Three Things I Love About Working for a Traction Company
As someone deeply passionate about culture, clarity, and cohesion in working life, I have fallen headfirst for the Traction Model/Entrepreneurial Operating System® (EOS®).
What is Traction?
“…An organization should have only one operating system, …one that is flexible, resilient, and (yes) durable as well as comprehensive, cohesive, and cost-effective.” - EOS® Worldwide blog
Traction - Get a Grip on Your Business is a book by Gino Wickman that captures a simple model along with a concise set of tools that allows anyone to achieve their vision for their business.
Also called EOS®, the Entrepreneurial Operating System®, it takes the guesswork and excuses out of small business life. I am not going to tout this as something new or a “never-before-seen” methodology; EOS® avoids being the flavor of the month. It is a set of proven principles and techniques that when implemented and followed, they work. And at Persolvent, we are all about finding processes that work.
How Passionate Am I?
I have developed an ear for the traction-related phrases and names to the point that I was able to pick out a fellow Traction company within a few minutes without them ever saying they are a Traction company.
I got on a call with my father-in-law, a small business owner, and walked him through a PowerPoint presentation of Traction processes. His business is now in the process of adopting it.
And as someone who doesn’t naturally gravitate towards processes, I have wholly embraced organizing, documenting, and making sure processes are available to the team. I even get excited about it.
What does the Traction model do for us at Persolvent?
It grants us clarity. “At the root of EOS® is clarity around who is doing what and being OK with talking about it.”
It doesn’t mean everything always goes smoothly, but it means we can see both successes and failures clearly and proceed from there. It means, as a company, we agree on who we are and what we’re doing.
Alignment is essential and Traction allows us to gain and maintain it. It helps us be a cohesive team, moving in the same direction where each person knows how their role drives to the greater mission and vision.
It builds in accountability.
With an emphasis on regular meetings, check-ins, scorecards, and task assignments, Traction helps set and maintain expectations.
Accountability has the double benefit of helping to identify those who need support and facilitating recognition for those who meet and exceed goals.
It gives leadership a high standard to meet. It is a true saying that as the leader goes, so goes the company.
With an eye on the company’s clear goals, leaders are equipped to lead, coach, and hold their teams accountable.
At Persolvent, we believe true leaders encourage and empower their team to take ownership and lead in their own roles. It is not a primary position of status to be a leader, but instead, it is a responsibility and opportunity to help grow and empower team members. Traction creates a framework within which this works well.
The Persolvent Way
All new team members receive the Traction book in their swag box on their first day because Traction is a process that requires every team member to be involved.
And while we take Traction/EOS® seriously, we do Traction the “Persolvent way”. It means for teams like Technology, we adapt from the Traction meeting structure to Scrum/Agile methodology.
We are all about finding the best way to do our work. Traction is an essential framework that enables and empowers our team to do just that. And I’m in love.
Ruthie Barnett is our Director of Talent Development. Learn more about her here.