are strong but finance is weak, then add financial controls and customer-profitability review, because $10 million in and $10.2 million out is a loss.
• If a department meeting spends under 50 percent of its time solving issues, then cut status updates and move the time to issues.
• If an opportunity falls outside your purpose and niche, then treat it as 'shiny stuff' and decline it, however attractive it looks.

• Setting revenue and profit goals with no weekly numbers behind them. The tell: nobody can state the current week's figures, and the Scorecard is missing or has no owners.
• Scoring the checkup once and filing it. The tell: the same gaps appear year after year and no Rocks trace back to them.
• Growth that outruns the structure. The tell: the founder is still in every seat, or someone is in more than one seat without time to do both jobs well.
• Strong sales hiding weak operations or finance. The tell: new customers keep arriving while existing ones leave, or cash comes in and goes right back out with no spending monitoring or customer profitability assessment.
• Chasing distractions. The tell: new products or ideas get resources even though they do not fit your purpose or niche, and Rocks proliferate past 3 to 7.

• ▸Checkup score (%) and band: sum the five ranking products and match the band.
• ▸Lowest-scoring statements: list the 3 to 5 statements you rated lowest.
• ▸Gap to issue: restate each gap as one issue for the Issues List.
• ▸1-year goals: write the revenue, profit and measurables for the year.
• ▸Quarterly Rocks and owners: 3 to 7 priorities, each with one name.
• ▸Scorecard numbers: list the weekly metrics, each owned by one person, with target and actual.
• ▸Budget check: record whether it was monitored monthly or quarterly, and any variance.
• ▸Meeting health: log the percent of weekly meeting time spent solving issues (target 50% or more).
• ▸Focus check: name any opportunity declined or accepted this quarter against your purpose and niche.

1. 1Score the baseline first. Rate statement 1 of the Organizational Checkup ('We have a clear vision in writing that has been properly communicated and is shared by everyone') from 1 to 5, then do the same for statement 4 (10-year target communicated to everyone). Do it with your leadership team. Repeat at least twice a year to track progress.
2. 2Run the individual-answer test. Ask each employee separately what the company's vision is. The passages predict a range of different answers. Record the answers verbatim; the spread between them is your alignment gap.
3. 3Write the vision on the V/TO. Fill in the Vision side: Core Values, Core Focus (purpose/cause/passion plus niche), 10-Year Target, Marketing Strategy (target market 'The List', Three Uniques, Proven Process, Guarantee), and 3-Year Picture (future date, revenue, profit, measurables, what it looks like).
4. 4Test the purpose, cause, or passion against the eight-point checklist: three to seven words, simple language, big and bold, an 'aha' effect, from the heart, involves everyone, not about money, bigger than a goal. Choose one of the three words that resonates with your team and delete the other two. Also confirm it could travel to any industry, so it is not confused with your niche.
5. 5Turn the gap into work. Put the gap on the Issues List, then decide whether it is a high enough priority. If it is, the solution becomes a goal, a Rock, or a to-do for the coming year.
6. 6Share the V/TO with the whole organization every quarter at a state-of-the-company meeting of no more than 45 minutes. Cover successes, progress, the V/TO, and the quarter's company Rocks. Plan on repetition: people sometimes have to hear something seven times before they really hear it for the first time.
7. 7Cascade the vision into action. Each department sets its Rocks as a team, using the same process the leadership team uses, so that everyone's priorities (3 to 7 per quarter) connect to the written vision.
8. 8Rescore after each cycle. Expect drift: the author found that his own team went off the same page roughly every 90 days and returned to alignment in the quarterly meeting. Treat it as a normal cycle, not a failure, and hold the quarterly session on schedule.

The source gives a real V/TO example: a Canadian logistics company. Its core values are Flexible, Innovative, Respectful, Spirited, and Team. Its passion is 'Create raving fans through living our core values,' its niche is 'Being your Canadian logistics partner,' and its 10-year target is '$25 million in revenue at a 10% net margin.' Its marketing strategy names the target list (mail producers able and willing to go after Canadian direct marketing mail, and major accounts using international providers for Canadian mail), three uniques (Canadian expertise, understand the value chain, The Right Route Solution), and a named proven process, 'The Right Route Solution.' The 3-Year Picture lists concrete, checkable items: 3 total $1.5M+ clients, 3 total $1M+ clients, 15 total $200k+ clients, 50% of new projects from new clients, their own location, and company-wide automation. Every employee can test a decision against these lines. A second source example shows the diagnostic loop: a team rates itself 4 out of 5 on statement 1, sees that not everyone shares the vision and that it is not shared often enough, and sets a Rock to address the people who do not share it and decide on their future. Someone also gets a to-do to schedule an all-hands meeting to share the vision again and restart quarterly company meetings.

