Rob Taylor joined the podcast to talk about the how to fit and fill the right seats in your organization. Not only does this mean that an individual in a role has the skills to do so but it also means the individuals core values are similar to the company’s. This is important for your company, but also for you as a manager. Rob discusses what this looks like and gives applicable answers on how to make sure your people are aligning!

Find Rob on his website!

Full transcription below: (May contain typo's)

[00:00:00] Rob: [00:00:00] So we started looking at, okay, what's the, what are they really good at? What are their strengths? What are their, where else do we have and are structured where we have an opening where we could use their skills set better, their unique abilities 

Keerstyn: [00:00:15] welcome to the podcast, Rob Taylor, we are so excited to have you here today. Can you please give us just a brief  explanation of what you do, how you got involved in your work, that type of 

Rob: [00:00:24] thing.

Sure , I'm Rob Taylor of Taylor management systems. I'm their president, and we're an organization that as an EOS implementer, we help business owners and leaders of companies get what they want from their business. ,whether their dreams, their passions, or their lifelong life term goals, whatever that is passion is, we enable them to.

How the company a lot be aligned , and to achieve those goals, , we complete proven system with simple practical tools that give them their leadership team. Initially what we call vision, [00:01:00] traction and healthy vision, and that their harps on the same page with where they're all going and their plan to get there.

So they're aligned and we get them traction and that they're accountable and disciplined in achieving that vision together. And that they're healthy and therapy cohesive, functional team that actually likes to work together because a lot of times with strong leaders, they struggle to get along. , we worked with that leadership team and we push it down to the system.

So they see the vision being achieved with accountability and discipline with teams that are having fun working together. , that's the high level. , we do other things as well, management systems and coaching and development of leaders and managers. But we do most of that now through us.

That's the system that we see that helps. It's a proven process. It provides focus and alignment. It really helps them execute and achieve that vision better than anything I've ever seen. 

Keerstyn: [00:01:56] Yeah. So for our listeners, do you want to explain EOS? , [00:02:00] some people might not know exactly what that is 

 or all the parts of that are involved in 

Rob: [00:02:05] it. Yeah. As an EOS implementer, EOS is an entrepreneurial operating system. Check it out at eosworldwide.com. It's a, and again, it's an operating system that helps companies run their company. It's a proven process. It's simple practical tools. It works. It simply works.

It does provide that focus on alignment.  and so to answer your question, Keerstyn, it's a system operating system, which is a great way of, we know about operating systems that are software, if you're the founder of a business, you have this , you're a startup and you're starting to become, that next stage business and you're growing.

You find out that one person, two people, five. 10, the complexity increases dramatically. And the, that dream starts that you start to I'm the energy gets sucked out of that dream, just for dealing with people, issues [00:03:00] and problems and process issues and accountability. And it's a system that helps owners not only run the business, but get what they 

Keerstyn: [00:03:09] want.

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So then why is your role in that U S implementation? 

Rob: [00:03:16] Sure, sure. The target markets are entrepreneurial businesses, teams that are open-minded their growth oriented. Maybe they're frustrated things aren't working, they want help.

So we're providing the answers to those issues, where. My role as an implementer, I used to be called a consultant. I've done a lot of consulting over the years to see,  what I felt was good advice. To  be listened to. I appreciate it, but not for me. We executed on not implemented quite right.

This is a system that I helped them implement that they use to run the [00:04:00] company, to help them grow and develop as leaders so that they're self sufficient. We're teaching them to fish to use that analogy. 

Keerstyn: [00:04:10] Interesting. Okay. So how long is this EOS process laid out us? I'm actually with 

Rob: [00:04:15] you? Yeah. my goal, depending on the company is two, two and a half years to have them be, if not sooner, to be self sufficient, I have clients that still want me to keep on with them and help them keep growing.

that they get to a certain point. They hit that ceiling. They want to keep growing. This EOS is designed to help them keep going and growing. But on average companies, two, two and a half years of, quarterly visits. Yeah. Getting them up and going. At some point they can kick off the training wheels if they are so inclined, which hopefully they are at some point and they can do it themselves.

