SLOW DOWN! FLASHING YELLOW LIGHTS AHEAD!

Article By Rick Benton

There were 895 Beautiful Days in Fred Rogers' neighborhood In each episode, we were greeted with this flashing yellow light before he even opened the door and sang his iconic song. Did you ever notice it? I certainly didn't connect the dots It was a subtle yet direct call to slow down before we said “Hello!”. This was Mr. Rogers’ way of subconsciously prepping your mind that for the next 30 minutes, we were going to enjoy friends, push the limits of our imagination, and bring simplicity to some of the complex things in life.

Photo Courtesy of Fred Rogers Productions

SLOW DOWN! FLASHING YELLOW LIGHT!

As an EOS Implementer for EOS Worldwide (Entrepreneurial Operating System), I help business owners get everything they want from their business. I do this by helping them implement a proven system of simple tools that bring a routine operating cadence and process to the chaos of entrepreneurship. Central to this routine is a regular meeting pulse that allows teams to step outside their business, slow down, and work to simplify the complexities in their business. So many business owners miss this step. I know I did. It is crucial to periodically take a look around and assess how we did this past quarter, whether are we still on the same page, and what are we going to accomplish in the next ninety days. We often run so hard every day that it is all too easy to forget what we are running towards and why we started running. Slowing down helps us remember our passions and purpose that led us to this line of work in the first place.

SLOW DOWN! EVERY WEEK!

Slowing things down is good for business! One of the most important tools I implement is the regular weekly L-10 Meeting (Level -10). This meeting happens on the same day, at the same time, same place, every week, with the same agenda. For 90 minutes the team quickly reports on the status of our current projects, without the drama and politicking, and then works to efficiently solve the root cause of the most important issues of the week. It is crucial this meeting starts on time and ends on time. Skipping it is not an option. Teams soon find this meeting to be the most valuable time of the week and it dramatically improves your communication, productivity, and camaraderie.

Image Courtesy of Canva

YELLOW LIGHT! EVERY QUARTER!

Every 90 days, I facilitate quarterly session days with the leadership teams. During these day-long meetings, we gather and review how successful we were with our quarterly goals, make sure we are all still aligned with the plan of where we are going and set new quarterly goals. It is so important to measure our results, celebrate the wins, recalibrate the misses, and make sure we are all on the same page because occasionally we are not. Every quarter, we must make sure the entire team is aligned with the same vision, rowing in the same direction, and striving for the same objectives.

YELLOW LIGHTS! EVERYWHERE!

Running your business on EOS mandates a regular schedule and respected times of slow down, looking at your business from outside the box you are in, and working to be more honest, open, and vulnerable with your leadership team. Like spending a beautiful day with Mr. Rogers, it gives you the chance to enjoy the magic of your teammates, pushes the limits of your creativity and imagination, and instills regular practices that reduce the inherent stresses and complexity that naturally occur in entrepreneurial life.

Image Courtesy of Rick Benton

Rick Benton is a Professional EOS Implementer. If you would like to learn more about EOS, and how it helps your business gain traction and helps you live a better life, please reach out at rickbenton@eosworldwidecom.