• If the individual-answer test produces different answers from different people, then the vision is not shared, whatever your self-score says. Fix communication before rewriting the document.
• If your purpose, cause, or passion names your industry or product, then it is confusing purpose with niche. Rewrite it so it could be taken into any industry.
• If your score on statement 1 or 4 is below 5, then name the specific gap (not written, not communicated, not shared, not repeated) and put it on the Issues List. Rate it a Rock only if it is a high enough priority.
• If people still do not share the vision after repeated, consistent communication, then decide on their future, as in the source example: the Rock is to address those people and make a decision.
• If a new opportunity, competitor move, or 'shiny stuff' pulls attention, then test it against the Core Focus and the 10-Year Target before spending leadership time on it.

• Writing the vision but not sharing it. The tell: the V/TO is complete, yet employee answers to 'what is our vision?' vary widely.
• Communicating once. The tell: no quarterly state-of-the-company meeting, or you stop hearing the vision repeated, even though people may need to hear it seven times.
• A bloated or fuzzy purpose. The tell: it runs past seven words, mentions money, reads like a goal, or has no 'aha' effect, and nobody on the team can repeat it.
• Confusing purpose with niche or core business. The tell: your 'purpose' only makes sense inside your current industry.
• Treating drift as a one-time fix. The tell: you align the team in one session, then are surprised 90 days later when people are 'further off the same page'; the source shows this cycle is normal and needs a recurring meeting.
• Inflating your self-score. The tell: you rate yourself 4 or 5 without ever asking employees individually.

• ▸Written vision check (1-5): Score statement 1 and note whether every V/TO Vision-side section is filled in.
• ▸10-Year Target check (1-5): Score statement 4 and write the target as stated on the V/TO.
• ▸Purpose/Cause/Passion (one word chosen): Write it in 3-7 words and mark which of the eight checklist points it fails.
• ▸Individual-answer test: List each employee's answer to 'What is our vision?' in their own words.
• ▸Gap statement: Write one sentence on what differs between the written vision and what people said.
• ▸Issues List entry: Record the gap and whether it is high enough priority to act on.
• ▸Rock / to-do: Name the owner, the action, and the quarter (for example, schedule the all-hands vision session).
• ▸State-of-the-company meeting date: Set the next quarterly meeting (45 minutes maximum) and confirm the V/TO and company Rocks are on the agenda.
• ▸Rescore date: Set the next Organizational Checkup, at least twice a year, and record the new statement 1 and 4 scores.

1. 1Write down your core values first (the Vision component supplies them). The People Analyzer rates people against them, so unclear values make every rating arbitrary. The Organizational Checkup statement to hold yourself to: 'we are hiring, reviewing, rewarding, and firing around them.'
2. 2Build the Accountability Chart structure with no names. Start with the three major functions: sales and marketing, operations, and finance. Split them only where your size and state demand it: sales vs. marketing; delivery, project management, customer service; finance, administration, IT, HR. Expect three to ten functions on the front line and keep it lean, since no EOS client has more than seven.
3. 3Check whether a major function sits off the front line. The source says that about half the time a company's chart is missing one. Add it to the structure before any names go in.
4. 4Under each function, list five bullets for its major roles. The result should read like an org chart, with function, role, and reporting line clear for every box.
5. 5Only after the structure is set, put names in seats. Choose each person so they are operating in their Unique Ability. One name may sit in several seats, but never two names in one seat. Confirm that a multi-seat person has enough time to do each job well.
6. 6Run the People Analyzer for right people. List names down the left column and core values across the top. Rate each person +, +/-, or - for each value. + means they exhibit it most of the time, +/- means sometimes, and - means they mostly don't.
7. 7Set the bar as a leadership team. The bar is the minimum People Analyzer result you will accept, and it gives every manager absolute clarity on what is acceptable. Treat 100 percent of people looking like John (all +) as the ideal, not a demand for perfection.
8. 8Add GWC for right seats. Rate each person yes or no on whether they get it, want it, and have the capacity to do the role, with no pluses and minuses. Anything short of three yeses means the person is in the wrong seat. Then keep communication flowing across departments so the chart does not create silos.

