Traction

After spending 5 years in corporate consulting and using various methodologies to audit businesses and help launch new ventures, I really appreciate a good business framework. What do I mean by a framework? I mean something to help a business communicate – with themselves, their customers and the world at large. How does a business communicate about problems, ideas, budgets, personnel, and all the other stuff in between? Every business needs a framework to help facilitate communication.

I have found a wonderful framework to help facilitate this communication and it’s called Traction. Traction is a book that introduces business owners and entrepreneurs to a business management system or EOS. EOS stands for Entrepreneurial Operating System. It gives you the framework to run your business and empowers your employees to communicate freely and openly, not holding onto things like issues, opportunities or areas of improvement they see.

I was first introduced to Traction through a previous employer and their Traction consultant, Mark Stanley. Mark is a certified Traction coach here in Central Iowa – full disclosure – Mark is our business coach as well. Traction is a very simple solution for a complicated problem – running your business. And by run, I mean being able to communicate and put very easy and manageable systems in place to facilitate constant and consistent communication to address all aspects of your business.

Mark and I agree, we have seen a ton of different business management and consulting systems over the years with our experience and background, but nothing is simpler and cheaper and more effective than the EOS process.

In moving through the EOS process, everyone comes to understand the company vision and is able to get behind this vision to smoothly move your business on a daily, weekly and monthly basis towards your goals. I have been through three different companies since learning about Traction and EOS and we are still using it and working with Mark. Practice makes permanent and we continue to practice. Furthermore, many of our friends are utilizing the system too.

Like most worthwhile things, this will not work unless you do.  Starting down this road can be emotional and challenging because it forces you to face the very things that are standing in your way. Sometimes, people think they can just read the book and implement the ideas themselves.  I would encourage you to think long and hard about that with this book.  The book does a great job of laying out the Traction method, but a coach is really vital to implement it and implement it well.  It has been my experience that my best performances in sports were when I had a coach. I was in the best shape of my life when I had a coach. This book is not a coach, but a stepping stone to simplify your business and follow a process to communicate and manage your business.

This book is a great read and sets the stage to transform your business from the inside out.  If you are looking to gain more Traction in your business this book paves the road forward for you. So, read the book, absorb it and if you’re ready to take the next step and find a coach to help you with implementation, we would highly recommend Mark Stanley. You can find more info for him here.