Yeah, 

Keerstyn: [00:04:54] absolutely. Absolutely. So you've touched on this already, but what are some of those pain points that they're [00:05:00] experiencing and then how do you get them? Or what are some of those things that they feel after they work with 

you? 

Rob: [00:05:06] we're dealing with people, mostly we're dealing with, people who are growth oriented and leading and, they have ideas and so we're helping them get aligned or helping them.

Have a clear focus for what is that? Maybe 10 years down the road, somewhere between five in 20 years. What's the longterm goal that big, hairy, audacious goal to use a Jim Collins concept from good to great. And to be focused on that and to. address that plan, get it clear, make sure they are focused on it and make sure they're, by being focused on that, aligned on it, that filters out things that maybe they shouldn't be doing.

So the frustrations that we see up front, the, the people issues, accountability issues, communication issues, [00:06:00] we're driving them to be focused, which helps and time. Address those issues. And we talk about the six key components of a business, which is part of the answer to your question is by being strong, having a strong or I should say a great vision.

If you want to be a great company, to have a great vision, you have to also have great people. You have to have data to help, where you're at and be achieving your goals. You have to be great at solving problem solving. You have to be great at your processes being consistently followed by all.

And you have to have some kind of way of executing on your plans that helps address those issues. Yeah, 

Keerstyn: [00:06:41] absolutely. Do you want to go through those six key components? 

Rob: [00:06:45] yeah. So they're the first, which I mentioned vision is that. In that the aligned agreement, the focus on the longterm vision of the company, that's going to be, we're looking at the core values of [00:07:00] the company.

What are the principles by which we've worked together as a company who are the people we need to have in our company? We're looking at the core focus. What does the company do? What does it not do you know, where are they passionate about? Where are they the best app in the world? We look at their 10 year targets or their longterm target.

What's the one thing that big, hairy, audacious goal they want to achieve. We started looking about how what's their strategy for how they go to market, how they sell us their message, getting that succinctly focused on target markets so that they're efficient and effective at communicating what they want or what they do, their value proposition.

We also look at where they want to be at in three years on the way toward that, that big, hairy, audacious goal some 10 years out. So they know they're on targets or on track to achieve that 10 year. Then we start to pull it into the execution part, which is traction. What do they need to do this year, this next [00:08:00] 12 months, what goals and you achieve, and then what do they need to achieve in this next 90 days?

What we call rocks, which is a Stephen Covey concept. So we're helping them with focusing on the next 90 days. And they're getting really good at having a great quarter. That puts them on track to have a really good, great year, which puts them on track to hit their three year, which puts them on track to ultimately achieve what they really want 10 years away.

So that's the vision part. That's a lot in that I know the next key and that vision has to be shared by all throughout the company. that's another key part of that. So that's the first key component. The second is what we call the, the people components. You have to be really strong with the key people component, having great people.

So you need to have the right people and the right seats. And we go through a tool called the accountability chart and the people analyzer to make sure that we have the right people. [00:09:00] we talk about structure first. What are the right seats? What's the right structure for your company to achieve that vision.

And then we put the right people in the right seats. That's a big part of EOS to structure your company to be successful. We then the third key component is the data component having, I think entrepreneurs tend to be passionate about their business and sometimes struggled to be focused on how to make decisions and they don't have the data.

They can end up making bad decisions. So this is to give them an absolute pulse on the business. Week to week over 90 days over a quarter so that they're seeing trending on the activities, the numbers that need to be achieving each week to have a good month to have a good quarter. That's a key component that really helps them be more objective and have a great quarter.

So those are the first three. Then we start looking at, after all of that, we start to see all of our problems in that. [00:10:00] Fourth key component is what we call the issues component. And we're looking at helping leaders and executives, business owners just get really good that making a list of all of the issues, just getting them out of their head, getting them down.

And identifying them. Cause if you and I, or on a leadership team, you may see issues. I don't see vice versa and we both list them. Now we're both aware and we can now work together to solve those issues. There's a process EOS has to help leadership teams quickly deal with identify and solve those issues.

That's what I key a strong leadership team needs to be good at doing as quickly solving issues. Cause we. We tend to discuss the heck out of things. So the fifth key component is what we call process, and that's not the most enjoyable part for [00:11:00] entrepreneurs to focus on the company, but having documented processes that are followed by all helps companies be scalable and helps companies be consistent.