The source's People Analyzer example has three people. John rates + on the core values and is 'absolutely the right person.' George is 'very much on the fence,' with mixed ratings. Sally 'must go.' Your leadership team sets the bar, for instance deciding what mix of +, +/- and - is the minimum acceptable. John clears it, Sally clearly doesn't, and George is the decision the bar exists to settle. Next, GWC is applied to the seat itself. Suppose John is a yes on get it and want it but a no on capacity. He is the right person in the wrong seat. Per the source, you need yes on all three, so the fix is a different seat or a restructured role, not a verdict on his values. This matches the source's growth example, where a founder in every seat hands off operations once at capacity.

• If a person rates + on core values but gets a 'no' on any part of GWC, then they are the right person in the wrong seat. Move or restructure the seat; don't exit them on values grounds.
• If a person rates - on core values most of the time, then they must go regardless of GWC. The bar sets that line, not individual manager preference.
• If one person holds two seats and has the time to do both well, then leave it. If they or you lack time to cover all seats, then bring in someone for the overloaded seat.
• If you are tempted to put names in boxes while drawing the chart, then stop. Finish the structure with function and roles only, then assign people.
• If the chart shows more than seven major functions, then treat it as a warning. Combine or rethink, because less is more and no EOS client exceeds seven.

• Designing the chart around current people. The tell is boxes that mirror who you already employ and a structure that bends to a person's title or comfort.
• Treating the +/- middle rating as acceptable by default. The tell is that no bar has been set and managers disagree on what 'good enough' means.
• Using pluses and minuses on GWC. The tell is a 'mostly gets it' or 'kind of wants it' verdict on someone who stays in the seat for months.
• Leaving a major function off the chart, especially one off the front line. The tell is unowned work that surfaces as repeated cross-departmental issues.
• Reading the Accountability Chart as a communication structure. The tell is silos, with people refusing to talk across departments because 'it's not my box.'

• ▸Name: the person being evaluated, listed in the left column.
• ▸Seat / function: the Accountability Chart seat they occupy (note any second seat and whether time allows both).
• ▸Core value ratings: for each core value across the top, enter + (most of the time), +/- (sometimes), or - (not most of the time).
• ▸The bar: the minimum core-value result the leadership team will accept, agreed in advance and written down.
• ▸Get it: yes or no. Do they understand the role?
• ▸Want it: yes or no. Do they genuinely want the role?
• ▸Capacity: yes or no. Do they have the capacity to do it, including time if they hold two seats?
• ▸Unique Ability fit: does the seat sit in their Unique Ability? Note yes or no.
• ▸Verdict: right person/right seat, right person/wrong seat (needs three GWC yeses to stay in the seat), or must go, plus the action and owner.

1. 1Block one hour with the full leadership team and run the desert island exercise. You have no phone, no email, and no contact with anyone. You have one sheet of paper with a handful of numbers that must give you an absolute pulse on the business.
2. 2List the categories you would need weekly to have that pulse. The source names weekly revenue, cash balances, weekly sales activity, customer satisfaction/problems, accounts receivable and payable, and client project or production status as examples. Treat them as prompts, not a fixed list, because the Scorecard is unique to each organization.
3. 3Reduce the list to the numbers that earn a place on the single sheet. The test is whether you could run the business blind with them. Anything you would not miss from the desert island comes off.
4. 4Give every number a weekly rhythm and make it visible. The Scorecard is a weekly tool, so a number you can only measure monthly or quarterly belongs in the budget review, not here (the budget is monitored monthly or quarterly, separately from the Scorecard).
5. 5Build the Scorecard into the weekly meeting. In the Level 10 agenda it takes 5 minutes, right after the segue and before Rock Review, customer/employee headlines, to-dos, and IDS. Use the same day, same time, same printed agenda, starting and ending on time.
6. 6Make sure everyone in the organization has a number (Organizational Checkup statement 19). Departmental weekly meetings follow the Level 10 agenda as a guide, so each department's Scorecard slot carries that department's numbers.
7. 7Use the Scorecard to read the pulse, not to debate it. A number that is off track is not discussed during the 5-minute slot; it goes to the Issues List and gets solved in IDS, where at least 50 percent of departmental meeting time should go.
8. 8Score yourselves on statements 18 and 19 of the Organizational Checkup (1 to 5) at least twice a year. Any low rating is a gap, the gap becomes an issue on the Issues List, and you decide whether it is a high enough priority to tackle.

