Articles & resources
Questions and ideas for leading with greater clarity.
My published writing on EOS, leadership, team health, thoughtful AI, and building a business that gives you more freedom. Explore original Clarity2Freedom articles alongside my writing from LinkedIn.
Ideas into action
Latest articles
31 articles on leadership, capacity, and building a better business. Articles from LinkedIn include a link to their original publication.
What EOS Implementation Looks Like for Idaho Business Owners
Idaho native and Certified EOS Implementer Ben Johnson explains how EOS implementation helps local leadership teams gain clarity and traction.
Can EOS Work Virtually? What Distributed Teams Should Expect
Drawing on nearly two decades leading distributed teams, Certified EOS Implementer Ben Johnson explains what makes virtual EOS implementation work.
A Great Business Should Help You Build a Great Life
Certified EOS Implementer Ben Johnson explains how owners can build a strong, financially healthy business that creates more freedom for life.
Making Room to Lead: AI, Processes, and Better Headcount Decisions
A practical way for busy leaders to simplify work, use AI thoughtfully, and build the capacity their business actually needs.
Before You GWC Anyone Else, GWC Yourself
One of the hardest parts of leadership is deciding whether someone is the right person for a seat. As leaders running on EOS, we spend a lot of time asking whether someone Gets it, Wants it, and has the Capacity to do it (GWC).
The Difference Between Teams That Spin… and Teams That Solve
Over the last quarter, I’ve noticed something more and more. Team flow.
Shiny Things
As a Visionary in a business — and really for anyone leading a business, regardless of the seat you’re in — it’s incredibly easy to get distracted by shiny things. New ideas.
How.
How. How do I accomplish that Rock? How do we get the Scorecard back on track? How do we solve the issue that keeps resurfacing every quarter? How do we handle this people problem the right way? Leadership is full of “how.
The Why Behind the Level 10 Meeting (And the Tradeoffs When You Deviate) - AI Prompt Included
One thing I respect about many leaders running on EOS is that they don’t take tools on faith. They ask good questions.
Hitting the Ceiling (and How Great Leaders Break Through It)
Almost every leader I know eventually hits a ceiling. Revenue stalls.
Boundaries and Time Management Through the Lens of Kolbe
Why the same tools help some people and exhaust others A client mentioned to me recently that some of his team members have really resonated with the time management tools I’ve been teaching, while others… haven’t. My first instinct was the classic one: “They probably just haven’t heard it seven tim
Business Has Weather. Great Leaders Learn How to Dress for It.
If it feels like weather has been in the news a lot lately, it has. Parts of the Midwest and East have been dealing with major storms.
What Is the Real Outcome of Running on EOS?
When people first hear about EOS, they often think about tools. Vision/Traction Organizer.
How to Build a Clear Personal Vision (With Optional Help from AI)
In businesses that run on EOS, the Vision/Traction Organizer (V/TO) helps the leadership team get on the same page about where the company is going and how it’s going to get there. That kind of clarity is a game-changer.
Setting Boundaries Is the Price Of Living the EOS Life
If you want to live the EOS Life—doing what you love, with people you love, making a huge difference, being compensated appropriately, and still having time for other passions—no one is going to make that happen for you. That outcome requires intentional work.
AI Led Prep for a Great Quarterly Conversation
By Ben Johnson A powerful EOS tool that is often misunderstood is the Quarterly Conversation. A Quarterly Conversation isn’t about evaluating someone.
Ownership Changes Are Stress Tests. EOS Is the Shock Absorber.
Ownership changes are some of the most intense moments in the life of a company. They are exciting, emotional, distracting, and risky all at the same time.
How to Turn Overwhelm Into EOS Life Momentum
One of the core promises of EOS is simple. It helps you get what you want from your business so you can live the EOS Life.
LMA Your Rocks: Leading and Managing Your Priorities to Success
In the world of EOS®, we talk a lot about LMA—Leading, Managing, and holding people Accountable. It’s one of the most powerful ways to ensure that your team thrives and your business gets what it needs from each seat on the Accountability Chart.
Staying on the Same Page with Your Business Partner
If you’re running on EOS, you know how critical it is for the Visionary and Integrator to stay aligned. When that relationship is strong, the whole company runs smoother.
Process Component Checkup
When most companies hear “process,” they think bureaucracy or red tape. But the strongest companies know running on Process is freedom—it’s clarity that lets people move fast and stay consistent without chaos.
LMA Your Process!
Too often, I hear people complain that their processes aren’t working the way they should. When we dig in, the issue sometimes isn’t the process itself—it’s the lack of leadership and management around it.
🚀 How to Lead a Great Departmental Quarterly Session
A complete EOS® guide for managers and department heads If your company runs on EOS®, your leadership team already meets quarterly to align, refocus, and solve key issues. But for real traction, the process must cascade down to the rest of the organization.
Is This the Right Seat for You?
A Career Fit Guide for Candidates Considering a Job at an EOS® Company In the movie Ocean’s Eleven, Danny Ocean doesn’t just pull together any group of people—he carefully builds a team where each person brings something essential to the mission. Everyone has a specific role, and they only join if t
From Strategy to Execution: A Manager’s Guide to Rock Setting
You’re a manager of a team in a company running on EOS® and the leadership team just met with your EOS Implementer to set company-wide and departmental Rocks for the quarter. Now it’s your turn to set rocks with your team.
How Great Teams Turn Mistakes into Growth—With EOS Tools
A client texted me and asked, "What do I do when my team really messes up?". The team had messed up on a client project and he wanted them to learn from the mistake without damaging the team.
What if you ran your life like a great business?
I work with leadership teams to run better businesses and live better lives using the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). One of the most powerful tools in the EOS toolbox is the 90-Day World.
The Intersection of Data and Judgment
Three great leaders from EOS Worldwide recently released a new book called Data: Harness Your Numbers to Go from Uncertain to Unstoppable. I'm excited because this book adds helpful tools to strengthen the Data Component of running entrepreneurial businesses.
Powerful Prioritization in Level 10 Meetings
Leadership teams are responsible for solving their company's most important issues at the right time. IDSing (Identify, Discuss, Solve) during EOS® Level 10 Meetings® is one of the best opportunities we have to keep the business on track.
Too Busy? 10 Tools to Help You Reclaim Your Time and Live in Your Unique Ability
In a recent session with a great client, we IDS’d (Identify, Discuss, and Solve) an issue that comes up all the time with entrepreneurial leaders: “I don’t have enough time!” Sound familiar? As a team, we dug in and made a list of tools and mindsets that can help any leader take back control of thei
Just Focus on Holding Great Level 10s!
In the journey of implementing EOS, companies work to strengthen the Six Key Components of their business. One of those components is Tractions.
Keep exploring
Winning the Financial Game
A growing collection about understanding the scoreboard, improving the drivers, and creating more options for your business and your life.
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