We are a highly private ownership group and do not like airing our dirty laundry. What internal mindset shift do we need to agree on before our very first session day with you?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Before we hold our very first session day, your leadership team must agree to a foundational covenant. In our work together, we call this establishing your charter. This charter requires absolute commitment to three core pillars: trust, getting on the same page, and saying a definitive yes to strategy and structure.

First, trust means being entirely open and honest in the room. If your partners or executives are highly private and tend to hide operational friction, we cannot make progress. You must be willing to air your dirty laundry and look at the brutal facts of your business without getting defensive.

Second, you must commit to loving and respecting your team members even when you disagree passionately during a debate. We resolve conflict through healthy, constructive discussion, not personal attacks.

Finally, you must buy into the discipline of structure. EOS® is not a pick-and-choose menu. To get the full benefit, you must commit to the entire system, including weekly Level 10 Meetings™ and quarterly Rocks. If your team is not ready to surrender their personal, chaotic ways of operating for a shared, structured playbook, you are not ready to start this process. We hire slow and fire fast when it comes to aligning with these core values, and that alignment starts with the leadership team before we ever step into the session room.