Working as a fractional Integrator for the past five years, I have had many great experiences working with companies that run on EOS®. I have freed up the Visionary and helped them communicate their vision, and I have led the Leadership Team and helped them work better as a team, clarify reporting relationships, and grow their business. It has all been very satisfying, but there is one part of EOS that is my absolute favorite.
Let’s talk about the Quarterly Meeting Cycle™, which is part of the Meeting Pulse™ section of EOS. At the beginning of the quarter, the Leadership Team meets offsite for a full day to plan out the coming quarter. The agenda for the Quarterly Meeting differs from the weekly L-10 Meeting™. The Quarterly Meeting agenda includes a thorough review of the previous quarter, including a financial review and a review of the previous quarter’s progress, and a marathon Issues-solving session.
The Team also establishes the next quarter’s Rocks™. Rocks are their major goals for the coming quarter, the initiatives that the Team believes will do the most to help them achieve their annual goals. When brainstorming Rocks, I always ask the team, “What are the biggest things we can do to really move the company forward the most during the next quarter? What things could we look back on three months from now and say, ‘Wow, We really accomplished a lot.’?” The Team then decides on their top three to seven objectives, and those become their Rocks.
With the Quarterly Meeting complete, the vision has now been clarified, reporting relationships are reinforced or clarified, and Rocks are set and assigned, so the Leadership Team sets off on another 13-week cycle with everyone focused, on the same page, and rowing in the same direction.
The team goes back to their regular weekly L-10 Meetings. At each one they get updates on the previous week’s results via their Scorecard. They update each other on the status of their Rocks. They share news updates. And they solve issues together.
During the course of the quarter, the Team can experience any of the following:
· Frustration with lack of progress
· Disagreements
· Obstacles
· Unexpected developments
· Disappointing results
If they are a strong and healthy team, they will rely on each other. They will use the EOS process to push through their issues. They will solve problems. They will strengthen their relationships. And they will keep moving forward.
At the end of the 13 weeks, it is time for another Quarterly Meeting. The team again gathers offsite for a full day to review the progress they have made since their last Quarterly Meeting. If the team persevered through their issues, if they grew stronger as a team, and if they kept moving forward through it all, then they will undoubtedly be impressed with the results that they achieved.
Most teams are not accustomed to achieving the type of focused success that comes from completing three to seven Rocks. I always pause and have them take a moment to reflect on what they accomplished. When they stop and look at the Rocks they completed, they are usually impressed and proud.
That is when they say the four words I love to hear: “Let’s do it again!”
If you are finding it difficult to reach your quarterly goals, reach out to me. I have been a fractional Integrator for five years and have helped my clients reach their goals and build stronger teams. I can be reached at roger@rogerscherping.com or 651-247-1993 or my LinkedIn page.
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