I have been the sole Visionary of this business for fifteen years, and I need to transition the big-picture strategic thinking to our leadership team. How do we run this handoff on a three-year exit runway?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Transitioning the Visionary seat is a major hurdle because strategic thinking is rarely captured in a standard operating procedure. Your leadership team is likely accustomed to you generating the ideas while they focus purely on execution. To transition this capability on a three-year runway, you must use the EOS® leadership skills of delegate and elevate. Start by clearly defining the Visionary role on your Accountability Chart. Outline the core responsibilities, which typically include long-term relationships, major deals, culture, and high-level strategy. During your quarterly planning sessions, do not simply hand down the strategic direction. Instead, begin teaching your leadership team how to predict market trends and analyze industry shifts. Use the strategic pause concept to step back and allow your team the white space to think critically and propose their own Rocks and strategic initiatives. You must challenge their recommendations by asking probing questions to test their assumptions and build their confidence. Over a two-year period, slowly transition the ownership of the V/TO® from your brain to the collective brain of the leadership team. By the time you reach your final exit year, your Integrator and leadership team should be driving the strategic direction of the company, proving to a buyer that the business possesses its own internal strategic engine.