The source's own illustration is the Level 10 agenda. A team meets at the same time each week. After the segue, it spends 5 minutes on the Scorecard, reading the numbers against goals. It does not solve problems in that slot. The flagged items go on the Issues List. The agenda's sample IDS items show what this produces: 'Winter sales are down,' 'We missed the delivery date on ABC,' 'A/R is over 60 days.' Each is the kind of issue a number on the Scorecard (weekly sales activity, project status, accounts receivable) would surface. The team then spends up to 60 minutes in IDS solving them, and the resulting actions go on the To-Do list, such as 'Sue will call the supplier.' The logic chain from the source holds: on track for the week means on track for the quarter, which means on track for the year. A missed number is therefore noticed within seven days rather than at a quarterly session.

• If a metric cannot be measured weekly, then keep it off the Scorecard and track it in the monthly or quarterly budget review.
• If a number is off track in the Scorecard slot, then do not solve it there. Put it on the Issues List and solve it in IDS.
• If someone in the organization has no number, then you fail Organizational Checkup statement 19. Assign one before the next quarter.
• If you cannot imagine running the business from the desert island sheet with a given set of numbers, then you are missing a category. Add it, and cut anything the leadership team would not miss.
• If your Checkup score on Scorecard statements is low, then treat it as a gap. Put it on the Issues List and decide whether it is a priority, since the goal is progress, not perfection.

• Copying someone else's Scorecard instead of building yours. The tell: the numbers don't match the issues your leadership team actually worries about, and nobody can say why each is there. The source says there are over 400 different Scorecards and yours must be unique.
• Too many numbers. The tell: the desert island sheet is no longer a handful of numbers and the 5-minute slot overruns. The sheet is meant to be a handful of numbers.
• Leaving the Scorecard to leadership only. The tell: people below the leadership team cannot say what their number is, which fails the 'everyone has a number' standard.
• Discussing and debating the numbers during the Scorecard slot. The tell: the 5-minute segment runs long and eats into the 60-minute IDS, so issues go unsolved.
• Running on gut instead of numbers between meetings. The tell: leaders describe the business with subjective feelings ('sales seem soft') while the Scorecard figure goes unread.

• ▸Category: Name each area you need a weekly pulse on (e.g., weekly revenue, cash balance, sales activity, customer satisfaction/problems, A/R and A/P, project or production status).
• ▸Number: State the single weekly figure that represents that category.
• ▸Owner: Name the person who owns this number (every person in the organization should have one).
• ▸Goal: Write the target the number is measured against each week.
• ▸This week's actual: Record the real figure each week, not an estimate.
• ▸On/off track: Mark whether the actual meets the goal.
• ▸Issue to IDS: If off track, write the issue for the Issues List.
• ▸Desert island test: Answer whether you could run the business without this number. If not, keep it; if yes, cut it.
• ▸Organizational Checkup score (statements 18 and 19): Rate 1 to 5 twice a year and note any gaps.

1. 1Keep one Issues List and put every problem on it. The V/TO template carries an Issues List with a Prioritize, Identify, Discuss, Solve sequence. Issues enter from the weekly Scorecard, Rock review, customer/employee headlines, and the Organizational Checkup. Nothing gets solved in the hallway, and nothing stays unspoken.
2. 2Write each issue as a short plain statement, the way the Level 10 agenda models it: 'Winter sales are down,' 'We missed the delivery date on ABC,' 'A/R is over 60 days,' 'Charles is not following the process.' Name the problem, including an uncomfortable people issue, rather than hinting at it.
3. 3Prioritize before you discuss. The Issues List runs Prioritize, then Identify, Discuss, Solve. Rank the list and work the most important issue first, so the weekly IDS block is not spent on the loudest item.
4. 4Run IDS inside the Level 10 Weekly Meeting. The agenda gives IDS 60 of 90 minutes, after Segue, Scorecard, Rock Review, Headlines, and To-Do List (5 minutes each) and before a 5-minute Close. In department meetings of 30 to 60 minutes, protect at least 50 percent of the time for solving issues.
5. 5Identify the real issue, discuss it openly, and solve it at the root. Keep asking what is underneath the stated problem until the team agrees on the actual issue. Then decide on a fix for the greater good and the long term, not a patch for this week. The team must be open, honest, and trusting (checkup statement 11) for this to work.
6. 6Turn every solution into an owned action. A solution becomes a to-do (e.g., 'Sue will call the supplier'), or, if it is bigger, a Rock or an annual goal. The to-do list is built into the agenda, so the next meeting checks it.
7. 7Twice a year, fill out the Organizational Checkup and use it as an issue source. Rate each of the 20 statements 1 to 5, including #15, 'All teams clearly identify, discuss, and solve key issues for the greater good and long term.' Put every gap on the Issues List, decide whether it is a high enough priority to tackle, and turn the ones you tackle into goals, Rocks, and to-dos.
8. 8Keep notes and stay with the process. Record what was agreed, because teams drift and may not remember agreeing. Expect the first meeting to feel awkward, and keep going. Team health, communication, and results rise as the cadence holds.