And, so whether you call it quality, you call it customer satisfaction. Whether you call it just being a healthy team, likes to work together, having an agreement on how we do things and making sure everybody's doing the same way, really helps a company hit on all cylinders. And the last is attraction piece.

So imagine all of these components in a wheel. And there's at the top is vision. Where's the company going, looking at it now. And the bottom part, the traction piece is hitting the ground and this getting traction. This is the execution piece, and that is through the focus on the rocks were the most important things to get done in this next 90 days as humans, we tend to be focused on a 30 day window.

You get out past 90 days, we tend to get a little bit eyes glazed over and forget what we talked about. [00:12:00] Maybe six months ago. This 90 day focus really helps us achieve what we need to achieve. Now that's the traction piece. Plus a meeting pulse, having the right pulse of meetings, same Bay st. Time weekly as a leadership team, focusing on what needs to be happening.

Are we on track and solving issues every week? So we're productive and achieving what we want to achieve as a company. So those are the six key components. 

Keerstyn: [00:12:31] Awesome. I did have a question about the people part. So what if they, the person is obviously not in the right seat or they are not the right person.

What happens? 

Rob: [00:12:46] That's an awkward part of life. Isn't it? And I know you're a company. You have, your products, your service is to help us as leaders and managers work with people in those situations. That's what EOS is setting up. Leaders [00:13:00] and managers to do is to identify that and just, it's confronting the brutal facts.

It's there. We have to deal with it. Maybe it's not always brutal. Sometimes it is, but it's that, if it's the wrong, person's not in the right seat. you're looking at a sign. This is a good, this person that fits our company, but this, the seat they're in this position there and just isn't working out for them.

So we started looking at, okay, what's the, what are they really good at? What are their strengths? What are their, where else do we have and are structured where we have an opening where we could use their skills set better, their unique abilities as I think so Dan Sullivan phrase, I believe that's who that is.

that's one way, if obviously, if we only have. A hundred positions in our company and we have someone who's not in the right seat, then they're struggling. That's where we have to make a tough decision, do we need to let them go? That's hard, especially if they're a good fit for the company, if they're a good [00:14:00] fit for the company, but they're not a good fit for that see that's we struggle.

so at some point you just have to make that tough decision on, Hey, this is all we can afford this. Isn't working out. We've got to get someone else better in that seat to really help us achieve what we need. 

Keerstyn: [00:14:14] Absolutely. 

Rob: [00:14:16] We don't just do that. we go through a process of having discussion with them, performance reviews, quarterly, if not more, one on ones you can call them, with EOS, we look at, their, their performance and meeting, fulfilling their roles and expectations.

We look at how they are compared to our core values, which I want to come back to. And we look at, What they're achieving, what their, priorities are. Their goals are for this rock, this quarter, what we call rocks? When is, are they on track and are they achieving those things? And is that, that as well as looking at each person and EOS, we try to, we get to the point, we try to have every one in the organization, have a number of some kind [00:15:00] that they're associated with.

They're accountable for helping achieve. if we're a manufacturing company and if I'm on the line, I know as a team, we have so many widgets to produce a week or a month, whatever, that's my number. The point is, if any of those things I'm on track with, and I'm struggling performance wise, we do have a system to help with giving feedback and hopefully read, redirecting them, or giving them feedback, giving them redirect, praising them to help them.

Achieve and grow and start to achieve what we're hoping that they achieve. But after the HR, 30, 60, 90 days, if it's not working yet now, the coaching, if the develop thing, if giving the feedback and all that's not working, I have to make a tough decision. So you, this isn't from my perspective, isn't just, Hey, they're not cutting it.

They're out. It's, there's a process to work with them. Yeah, 

Keerstyn: [00:15:55] absolutely. But you mentioned core values in there, and I did want to put you on that too. [00:16:00] How do you, is there a task that they take to do look at these core values? Is it off of your basis? whether it's StrengthsFinder disc or whatever, it may be.

There's so many out there. How do you figure out those core values and then assess if that's they're fitting in the racy or if they're not, or where they could go in the future? 

