Traction

Get a Grip on Your Business

A plain operating system for owner-led companies, built from a clear vision, the right people, a weekly scorecard and a meeting that actually fixes things.

Who should read this

If you run a business with a small leadership team, say ten to a few dozen people, and you feel that everyone is busy but nothing moves, this book is written for you. It also helps if you are a manager who works for an owner and wants to understand why a company runs the way it does. It is not aimed at a one-person business, and it is not aimed at a giant corporation.

The problem it solves

Owners tend to say the same things: they have no control, their people are not delivering, profit is weak, growth is stuck and everything is chaos. Wickman says these five frustrations come from the same root, which is that the company has no shared system for vision, people, numbers, problems, processes and follow-through. The book gives you one complete system, with tools you can start using the same month.

Why it matters

The book's system, called EOS, is also taught by EOS Worldwide. Even if you never adopt all of it, the tools are worth knowing because they are simple and concrete. A two-page plan, a short weekly scorecard and a fixed meeting agenda are things you can try in a week.

Key ideas

• A company needs one shared system for six things: vision, people, data, issues, process and traction.
• Write the plan on two pages, then turn it into 90-day priorities called Rocks.
• Build the structure of seats first, then ask if the right person sits in each seat.
• Track a handful of weekly numbers, and talk about the ones that are off track.
• Run one fixed weekly meeting where the main job is to solve problems for good.
• A system only works if you use it every week, for a long time.