Traction
Traction by Gino Wickman is the definitive guide for entrepreneurs and leadership teams who feel they have hit a "growth ceiling." Rather than offering abstract business theory, the book provides a practical and proven framework known as the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). Wickman’s central thesis is that the frustrations most business owners face, such as a lack of control, people issues, or stagnant profits, are actually symptoms of a weak underlying infrastructure. By strengthening the Six Key Components of any business, Traction enables leaders to turn their vision into a high-performing and self-sustaining organization. The book provides a set of simple yet powerful tools, such as the Vision/Traction Organizer (V/TO) and the Accountability Chart, which prioritize clarity and discipline over traditional hierarchy. By implementing a consistent "Meeting Pulse" and focusing on 90-day priorities called Rocks, companies use the EOS methodology to eliminate organizational chaos.
THE SIX COMPONENTS OF EOS
Vision: Aligning the entire leadership team in a clear, shared direction and documenting it through the Vision/Traction Organizer (V/TO).
People: Utilizing tools like the People Analyzer to ensure the organization has the "Right People in the Right Seats."
Data: Moving beyond subjective "gut feelings" by managing the business through a weekly Scorecard of high-level metrics.
Issues: Developing a culture that smokes out problems and resolves them permanently using the IDS (Identify, Discuss, Solve) method.
Process: Documenting the "Core Processes" that define the company’s unique way of doing business to ensure consistency and scalability.
Traction: Bringing the vision down to the ground through disciplined 90-day cycles called Rocks and the highly structured Level 10 Meeting.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
"Since implementing the entrepreneurial operating system outlined in [Traction], my company has been more productive than ever. . . . The book brings proven business best practices from the top thought leaders in business into one hands-on manual that you can apply today."
—Dan Moshe, Founder and CEO of Tech Guru, for The Business Journals' "The most important Business books ever written"
"Implementing [Traction's] structured approach at Avondale has had a tremendous impact on our leadership's productivity and has improved operations throughout the organization."
—Karl Stark and Bill Stewart, Co-Founders, Avondale
"The concepts and tools that have been masterfully captured in the pages of this book have provided some of the magic that has helped us grow our business 300 percent over the last five years. Don't miss it!"
—Craig Erlich, CEO, pulse220
"The concepts in this book have changed my life! I'm now able to let go of the day to day, knowing I have developed a team that can efficiently handle the details. We have consistently grown every year for the last four years in a very tough market, while the competition has struggled."
—Ronald A. Blank, President, The Franklin Companies
"Having coached and trained over 13,000 entrepreneurs, I know the challenges they face. This book is a must for any business owner and their management team. Traction provides a powerful, practical, and simple system for running your business "
—Dan Sullivan, President and Founder, The Strategic Coach
"With the Traction tools in place, we now have faster growth, increased profitability and great people that we enjoy working with. Our growth rate has averaged over 20 percent per year. These results put us in a position to sell our company to a public company for above-normal multiples and reacquire the company after just a year and a half."
—Rob Dube, President, Image One