Behind the Scenes: How EOS® has impacted Mowery

Top 3 ways EOS changed the way we do business

 

So, you might be asking, what is EOS® and why should I care? EOS which stands for Entrepreneurial Operating System offers an actionable plan to grow and optimize a business. When our President David Cross read the book Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman, he was hooked and began implementing throughout the organization a few years ago. He attributes EOS along with his focus on building a company culture as game changers for the organization.

Below are the top 3 ways the EOS model helped get the team focused and changed the way we do business.

 

1. Identifying Vision & Core Focus

Before David Cross owned Mowery, it was a third generation family business which had a lot of history not only in the community, but with how business was conducted. Leadership wanted to make sure what made the company so successful was honored and kept, but also knew in many ways, the company was beginning a new path too. Therefore, understanding and confirming the “new vision” and direction the company was going was critical.

At Mowery, we knew that understanding the why behind what we do every day was at the heart of our purpose, cause and passion. To help uncover this, Traction suggests there are eight questions to Focus Your Vision & Achieve Success:

1. What are your core values? (At Mowery, we call them our Foundations.)
2. What is your core focus?
3. What is your 10-year target? Think BHAG (Big, Hairy Audacious Goal)
4. What is your marketing strategy? 
   1. Target Market = “The List”
   2. Three Uniques or Differentiators
   3. Proven Process
   4. Guarantee
5. What is your three-year picture?
6. What is your one-year plan?
7. What are your quarterly priorities (or Rocks)?
8. What are your issues?

For Mowery, identifying the answers to these questions and having all team members on the same page has been very powerful. 

 

2. People – Right People/Right Seats

Most companies know “having the right person in the right seat on the bus” is critical to moving a business forward. But truly understanding what that means (and then executing) on it is something completely different. 

EOS has helped remove the emotion when analyzing our people to ensure they are in the right seat in the organization by using the GWC Model. GWC asks “Do they Get it? Do they Want it? Do they have Capacity to do the job?” Asking these questions is a great first step in understanding where that particular person is within the organization.

1. Get it –They understand their job role, know what is expected, comprehends our culture, and is in line with our company’s Vision and Core Values. They truly “get it”.
2. Want it –They want to work with us and are motivated by our core values to do the job to the best of their ability. They want to make a difference.
3. Capacity to do it –The employee must have the knowledge, experience or education to be able to do the job and be willing to put in the time.

 

3. Quarterly Rocks Achieve Company Goals

First let’s start with answering the question “what are Rocks?” In the EOS model, “EOS Rocks™” are the 3-5 things that a company must achieve to have a successful quarter. These quarterly Rocks move us one step closer to reaching our annual goals (which move us closer to reaching our 3 year goal and ultimately, our BHAG).

At Mowery, Rocks challenge leadership and the individual assigned to it to achieve more than they normally would (this isn’t a simple to-do or something that is part of your job description). It’s more than that because it moves the company forward while always maintaining a focus on the end goal.

 

EOS has made a difference at Mowery as it keeps us focused on what is important. But don’t take our word for it, check it out for yourself by reading Traction. Contact us, we’ll be happy to send you a copy