The Skeptic in the Room
I always look for “The Tenacity Leader” during a client’s first EOS session.
If you’re familiar with Patrick Lencioni’s 6 Types of Working Genius, you know who this is. They’re the execution driver. The DO-er.
And they are usually pissed off about being trapped in a room for an all-day meeting.
They walk in disconnected, crossing their arms, convinced they’re about to endure 8 hours of “corporate fluff” and flavor-of-the-month exercises when they have actual work to do.
Last week, I started an implementation with a brilliant new team. Great Visionary owner, amazing industry passion, fantastic culture. But within five minutes, I spotted my guy. (Well, two guys, but one stood out in particular.)
His arms were crossed. His expression was a lockbox.
I directed much of my initial energy toward him. Not to single him out, but to let him know subtly… I see you. I get it.
If you know real EOS implementation, you know we start with foundational teaching. But after a few hours of download, we shift into the heavy lifting:
- Building a clear Accountability Chart
- Setting sharp Quarterly Priorities (Rocks)
- Establishing a Level 10 meeting pulse
- Defining real, forward-looking Scorecard metrics
As we started assigning names to priorities and establishing weekly accountability, I saw a shift. He perked up.
His face didn’t break expression all day, though. So when we reached the end-of-day conclude and asked for feedback. Were expectations met? Day rating from 1–10? Then, I held my breath.
“I didn’t have expectations because I didn’t want to be here anyway,” he said. “And I rate the day an 8 only because everyone else rated it a 10.”
I swallowed hard and nodded. “Fair enough, thanks for the honesty.”
Then he cracked a slight grin.
“I’m kidding. Once you got past the first two hours of bullshit, we actually did some really good work. We defined things that should have been done months ago. My real rating is a 10. I thought this was going to be another corporate exercise, but this is different.”
Here’s the truth. EOS isn’t a seminar or a passive workshop. It’s a operational system that forces execution through real accountability.
I love having naysayers in the room. They’re a speed bump at first, but once they realize the system is designed to eliminate friction and get shit done, the biggest skeptic almost always becomes the system’s biggest champion.
