In our last post, we explained that very few business owners are really getting everything they want from their entrepreneurial life. And that the ones who are getting everything they want, do it by making their “business operating system” strong.
Here’s what that means (and what it can mean for you).
For a moment, instead of thinking about your business, think about your computer. You spend most of your time touching applications, but they run on top of a foundational layer of software called the Operating System that handles really basic functions. You don’t touch the OS very much, but it’s what determines how well the machine runs.
In your company, the “applications” are all the things we learn how to do when we learn how to run a business—sales, marketing, operations, finance, etc. These are the things we learn how to do well when we learn how to run businesses.
In every company, however, there’s a set of truly foundational things being dealt with. They are the same in every business, regardless of its size, age, industry and ownership. In EOS® (the Entrepreneurial Operating System®), we call them The Six Key Components® of your business.
- Vision – how you get (or don’t get) everyone in the business aligned and rowing in the same direction on, who we are, why we’re here and where we’re trying to go
- People – how you structure the organization and what kind of team you build to achieve your Vision
- Data – how you use real, quantified information to know whether you’re getting there or not, because the numbers don’t lie
- Issues – how you handle all the hurdles, obstacles and challenges you encounter while trying to bring your Vision to life
- Process – how you handle all of the work that can and should be systematized, so that you can operate efficiently and scale easily
- Traction – how you institute and sustain focus, discipline and accountability, so the work actually gets done
The Operating System in your business is simply your way of handling these six things.
And more than anything else, the strength of your Operating System is what determines whether or not you will get what you want from your business. We know because every time we help a company replace its homegrown way of handling these issues with a proven, effective set of tools, the business runs better.
If you’d like to explore how putting a strong Business Operating System into your company can help you get what you want, click here to begin your journey.