The source's own Organizational Checkup example shows IDS end to end. A leadership team rates itself 3 out of 5 on statement 5, 'Our target market is clear, and our sales and marketing efforts are focused on it.' The gap goes on the Issues List. The team prioritizes it and judges it high enough to tackle. Discussion names the root: the target market is not defined sharply enough, the sales pipeline is messy, and salespeople are not trained on it. The solution becomes a Rock for the quarter: the sales manager redefines the target market, cleans up the pipeline, and trains all salespeople on it. A second example is statement 16 ('Our systems and processes are documented, simplified, and followed by all'), rated 2 out of 5. The team agrees 'once and for all' to make documenting its core processes a goal for the year. Week to week, the same logic runs through the 60-minute IDS block on issues like 'A/R is over 60 days,' with the outcomes captured as named to-dos. The Benefits Company has averaged 30 percent growth for five years while running the EOS Process.

• If an issue is a gap from the Organizational Checkup, then put it on the Issues List and prioritize it. If it is high enough, convert it to a goal, Rock, or to-do. If not, leave it on the list rather than forcing it into the quarter.
• If the fix is a single action by one person, then make it a named to-do. If it needs sustained effort over the quarter, make it a Rock. If it is a year-long change, make it an annual goal.
• If a department meeting spends less than 50 percent of its time solving issues, then cut reporting time and move it to the Scorecard, Rock Review, and Headlines segments, so the IDS block gets the time.
• If the team seems to have lost an earlier agreement, then go back to the meeting notes rather than arguing from memory. Drift is normal, so re-confirm and move on.
• If an issue crosses departments, then bring it directly into the meeting. The Accountability Chart clarifies roles but does not limit communication, which should flow freely across all lines.

• Treating symptoms as the issue. The tell: the same item ('winter sales are down,' 'A/R is over 60 days') returns on the list week after week with no root-level discussion.
• Letting IDS shrink to a leftover slot. The tell: meetings drop below the 50 percent solving-time threshold, or the team rates its meetings the typical 4 to 5 instead of a 10.
• Discussing without assigning. The tell: the issue gets talked through, but no to-do, Rock, or goal with an owner comes out of it, so it resurfaces unchanged.
• Avoiding the hard people or trust issues. The tell: items like 'Charles is not following the process' are left off the list or softened, which signals that the team is not open and honest.
• Quitting early or demanding perfection. The tell: the team abandons the weekly cadence after an awkward first meeting, or feels frustrated that it is not at 88 percent. The standard is progress, not perfection.

• ▸Issue (one line): State the problem plainly, e.g., 'A/R is over 60 days.'
• ▸Source: Note where it came from: Scorecard, Rock Review, headline, or Organizational Checkup statement # and rating.
• ▸Priority rank: Rank against the other open issues before the meeting; the top item is worked first.
• ▸Identify (root issue): Write the underlying problem the team agrees is the real one, not the symptom.
• ▸Discuss (key points): Capture the main points and any disagreement so the decision is traceable.
• ▸Solve (decision): State the solution in one sentence, chosen for the greater good and long term.
• ▸Action type: Mark to-do, Rock (quarter), or goal (year).
• ▸Owner and due date: Name one owner and a date, e.g., 'Sue will call the supplier.'
• ▸Follow-up check: Record where it will be reviewed next, such as the next weekly To-Do List review.