Rob: [00:16:21] This is a, that's a great question. EOS. This is where see EOS has clarified and simplified this, that it's the people analyzer tool.

That's what EOS has. And it's simply a leadership team initially sitting down and even looking at themselves, if you and I am four, others are on a leadership team. So there are six of us and we identify, Certain core values for our company. We then do a people analyzer to say, looking at each other, how well do we see each of us routinely demonstrating these core values [00:17:00] that people analyze our tool helps us.

Number one, as a leadership team, verify are these the core values of our company. So that's helps establish them, but once they're established it, then helps us hold each other accountable. And we come up with a bar to say, Out of maybe five core values leadership team, while all employees need to achieve a certain level of showing routinely demonstrating the core values, over time.

So it's a people system we're using a people, analyzer, we're have people analyze each other and it's not, nothing. And when you're dealing with people, nothing is perfect, but it helps us to. Assess and get people feedback on here's a core value Kiersten. I do see you routinely demonstrating. Now here's two or three situations, or I do not say you do that.

In fact, I see the opposite. one of our, let's say one of our core values is teamwork working together as teams. [00:18:00] And let's say, you're giving me feedback saying, Rob, you're not want to work with a team. You're a loner. we need to have you and work with a team and helping the team grow and being a part of the team.

And over time, let's say after two and a half months, you've given me that feedback. And I you've been very clear that's super important. It's one of our core values and addition to other core values. I'm just not the right fit for the company. That's usually where you got to make that tough decision to say, Rob, just not fitting in the company.

He's not fitting our core values. We need to find a place where he's probably a better fit, and not, it's not here at our company that usually ends up showing that when someone's not a core values fit, not always, but they tend to really suck the energy out of other people. maybe a bit toxic kind of corrosive.

And by removing that, if I'm that person you remove me from the team or from a company. You tend to see that [00:19:00] relief, Oh, it feels so much better now to not have Rob here. And you put somebody in who is a fit and it just it's again, it's the principles by which we work together. So it's an important thing to have the great people for our company, that federal company, so that we all work together.

It's the right chemistry. 

Keerstyn: [00:19:18] Yeah, absolutely. So you've mentioned a little bit, but how long, so when people are implementing this process and they're figuring out a people fair or not, how long does that process normally take to realize, Hey, this isn't the right fit. We've coached them. you've mentioned two or three months, but what on average does that look like?

Rob: [00:19:38] that's a good idea that we coach them too. Make the tough choice, sooner the better, in the early stages of implementing EOS, that there's usually that look and leadership space of here's someone who we know is not a right person for our company. And let's just make the decision now.

then we have the situations [00:20:00] where, someone is an on the fence. And they need to have those discussions too, with the person to give them feedback. So it's not just picking her out. It's let me give you some feedback so we can help you see what we expect from our core values, what even that means what that looks like.

And I'm a little careful of saying we're asking, I see people to change, but sometimes awareness of what's expected. You can change people's behaviors. Too, maybe not so much that they're, they change who they are, but they change how they interact with others. And that's a beautiful thing. When you can develop somebody to, be that challenge of an employee to now be one of your stars.

Keerstyn: [00:20:43] Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And it's just that awareness too of, Oh, I didn't even realize that I was doing that. And now 

Rob: [00:20:52] yeah, we snug, we sometimes call it the blind spot, I'm not even aware I'm doing it. You're aware I'm not. And as soon as you shine [00:21:00] the light on and I'm like, Oh my goodness, I need, I did not.

Oh, I feel so bad 

Keerstyn: [00:21:05] for the change. Absolutely. Awesome. Robin, thank you so much for going through EOS and what that looks like and how you coach people to be better. is there any links that, our podcast guests can go to reach out more and connect with you? 

Rob: [00:21:19] Yeah. so I'm on LinkedIn. So Taylor management systems and also my website tailored management systems.com and yeah, look me up and I love, I just have a passion.

I love helping business owners and leaders. Go on and grow who have those frustrations of, we're status quo is not where we want to be. I just love helping them get on the path to achieving their vision. 

Keerstyn: [00:21:43] Awesome. Thank you. 

Rob: [00:21:45] Alright, thank you.