First of all, congrats! Creating your Vision/Traction Organizer (V/TO) is no small feat. You’ve taken the time to really think about where your organization is going and how you’ll get there. That’s something a lot of leaders never do.
But writing your strategic plan down is just step one. I’ve seen plenty of entrepreneurs get stuck here: full of ambition but unsure how to connect their vision to actual execution.
Here at The Metiss Group, we help leaders like you link strategic goals with the people who will carry them out.
In this article, we’ll discuss:
If you’re new to the Vision/Traction Organizer, it’s a tool developed by the folks at EOS Worldwide as part of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). EOS is a business framework designed to help companies get clear on their goals and the steps they’ll take to achieve them.
The V/TO is basically a strategic roadmap. It forces you to define your vision — your big-picture, pie-in-the-sky goals — and then break it down into smaller, more manageable chunks. It’s free, and it’s incredibly powerful for aligning your team.
But creating your V/TO is just the beginning. Even leaders who seem to be doing all the right things (setting quarterly goals, establishing Rocks, having leadership meetings) still fail to execute their V/TO.
So let’s talk about what happens after you’ve got your V/TO in hand. Because if you don’t take action, it’s just a really well-organized piece of paper.
Here’s a real-world example: A client of ours had a director of maintenance who was juggling the responsibilities of both a leader and a “player.” This person was hands-on, getting into the weeds with the team. And while that worked for a smaller organization, as the company grew, it became clear this role needed to evolve. They needed a leader who could coach and develop others, not just lead by example.
The point is this: your leadership needs to match the direction of your organization. If your V/TO has you in hyper-growth mode, your leaders might need to be innovative and strategic. But if you’re in turnaround mode, they may need to be more structured and tactical.
It’s all about focus. You can’t perfect every leadership skill under the sun, so you’ve got to prioritize. What worked to get you here won’t necessarily get you there.
This is where The Metiss Group comes in. We use a tool called the Leadership Effectiveness Analysis (LEA) 360 to guide our Strategic Leadership Alignment™ process. It’s a mouthful, but stay with me — it’s worth it. The LEA 360 breaks the 22 leadership practices into six categories:
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Creating a Vision
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Developing Followership
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Implementing the Vision
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Following Through
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Achieving Results
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Team Playing
The biggest mistake you could make in this stage is cherry-picking a few practices because they sound impressive. For example, we always hear clients say, “Oh, structuring, we’d love to have more structure! Let’s pick that one.” But check out the definition:
Structuring: Adopting a systematic and organized approach; preferring to work in a precise, methodical manner; developing and utilizing guidelines and procedures.
Do you really want your leaders bogged down in “developing guidelines and procedures?” Depending on your organization and goals, probably not. But don’t worry, a behavior expert can help you align leadership practices with your V/TO.
Leadership practices also need to align with your culture and your goals. For instance, if you want innovative leaders, your workplace has to foster risk-taking and creativity. It’s a nonnegotiable.
That’s why you need a trusted advisor who will listen to your goals at this stage. I know what you’re thinking — we must sound pretty biased, since we offer this service. But trust me, I’ve seen way too many clients prioritize the wrong things before coming to us.
In fact, we have one client who has had the same strategic goals for the last 10 years, and they just keep kicking the can down the road as they fail year after year to make any progress. We had a strategic goals session with them this month, and they were finally able to put a clear plan in place for achieving their goals. The energy in the room was filled with excitement as the leaders felt they finally knew what they needed to do to achieve their company’s goals.
Once you know what leadership practices your organization needs, the next step is assessing where your leaders stand. This is where the LEA 360 shines. It’s a tool that gathers feedback from your leaders’ direct reports, peers, and bosses. The result is a full-circle view (hence “360”) of their strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots.
Why is this important? Because feedback is the foundation for growth. Maybe you have a leader who’s great at implementing a vision but struggles to develop followership. Or maybe they’re a pro at achieving results but need to work on team playing. The 360 helps you see these gaps so you can address them head-on.
And the best part is, this isn’t just about pointing out what’s wrong; it’s about building on strengths. A solid 360 gives your leaders a roadmap for growth that aligns with your VT/O. That’s what makes it such a game-changer.
Look, having a plan is great. But if you don’t have the right leaders to bring that plan to life, you’re setting everyone up for frustration, and your goals will stay just out of reach. The truth is, execution lives and dies with your people. That’s why it’s so critical to develop your leaders in a way that matches your strategy.
At The Metiss Group, we specialize in helping small businesses align their leadership development with their strategic goals. Whether it’s identifying the right leadership practices, using the LEA 360 to uncover growth opportunities, or providing ongoing support, we’re here to help you close the gap between vision and execution.
Now that you understand how The Strategic Leadership Alignment™ can help you execute your V/TO, the next step is to understand the importance of a 360 in this leadership development program.
