Page 22 - December 2019 Bar Journal

FEATURE EXTRA

The Vision Component has 12 sub- The Data Component: the goal here is right word for it. Nothing adds teeth to a
parts that took us around 20 hours to to reduce the key metrics in the firm to a vision like talking about it every week, cell
complete, by far the most intensive of the small handful of numbers (six in our case) phones and e-mails turned off, with total
six components. What was interesting that would be both forward-facing (by commitment from leadership to resolve the
about it, though, is that EOS requires all setting a weekly goal) and backward-facing obstacles standing in the way of achieving
of the output from the Vision component (by being reviewed on a weekly basis). By your goals, being comfortable being
to fit onto one large sheet of paper, called a gauging whether you are “on track” or “off uncomfortable about them.
V/TO or “Vision / Traction Organizer,” track” each week, you spot trends and tweak
which we later printed and hung up in performance and activity without waiting “Are we there yet?”
everyone’s office. The point is to simplify for a month-end or quarter-end or year-end After all is said and done, here’s where you
and it’s been extremely effective. data dump. want to end up, in Wickman’s own words:
The People Component: the “get The Issues Component: after identifying [S]uccessful businesses operate with
comfortable being uncomfortable” concept our issues in the Vision component, we crystal clear visions that are shared by
really came into play here. The purpose of created an “issue solving track,” where everyone. They have the right people
this section is to “get the right butts into the problems in the firm are identified, in the right seats. They have a pulse
right seats.” To do that we ran every member discussed and then solved. Lawyers are on their operations by watching and
of the firm through two thought exercises natural problem-solvers and talkers, but managing a handful of numbers on a
called the People Analyzer (right butts) and this component is a critical business process weekly basis. They identify and solve
the Accountability Chart (right seats), and for bringing issues to the table and then issues promptly in an open and honest
assessed whether everyone truly shared the resolving them on a weekly basis. environment. They document their
firm’s Core Values. Wickman predicted that The Process Component: Law firms and processes and ensure that they are
after you identify people who don’t share other professional service firms are often followed by everyone. They establish
your vision, you’ll end up letting them go run by people who think their output is priorities for each employee and ensure
or they’ll leave on their own. That’s exactly so unique and individualized that any that a high level of trust, communication,
what happened, mostly the latter, which was systemization is a bad thing. How many and accountability exists on each team.
curious and welcome. times have you heard a lawyer say “there’s Wickman, Traction at p. 29 (2011).
nothing cookie-cutter about my work”?
Those of us who believe in good, detailed Here’s what I’ll tell you: after seven years of
checklists and well-developed templates, watching our firm grow, I have never seen
Niki Z. Schwartz however, know that that’s just a story. When everyone so sync’d up before, operating
from a shared vision, shared values, shared
you are systems-thinking, you identify far
Mediator/Arbitrator more repetitive processes than you thought strategies. We still have a long way to go,
were there, and you realize that failure to but the pre-EOS version of our company is
formalize and document those processes completely different from the EOS version.
makes you inefficient and sloppy. We are achieving our goals faster and solving
The Traction Component: this one has our issues far more effectively than we ever
totally blown us away. Most strategic plans have before, and a lot more of them. We view
are created with a flurry of initial activity the members of our firm differently too, more
followed by months or years sitting on a as a family (which is one of our core values)
shelf collecting dust. Prior to EOS, our and less as a group of co-workers. And there’s
firm had at least three such dust-collectors. an energy that wasn’t here before. There is
No more. We meet every single week at forward movement, inertia. There is traction.
the same time on the same day for ninety It’s palpable. We love it.
minutes. The only reasons you are allowed
“If he can settle to miss or be late for a weekly EOS meeting Alex Gertsburg has worn four
are vacation and death. We all committed to
a prison riot, that and we’ve followed it. We follow a strict hats in his 18-year legal career
six-part agenda for each meeting: Wins,
including serving as a business
he can settle Scorecard Review, Rock Review, Client/ litigator with large firms, in-
house counsel with large telecom
anything!” Employee Headlines, To-Do List and Issues. company, and an officer with a line-haul truck
Each of the first five sections of the agenda
must take no more than five minutes and company in the Army with a year of combat
we keep time on a stopwatch. The Issues deployment in Iraq. He is currently the CEO
216-696-7100 discussion is the meat of each meeting and of the Gertsburg Law Firm and CoverMySix.
He has been a CMBA member since 2001.
takes up to 60 minutes.
nzs.adr@gmail.com Our weekly meetings have been absolutely He can be reached at (440) 571-7777 or
transformative for us. “Traction” is the ag@gertsburglaw.com.

22 | CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN BAR JOURNAL CLEMETROBAR.ORG