Get a Grip - Book Review
Get a Grip - Book Review
I've been on a professional journey, trying to figure out how I can continue to add value to the people I have been fortunate enough to mentor and advise. I've heard a lot about business and leadership coaches, but there's a lot of ambiguity around what value they provide and how they execute.
One promising area I found was identifying the methodologies and processes they use. Diving deeper, one that kept popping up was the Enterprise Operating System (EOS) outlined in Wickman's "Traction". I felt this would be a great place to start learning about what a more structured approach to coaching looks like, and to learn about the tools and processes that support entrepreneurs in their journeys.
Even better, I found a story-based precursor to "Traction" called "Get a Grip" by Gino Wickman.
Why "Get a Grip"?
My intrigue with "Get a Grip" began with its promise as an entertaining gateway into EOS. Having heard about its potential to revolutionize business operations, I was cautiously optimistic about seeing how Wickman introduces these concepts. Personally, I was wanted to understand the methodology, and see it applied in real-world scenarios. Additionally, the narrative style of the book piqued my interest, reminiscent of the engaging storytelling found in "The Goal" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and "The Phoenix Project" by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford—both of which brilliantly conveyed complex systems through relatable storytelling.
As someone deeply invested in mentoring, the storytelling method seemed like an excellent way to consume the complexities of EOS.
A Tale of Two Sides: Insights and Frustrations
While "Get a Grip" does an admirable job of introducing the tools in EOS, the book also has its share of frustrations. The storytelling aspect often falls short in resolving conflicts in a genuine or instructive manner. Instead of providing a detailed walkthrough of conflict resolution, the narrative sometimes resorts to hand-waving away problems—a stark contrast to the richly detailed and problem-solving-focused narratives of "The Goal" and "The Phoenix Project."
I honestly wished for more concrete examples of how the EOS tools could be applied in challenging, real-world scenarios. The essence of mentoring and business coaching lies in navigating through the rough waters of entrepreneurship, and a detailed guide on steering through these challenges would have been invaluable.
That being said, “Get a Grip” is not a difficult read, and I found I could easily visualize the characters in my own old colleagues and acquaintances. The various conflicts that Wickman covered were very relatable to issues I had personally experienced at White Oak Security and previous other employers. Looking back, I wish I had more time to step back from my day to day leadership roles, and learned some of the tools from EOS.
Unfocused & Ineffective Meetings:
I know I have personally been sat in and run meetings that couldn’t stay on focus to save our life. I recall one time when several members of the leadership team and I ran 45 minutes past the end of our meeting, discussing our frustrations with a particular client’s constant last-minute scheduling changes. It was a really great venting session, but at the end of it, we didn’t make any changes, or come to any resolutions. All we did we shrug our shoulder’s and say, “What are you gonna do?”
EOS talks about a “Level 10 Meeting", a structured framework for productive meetings. I don’t feel everyone needs to use this exact structure, but I do wish I had done something similar throughout my career to be more respectful of everyone’s time.
Lacking Accountability
I know I have been awful at enforcing accountability. When internal projects are delayed, or not completed, I personally tend to brush it off like it’s no big deal…. I look back and think how much more could we have done if I set a better standard for accountability. EOS does that.
The Accountability Chart and Rocks (originally introduced in Stephen Covey’s book, “First Things First”) mention in “Get a Grip” are more tools that I genuinely believe could have propelled myself and my teams further, if we had spent the time to implement them.
Final Thoughts
From a strategic viewpoint, "Get a Grip" provides a good, but not great, introduction to EOS. However, if you are a mentor or coach with a more tactical or technical tilt, it might be best to jump straight into "Traction." (Which I did eventually do, and I will share those thoughts later)
