In the past several years, I have been regularly impressed by leadership teams that have achieved “big” things. 

At the front end looking forward, it was logical for each team, based upon their history, to conclude, "There's no way we’ll do this."

So what made the difference? How did these teams of ordinary people succeed?

Some leaders and managers have been tempted to deviate from the 5-minute rock review we teach in the weekly Level 10 Meeting™, desiring something more detailed than a simple, on track/off track, report. The concern that team members are inappropriately reporting rocks to be on track when they are not has lead some teams to create elaborate “rock crushing systems” that include breaking rocks down into smaller action steps, plotting those steps out across a timeline, tracking completion of those steps and reporting the progress in weekly meetings.

Some teams hit an emotional wall after their first year of implementing EOS®. Teams that begin with many large issues to resolve, can make significant progress in the first year and, because of what is still left to accomplish, feel unsatisfied and a bit discouraged. It’s not unlike the marathoner who, after completing 10 miles, realizes there are still 16 miles to go. If you are feeling a bit exhausted from the first 10, the prospect of running the final 16 can feel overwhelming. Dan Sullivan calls it “the gap” between where we are and where we want to be.

Anger management is a “hot” topic today because people often get angry and don’t know how to express and vent their anger in a healthy way. If you have been in a business meeting where someone has “blown up” or “shut down”, you know what I mean. It’s very uncomfortable when it happens and leaves most of us pretty unclear as to what to do next.

Some people are great at avoiding conflict in the workplace. All you need to do is keep your mouth shut or yield to the strongest voice in the room. However you may be justifying your silence, passivity or lack of engagement, I want you to consider how damaging that behavior is for both you and your team. I also hope to give you some simple, practical suggestions for becoming a healthier, engaged fighter.