EOS Is Not…Part 1

By Marshall Krupp, Certified EOS Implementer

In collaboration with Ashley Berecz, Client Relations Manager

 

Why EOS®?  Why not other coaching, consulting and business operating system platforms?  I am regularly asked those questions.  To be able to answer fairly, one has to know what EOS® is not.  Then we can share what it is.

 

Operating System:

EOS® is an “entrepreneurial operating system” as its name states. In today’s complex business world there are hundreds of operating systems.  Most notably, an operating system (OS) in the technology world is a “program that manages a computer’s resources”, especially the allocation of those resources among other programs. Several examples of technology operating systems are Microsoft Windows, Apple iOS, Linux Operating Systems, and Google’s Android OS.  They have become our norm and our behaviors utilize them without even thinking about the complexity of what they do.

EOS® is not a “technology” operating system.  Instead, it is a “program that manages people resources”, especially the allocation of those resources among the different areas of a business. This is an awareness that can elevate a business to excellence.  Typical people resources include sales and marketing, finance and accounting, operations, HR, and other functions of the business.  In the same way that a technology system enables us to do complex processing in a simple way, EOS® enables us to take complex people issues and process them in a similar fashion.

By using simple proven and practical EOS® tools, businesses are able to get to the root cause of many of their business challenges they face resulting in real simple results.  EOS® is not a silver bullet, it is not a magic pill, and it does not have a secret sauce.  It is an operating system that tens of thousands of business leaders each with 10-250 employees have used to achieve rapid growth and a more balanced life.  EOS is a “people operating system” that harnesses human energy and resources through a simple set of tools and principles.

So, with a people operating system, what’s next?  Can we not use consultants, coaches, and peer groups to accomplish the same outcome?  The answer is simple but  also complex.  So let’s look at each.

 

Coaches:

There are great coaches in the business world.  I have been a coach most of my life.  Coaching assumes that the most important expertise is latent within the client.  Coaches help their clients actualize the solutions that lie within them by using targeted questions and tools.  They consider their clients to be the “experts” in their own lives and business.  This gives the client a sense of agency and empowerment as they realize how much they are capable of.  A good coach is like a miner who comes into a new place and helps its residents discover what natural resources already exist.  Good coaches are like the individuals on a football team that bring out greatness in their players that leads to Super Bowls.

 

Consultant:

Then there are great business consultant firms and individuals.  I was one for 33 years.  Consultants provide external solutions to resolve business problems and train people in a field in which they specialize.  By nature, they typically work with businesses or organizations, rather than individuals, and they often provide more specific direction than a coach would.  Where a coach would guide their client to enhance their existing abilities, a consultant will more likely provide the answers to immediate issues and train the client how to respond next time.

 

Peer Groups:

Next, there are business peer groups, mostly at the senior or C-Level of companies… CEO, CFO, CTO, etc.

A C-Level peer group is made up of a group of C-Level peer related individuals, ideally who run companies of similar sizes and complexity, and which meet regularly to work through business-related issues.  They usually meet in groups and may be offered individual private coaching opportunities.  These groups are either facilitated by members of the group or by an outside professional who has deep business expertise.  Their primary purpose is to provide a platform where peers can share their stories, offer their thoughts, and problem solve their related experiences.  Some of these peer group platforms include Vistage, Entrepreneurs Organization (EO), C-12 Group Young Presidents Organization (YPO)Enterprise Organization, and Women Presidents Organization. They are great for what they are intended to be.

 

EOS®:

The EOS® platform is the purity of being a “people operating system” that works with the primary players of the organization.  We called these primary players the “leadership team”, and includes the business owner and highest executives of the organization.  This is the group of people in the business that is focused on the collaborative decision making that leads the company into the future and attain success. It is the combination of using all of the resources, talents, skills and experience on the leadership team to collaboratively execute on the needs of the business, get to the root cause of the issues, formulate actions to solve said issues, and create a culture of accountability.  Everyone working together toward the same goal… rowing in the same direction, in the same boat, down the same river.

EOS® is communicated by the trained and certified EOS® Implementers that serve the business as a facilitator of meetings, a teacher of tools, a motivator of accountability, and a third party outside observer that assists the leadership team to become masters themselves. The best EOS Implementers know how to combine coaching, consulting, and facilitating so that there is a high level of mastery by the participants.

So, EOS® differentiates itself from all others by not being only a coach at the foundation of what it is, by not being only a consultant in terms of its role in the business, and by not only driving a peer group of similar people.  Rather, the EOS® Implementer is the person that is the master of their craft who has knowledge and willingness to teach that knowledge to others.  

It takes courage, guts, and vulnerability to admit that we have challenges in our businesses that require a new way of thinking, and it takes hard work, intentionality, and discipline to attain greater heights and excellence.  However, the EOS® Model and Process makes it easy to do it ourselves when we have a guide or teacher giving us the guidance to be the masters of our own destiny.

EOS® is not the past… EOS® is the future!  This is why it is experienced by many as the #1 business tool today in the business world. 

If you have any questions or would like to continue this discussion further, please contact us at ashley.berecz@peerexecutiveboards.com or go to our website at www.peerexecutiveboards.com and contact us virtually. We will be happy to get back to you!

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EOS®, the Entrepreneurial Operating System® takes entrepreneur businesses on a journey of mastery of the EOS tools which enables businesses to elevate their leadership teams to make better decisions, maintain a level of accountability, at attain greater success more simplistically.  The components of EOS® are Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction, which when used effectively attains a healthier organization with greater success.  Marshall Krupp is a recognized Certified EOS® Implementer serving clients through the nation.  He is also a national speaker, a past award-winning Vistage Worldwide Chair, and a past career of providing crisis management strategic advisors service to businesses, governmental agencies and not-for-profit organizations.   Review more at www.peerexecutiveboards.com and at www.eosworldwide.com/marshall-krupp.  Review the YouTube video here.