Gino Wickman - Get a Grip: An Entrepreneurial Fable . . . Your Journey to Get Real, Get Simple, and Get Results

P RAISE FOR G ET A G RIP

Gino Wickmans first book, Traction , describing his Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), is already one of the great improvement game plans for business owners in America. Here, in his new brainstorm with coauthor Mike Paton, he takes entrepreneurial readers through a single story to show how every advantage of implementing EOS can actually become a practical reality in their own businesses. I would absolutely read both books together.

DAN SULLIVAN, Founder of Strategic Coach

_______

Over the years Ive heard countless testimonials from entrepreneurs who swear by Gino Wickmans first book, Traction , but only after reading Get A Grip did I see clearly how implementing his Entrepreneurial Operating System could truly transform a business and put it on the road to greatness. This book will change your companyand your life.

BO BURLINGHAM, Editor-at-Large of Inc . magazine,
Author of Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big

THE TRACTION LIBRARY

WANT EVEN BETTER RESULTS AND MORE BUSINESS SUCCESS? IT TAKES YOUR WHOLE TEAM.

Every person on your team must be equipped with the right information and tools to implement EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System purely throughout your organization. With The Traction Library, your entire companyfrom leadership to management to employeeswill understand their role and be better equipped to help your company succeed.

Visit www.eosworldwide.com to get everything you need to fully implement EOS in your company today.

GET A GRIP

H OW TO G ET E VERYTING
Y OU W ANT F ROM Y OUR
E NTREPRENEURIAL B USINESS

G INO W ICKMAN M IKE P ATON

BENBELLA BOOKS, INC.

DALLAS, TEXAS

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the authors imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright 2012, 2014 Gino Wickman and Mike Paton All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact the publisher.

The EOS Model, The V/TO, The Meeting Pulse, The Level 10 Meeting, The Issues Solving Track, LMA, The People Analyzer, GWC, Delegate and Elevate, The Three-Step Process Documenter, The EOS Process and The Six Key Components are trademarks of Gino Wickman. EOS and The Entrepreneurial Operating System are registered trademarks of Gino Wickman. All rights reserved. Unique Ability and Focus Days are registered trademarks, protected by copyright and integral concepts of The Strategic Coach, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with written permission www.strategiccoach.com .

BenBella Books, Inc.

10440 N. Central Expressway
Suite 800
Dallas, TX 75231

www.benbellabooks.com
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First e-book edition: April 2014

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this title.

eISBN: 978-1-93-7856090

Copyediting by Rebecca Logan

Proofreading by Michael Fedison and Jenny Bridges Cover design by Facout Studio

Text design and composition by John Reinhardt Book Design Printed by Bang Printing

Distributed by Perseus Distribution ( www.perseusdistribution.com ) To place orders through Perseus Distribution: Tel: 800-343-4499

Fax: 800-351-5073

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Special discounts for bulk sales (minimum of 25 copies) are available.
Please contact Aida Herrera at .

To my mom, Linda Wickman, the strongest person I know.

Gino Wickman

To Pop, Art Pfeil, the storyteller and teacher in me.

Mike Paton

C ONTENTS

T HIS IS A BUSINESS FABLE, but its not like any business fable youve read before. Though fictional, Get A Grip is a gritty real-world story about an entrepreneurial company that has hit the ceiling. Tired and frustrated, its leaders respond by implementing a practical, proven system that dramatically improves the performance of their business and the quality of their lives.

That system is called EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System. Its not theory. Its not full of abstract concepts. Its not about one big idea. Rather, its a complete system full of simple, practical tools that has helped thousands of entrepreneurs worldwide get what they want from their businesses.

Weve personally taken hundreds of companies through this process. If the details ring true its because we really didnt make up anything. Any similarities to issues you face with your organization, leadership team, or people are pure coincidence. This book isnt based on a true story; its actually based on hundreds of true stories. There isnt one situation you will read about that we havent experienced at least twenty times with various clients.

We hope these realistic characters and familiar situations help you see how to solve the most important and common issues you face as a leader. These practical tools will help you simplify, clarify, and achieve your vision. Were confident they will becauseover and over againweve seen that the results of implementing EOS are truly remarkable. But dont take our word for it. Well let the business owners whove implemented it speak for themselves: In the ten years prior to implementing EOS, our company experienced substantial and consistent revenue growth year after year. But we hit a ceiling. Our leaders werent on the same page, there was confusion about direction and roles, finger pointing, and turf protectingprofit dropped considerably. It wasnt fun. EOS has helped us develop a trusting, engaged, focused, and empowered leadership team. Were growing again, expanding our facilities, acquiring companies, and delivering more consistently to our customers. Best of all, weve been profitable, even through the tough years, and I am able to truly strategize our longterm path instead of concentrating on present-day issues. On a one-to-ten scale, I give the whole experience a ten (and I dont give many tens).

JOE CEKOLA

President, Imperial Beverage

Prior to beginning our EOS journey, issues small and large often got in the way of our growth. Implementing EOS has helped us see these issues and resolve them. We now have a phenomenal (and very clear) vision for our firm, the right structure to take us to the next level, and are hiring strategically based on our Core Values so that we have the right people in the right seats. Weve grown 25 percent or more in each of the last three years and, perhaps more importantly, are enjoying the ride. We look forward to working hard with a great team, but are increasingly able to disengage at the end of the day and spend quality time with our families. It doesnt get much better.

DAVE KOLB

CEO, Global Tax Network

After twenty-seven years of business, a downturn in the economy, and a new management team, adopting EOS was exactly what we needed at Brogan & Partners. Through the process, we have expedited our decision making, enabling us to get far more done in a shorter period of time. Simply, the process has helped us make the hard decisions that are right for our business. Not only has EOS helped us uncover our true culture, it has helped our company live by those values. Brogan & Partners is stronger, the management team is more accountable, and we are seeing the results with an influx of new clients, more income, and a better bottom line.Next page