Stuck. Frustrated. Plateaued. Overwhelmed.
Call it what you want, every business “hits the ceiling.” Every department hits it. Heck, every person will smack up against it.
It would be great if every organization could grow in a nice linear line with an upward trajectory, with few bumps or dips along the way. But it doesn’t. I don’t know why we’re surprised by this. There are dozens of factors that impact our growth and challenge our strategy. Every day.
The difference between organizations that succeed long-term, and those that don’t, is their ability to break through the ceiling. After those periods of evolution, there will inevitably be the need to for revolution...the understanding that what got you here, isn’t going to get you there.
I have experienced hitting the ceiling on many levels in our family business, Mint Roofing. And, dang, I’ve hit it a few times myself. When we were introduced to the book Traction, by Gino Wickman, it was at a critical time in our company’s 65-year history, and ultimately became the guide for breaking through a really tough ceiling, and sending us through the roof. Pun intended.
The Entrepreneurial Operating System® (EOS) outlined in Traction, explains the five leadership abilities that will help you make those breakthroughs:
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Simplify. As organizations grow, they tend to become more complicated, making it all that much more difficult to communicate everything from vision to processes or messages. “Less is more” is a common theme within the model.
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Delegate. How many hats are you wearing? Probably too many. It’s what eventually makes most people rethink how happy they are in their jobs. You can’t do it all, so you need to focus on what you do best, and delegate the rest. Let go of the vine, already!
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Predict. Take time to remove yourself from the chaos to work ON the business with long-term and short-term predicting. There’s a lot coming at you every day, and you must learn to prioritize the issues and needs. Duct tape is a great invention, but it’s not a long-term solution.
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Systemize. How many times are you going to recreate that wheel? Fly by the seat of your pants? If you want to scale and grow, your core processes must be identified and documented for the sake of consistency and scalability.
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Structure. Ah, yes...my personal favorite. It’s not uncommon for organizations to get bogged down with the “way it’s always been” mentality, or never stop to consider how they should be structured to drive accountability and growth. The Accountability Chart takes the traditional org chart to a whole new level.
There are no new business concepts in the book Traction. None. The real value of EOS® is that it puts all the great ideas and concepts into a system that any organization with people can use. I’ve seen firsthand how it creates focus and clarity, organizational health and bottom line results.
Michele Krolczyk is a long-time Security customer and founder of Vivid360. As an EOS® implementer, she uses her in-the-trenches business skills to help other organizations gain brilliant clarity. Join us Sept. 13 to learn more about life inside an EOS® company. RSVP here.
Interested in learning more about life inside an EOS®-run company? Join us September 13th for a presentation and Q&A session with Michele! RSVP here!
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