After a company’s key leaders have mastered the EOS system, there comes an exciting – and sometimes scary – milestone in implementing EOS: it’s time to show the rest of the company how to use it. We call this the “Rollout,” and it is typically introduced in a meeting where everyone on the senior leadership team presents one aspect of the system.
Whether you roll EOS out to one management tier at a time or take another approach, there are several things you can do in advance to make sure the process goes as smoothly as possible.
Here are seven keys to a successful rollout:
1. Set a reasonable time frame for the rollout.
Remember that it took you and your senior leaders about 60 days, in addition to three all-day sessions with your implementer, to learn what you are now going to teach. Make sure you allow ample time for everyone else to get up to speed.
2. Make sure everyone on the senior leadership team knows the Five Foundational Tools and your Core Values cold.
This means not just knowing each tool’s contents and how to use them, but also having a prepared explanation of each tool and core value ready to share with others at any time.
3. Have your key documents prepared in advance.
Exactly how you roll out the Five Foundational Tools is up to you, but whatever you choose to do, you should at least have a simple sheet that sets forth your Core Values and one that introduces the Five Foundational Tools. (Click here for sample sheets.)
4. Develop a rollout presentation that every member of the senior leadership team takes part in.
(Click here for sample agenda.)
5. Practice your rollout presentation.
Once you've figured out which topics will be addressed by whom and everyone has written his/her speech, then practice, practice, practice! Do a dress rehearsal with everyone who will be involved in the presentation. The more you practice, the more confident you will be when you give your talk, and confidence is key if you want your words to get your workforce as fired up about EOS as you are.
6. Consider giving some of your key thought leaders a sneak preview.
If you have a few star employees who are thought leaders and are especially strong on your core values, give them a preview. You may get some valuable feedback from these folks, and it will give you a chance to rehearse your rollout presentation.
7. Try to over-communicate your message.
Actually, over-communicating the message can’t be done; you can’t repeat yourself enough. Repetition is essential to creating clarity in your organization. You will have to say key words like “vision” and “core values” at least seven times before people begin to take notice and really start to listen. The advice I give my clients is, “Tell ‘em 7 times, 7 ways.” Just keep talking about EOS in your rollout meeting, your weekly Level 10 meetings, in company newsletters, emails from the Visionary and/or Integrator, and in your one-on-one conversations. Try to repeat yourself “too much,” and you’ll probably be doing it almost enough.
One final point to remember before you institute your rollout is that this is the beginning of a process. It will take about two years for this system to fully gel with everyone and become the backbone of your company’s culture, but ask anybody who has seen the process through to the end – it’s worth the wait!
