Ch. 3 Do You See What They Are Saying?

Chapter 3 – Do You See What They Are Saying? page 33.

Great companies have leaders who communicate a crystal-clear vision to the entire company.
A company’s vision, simply put, is a matter of defining who you are, where you are going, and how you will get there.
When the Vision is not written down, it is difficult for a leadership team to know if they are on the same page – not to mention sharing it with everyone else in the company.
This leads to poor communication, confusion, and wasted effort.
The EOS tool that helps your leadership team define, document, agree on, and share the company Vision is called the Vision/Traction Organizer or V/TO.
The V/TO aligns your leadership team around the answers to 8 essential questions.
The V/TO helps the team get their vision out of their heads and down on paper so it can be shared.

Question 1: What Are Your Core Values?

Core Values are a timeless set of guiding principles.
Companies typically have just 3-7 Core Values.
They define:
- What are the behaviors you expect from each other?
- Your culture – who fits and who doesn’t?
- What makes your company unique and different?
Your company will use its Core Values to hire, fire, and review.
When you work with people who share the same Core Values, communication is easier, things get done faster, and the work environment is more fun.

Question 2: What is Your Core Focus?

Core Focus defines what you are and keeps the company and its employees focused on the areas where your business excels.
Core Focus keeps a company from getting distracted.
It comes from an intersection of why your company exists and what you do in the world.
Your why is:
- Known as your Purpose, Cause, or Passion.
- It is the thing that makes you want to get out of bed every day.
Your what is
- Known as a niche.
- It defines the space in which you do business.
- It identifies what you do better than anyone else.
Once these two truths are clarified and put together, you have your Core Focus.
Your Core Focus serves as a filter that allows your organization to say no to good ideas and yes to great ones.
As a result, all efforts, people, systems, processes, and even products will be designed and aligned to keep you true to what you do best.

Question 3: What is Your 10-Year Target?

The 10-Year target is your long-term, larger-than-life goal.
It unites everyone around one common objective.
It gets everyone asking the right questions, like:
- What does your company need to start doing differently to reach our 10-Year Target?
- What do we need to change?
- What could we do better?
A clear 10-Year Target that is shared by all will direct your organization’s energy, resources, and decisions to help you grow faster and reach your target.

Question 4: What is Your Marketing Strategy?

Defining your Marketing Strategy requires crystallizing who your ideal customer is and clarifying the message that is most appealing to them.
Doing this will create a laser-like focus for your sales and marketing efforts.
Many companies waste thousands of dollars trying to be everything to everyone.
The Marketing Strategy will help you stay focused, sell to the most receptive customers, and spend less organizational time servicing.
Your Marketing Strategy is made up of 4 key elements:
- Target Market
  - Identifies the characteristics of your best customers.
    - Who they are.
    - Where they are.
    - How they think.
    - Allows you to focus your energy and resources on those customers.
- 3 Uniques
  - The three things that make you better than the competition.
  - The three reasons why your customers buy from your company.
- Proven Process
  - A visual of what you do, time and time again, to deliver value to your customer over the life of the relationship.
  - It creates a picture of what your customers will experience when they work with you.
- Guarantee
  - Designed to take away your customers’ biggest fear when it is time for them to buy.

Question 5: What is Your 3-Year Picture?

A picture of what your company will look like in 3 short years.
Helps everyone see the same image 3 years down the road.
Contains just a handful of numbers: Revenue, Profit, and Key Measurables.
In addition, it contains 5 to 15 bullets that help “paint” the picture.
Once everyone in the organization sees the same Vision, it is more likely to happen.
Once clear, it will give you the context in which to set goals for the next 12 months.

Question 6: What is Your 1-Year Plan?

Your 1-Year Plan defines your objectives for the year.
It identifies and crystallizes your revenue target, profit target, and key measurables, along with 3 to 7 goals for the year.
Why only 3 to 7 goals? Because:
- When companies try to get too many things done, they lose focus and, as a result, accomplish very few of them.
- With too many goals, organizations spread resources too thin, failing to complete many of their objectives.
Once your 1-Year Plan is clear, you’ll know exactly what you need to accomplish over the next 12 months to put you on a path to reach your 3-Year Picture and ultimately achieve your 10-Year Target.

Question 7: What are Your Rocks?

Rocks are the 3 to 7 most important objectives the company must get done in the next 90 days to achieve your 1-Year Plan.
Why 90 days? Because:
- At the beginning of the year, energy is high, but even with the best intentions, life gets in the way.
- People get distracted easily.
- Energy is lost and plans start to unravel.
- Deadlines get pushed back, and priorities get lost in the hustle and bustle.
- By November we have lost all momentum and our goals for the year are off-track.
Rocks help solve this problem by breaking down annual goals into smaller, manageable chunks with short-term goals along the way.
Human beings tend to lose focus, get off-track, and fray about 90 days into any project. Rocks get everyone refocused right on the 90th day as the unraveling begins, maximizing everyone’s efforts and energy.
By setting Rocks every quarter, everyone will know the most important priorities for the company every 90 days.

Question 8: What are Your Issues?

To achieve your company’s Vision, it is vital to openly admit all of your company’s obstacles to the opportunities that lie before you.
This is simply a list of all the things that could prevent your company from reaching its Vision, or things that will help it get there faster.
All organizations have issues. The problem is when no one admits them, or when they do and everyone just talks about them but does nothing.
Putting all of the issues (and opportunities) on one list will help your company get a handle on them.
Once your issues are listed, your company can start to prioritize and work on them one at a time.

Short Recap

V/TO Question	What It Answers
Core Values	Who you are?
Core Focus	What you are?
10-Year Target	Where you are going?
Marketing Strategy	Which potential customers you are target with what message?
3-Year Picture	What you will look like in 3 years?
1-Year Plan	What your goals are for the next 12 months?
Rocks	What your priorities are for the next 90 days?
Issues	What will stop you or get you there faster?

Questions to Ask Your Manager

Predictive Index