This year, I’ve committed to taking the time to focus on my own professional development and reading has become an essential part of that journey. There are so many great resources out there for entrepreneurs and I’ve come to realize that no matter how experienced you are, you can always benefit from the advice of someone who has followed a similar path.
As part of my journey, I am continuously on the hunt for the next great read and last month I was lucky enough to attend an Incubator Workshop for entrepreneurial accounting firms where I was introduced to the book Traction, by Gino Wickman.
Not surprisingly, this book was our pre-reading assignment and focused on a system he developed called the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), a framework for running an effective small to mid-size company.
The principles behind the EOS are not ground breaking. For most you will have learned all this throughout your experience in business or at business school. However, the book is packaged in a way that is easy to understand and within most firm’s ability to implement.
Wickman keeps it simple and focuses his EOS on 6 components:
- Vision – and the importance of defining your purpose and your plan
- People – getting the right people in the right seats
- Data – what is important to measure and to regularly track
- Issues – a process to identify them and deal with them
- Process – what are your core processes and have you documented them?
- Traction – integrating these elements to improve accountability, communication and probability of success
As an entrepreneur myself, I recognize that we don’t always have as much time as we would like to devote to reading. However, this book is a quick and practical guide for leadership teams that want to increase their efficiency, and enable growth- it’s a must read for new or established entrepreneurs!
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