We want to get started with EOS, but we are running on fumes and our calendar is packed. What concrete homework or baseline preparation do we actually need to complete before our Focus Day to ensure we do not waste the session?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You don't need to read a stack of management books, build complex financial models, or draft a thirty-page strategic plan before your Focus Day. In fact, doing too much preparation can actually clutter your thinking. What you truly need is mental white space and a clean commitment to the process.

Focus Day Preparation

To get the most out of your first full-day session, you must take a strategic pause. This means:

• Clearing your calendar of all operational tasks for that day.
• Silencing your notifications.

Your only preparation is to arrive ready to build a new foundation based on trust, openness, and an agreement to strategic structure.

Leadership Team Commitments

We require your leadership team to commit to three basic rules before we begin:

1. Be willing to look in the mirror and acknowledge where the business is stuck. This involves honest self-assessment regarding your current operational challenges.
2. Be open to restructuring roles, even if it means moving legacy employees out of their current seats. This flexibility is crucial for effective organizational design, particularly when considering a new [Accountability Chart](/qa/what-company-needs-before-starting-eos). This might also involve difficult decisions like addressing a [long-tenured leader who lacks capacity](/qa/long-tenured-leader-lacks-capacity-gwc).
3. Agree to speak your mind without fear of political fallout. Building a culture where your leadership team can openly [build trust to speak openly](/qa/building-vulnerability-trust-rprs-calls) is fundamental for effective problem-solving. This includes being able to give honest feedback, even when faced with a [right person, wrong seat](/qa/right-person-wrong-seat-no-openings) situation.

If you can bring a team that is willing to challenge each other with love and respect, you have all the preparation you need. We will build the tools, including your initial [Accountability Chart](/qa/how-many-hats-can-one-person-wear-eos), live in the room. Come with an open mind and a rested brain, not a binder full of reports.

Related questions

• [How do we build trust to speak openly?](/qa/building-vulnerability-trust-rprs-calls)
• [How many hats can one person wear?](/qa/how-many-hats-can-one-person-wear-eos)
• [I have a loyal executive who has been with me for twelve years, gets the culture, and wants the job, but they simply do not have the capacity to handle our operations now that we have scaled past twenty million. How do I handle this without destroying our culture?](/qa/long-tenured-leader-lacks-capacity-gwc)
• [We have an employee who scores one hundred percent on our core values but fails the GWC for their current operations seat, and we have no other open seats on our Accountability Chart. Do we have to let them go?](/qa/right-person-wrong-seat-no-openings)
• [My co-founder insists on creating custom seats on our Accountability Chart based on the unique skill sets of our long-term employees, which makes our org structure messy and confusing. How do I convince them to focus on structure before people?](/qa/structure-before-people-accountability-chart)