In December, the leadership team of Gent Machine, a CNC Machine shop, embarked on adopting a system of communication called EOS – the Entrepreneurial Operating System. This system allows the team to set time aside to work “on” the business vs the daily activities of working “in” the business. 

Q. What is EOS?
A. EOS is a set of concepts and processes that help leaders communicate and work together to resolve issues. EOS focuses on six key components that are inherent in any business – Vision, Data, Process, Traction, People, and Issues. These components are the spokes of a wheel with our business in the center. There is nothing fancy about EOS. The largest value to EOS is keeping leadership focused on the priorities it sets.

Q. Why did Gent pick EOS?
A. Gent has plans for growth and improving many aspects of what we do every day – especially efficiencies. Managers solving problems walking by each other in the hall is not effective communication. Emails leave room for interpretation. EOS provides a very structured, direct, and no-nonsense approach of working through goals and issues that require attention and collaboration. The relationship Gent has with Cleveland’s MAGNET (The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network) allows us to utilize experts to guide us through this process.

Q. How does EOS change the way leadership communicates?
A. Adam, Rich, Lisa (Operations), and Dawn (Quality), as well as Production meet weekly for an uninterrupted hour and a half to review data, evaluate progress on company-wide and individual goals (called Rocks), review major happenings, and focus on and resolve issues. We spend the majority of each meeting resolving issues that will remove frustrations and move the company forward. We wrap up meetings by assigning to dos that may result in tasks or outside meetings with employees and/or vendors.
The team also meets off site quarterly to review progress and set goals for the next quarter. Yearly goals are set at the end of Q4 in an off-site meeting as well.

Q. How does EOS affect me as an employee? What is right person right seat?
A. A key component of EOS is right person right seat. This is essentially looking at every employee in the company and saying are they the right person doing the right job? Do they represent our core values? Are they in the right role for them and for Gent?
At the beginning of working on EOS, this component was a major focus of the leadership team. We relied heavily on our facilitator to guide us through right person right seat exercises. We started by reaffirming our core values, mission statement, and vision statement. We evaluated every employee and how they are perceived to demonstrate our core values and whether or not they are in the right role at Gent. Our goals cannot be reached without a great team of people doing what they do best.

Q. What EXACTLY do you talk about during meetings?
A. Whatever is an issue/topic that helps the company to run efficiently. Topics run the gamut from a key employee leaving in which we need to figure out who will take over their responsibilities to parts out of spec and which employees need to be part of that discussion in a separate meeting. Perhaps an employee is struggling with a skill and requires additional training, or we are considering purchasing a new piece of equipment. Every week is different.

Q. Is EOS helping the leadership team communicate?
A. Yes! EOS consistently brings us back to the quarterly goals we set to help us meet our annual goals. No matter how busy a week may be, we all know we have 1 ½ hours a week to listen and be heard by other members of the team.