1. 1Score the gap before you document anything. Each leadership team member rates statement 7 ("We have a proven process for doing business with our customers. It has been named and visually illustrated, and everyone is adhering to it") and statement 16 ("Our systems and processes are documented, simplified, and followed by all") from 1 to 5. Do this as part of the full 20-statement Organizational Checkup. Compare the individual scores; a spread between members means you disagree about reality.
2. 2Tie the process to the core business. Statement 3 says systems and processes should reflect a clear core business. List the core processes that deliver that business, and document those first. The passages call for "core processes", not every process.
3. 3Turn the gap into a Rock. A 2 out of 5 on statement 16 becomes a team agreement to make documenting core processes a goal for the year. Convert that goal into a quarterly Rock, one of the 3 to 7 priorities per quarter, with a single owner.
4. 4Check the customer-facing process against all three parts of statement 7: it is proven, it is named, and it is visually illustrated. A process that has a name but no picture, or a picture that nobody follows, scores low. Score each part separately before you pick a single number.
5. 5Make adherence a shared habit, not a one-time rollout. Everyone must follow the documented process, so put it in front of the whole company at the quarterly state-of-the-company meeting (45 minutes maximum). People sometimes need to hear something seven times before they really hear it, so plan for repetition.
6. 6Run your own meetings as the first documented process. Use the same day, same time, same printed agenda, an on-time start and an on-time end each week. The Level 10 agenda has fixed 5-minute blocks: Segue, Scorecard, Rock Review, Customer/Employee Headlines, To-Do List. Use the same quarterly agenda every time as well. The source's author found that focus decays between quarterly sessions, and a fixed agenda is how he got teams back on track.
7. 7Assign small gaps as to-dos. Anything that does not need a quarter, such as scheduling the session to share the process, goes on the weekly To-Do List with a name and a due date. Review it at every weekly meeting.
8. 8Re-score at least twice a year. Retake the Organizational Checkup and compare it to last time. The goal is progress, not perfection. Moving from 55% to 63% to 72% counts as success.

The source gives this case directly. A leadership team completes the Organizational Checkup and rates itself 2 out of 5 on statement 16: "Our systems and processes are documented, simplified, and followed by all." Seeing that gap, the team agrees once and for all to make documenting its core processes a goal for the year. In EOS terms, that goal becomes a Rock for the quarter with an owner, and smaller follow-ups become to-dos reviewed in the weekly Level 10 Meeting. The same checkup is retaken at least twice a year, so the 2 should rise over time. The source's benchmark is a company moving from 55% to 63% to 72% overall. It also cites the Benefits Company at 88% as an example of where EOS clients tend to end up (80% to 100%). The point is progress, not perfection: success is measured by how far you have come, not where you start.

• If you rate statement 16 at 3 or below, then make documenting core processes a quarterly Rock with one owner. Do not leave it as a vague intention.
• If your leadership team's ratings on statement 7 differ widely, then treat the disagreement as the finding. Resolve what the customer process actually is before you name or draw it.
• If a process is documented but people do not follow it, then address adherence, because "followed by all" is part of the statement. Add it to the Issues List or set a Rock, and repeat it at company meetings until it sticks.
• If the action is small and has no multi-week scope, then make it a weekly to-do. If it needs a quarter of focused effort, make it a Rock. Keep Rocks to 3 to 7 per quarter.
• If your overall score is below 65%, then focus on closing individual gaps first. The bands read: 20-34% normal-minus, 35-49% normal, 50-64% above average, 65-79% well above average, 80-100% where most EOS clients end up.

• Documenting everything instead of core processes. The tell: a large volume of procedure files, but no one can state the company's core business or its core processes.
• Naming the process but never illustrating it. The tell: staff describe the customer process differently, because there is no single visual to point to.
• Treating the documentation as a one-time project. The tell: the checkup score on statement 16 does not move across two or more semi-annual re-scores.
• Assuming a shared understanding because it was agreed once. The tell: people do not remember agreeing, as the source's author saw repeatedly in quarterly sessions. Fix it with written notes, repeated communication, and company meetings every quarter.
• Letting meetings float. The tell: varying days, times, agendas, and late starts or endings. This undercuts consistency at the most visible process in the company.

• ▸Statement 7 score (1-5): rate how proven, named, and visually illustrated your customer process is, and whether everyone adheres to it.
• ▸Statement 16 score (1-5): rate how documented, simplified, and followed your systems and processes are.
• ▸Core business in one line: state it so you can check that your processes reflect it (statement 3).
• ▸Core processes to document: list the few processes that deliver the core business.
• ▸Customer process name and visual: record the name and where the illustration lives.
• ▸Rock (owner, quarter): write the 3 to 7 priority statement that closes the gap, with one name on it.
• ▸Weekly to-dos (owner, due): list small actions to review in the Level 10 Meeting.
• ▸Adherence check: note how and when you verify that everyone follows the process, and the share-with-all date at the state-of-the-company meeting.
• ▸Re-score date and total: record the next Organizational Checkup date and your overall percentage versus last time.