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A Review of the Book Process! By Mike Paton and Lisa González

Are you controlling your business, or is your business controlling you? This is the opening line of the book “Process!” by EOS Worldwide®. We take a look at why everyone needs to read it!

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Introduction to the book Process!

Are you controlling your business, or is your business controlling you?

This is the opening line of the newly released book “Process!” by EOS Worldwide®, which we were privileged to get a sneak preview of before it’s release back in September 2022.

Most leaders are controlled by their businesses, not being able to enjoy the freedom of taking time off, training new employees, or run their business efficiently and effectively as it scales. It’s a constant race against time

But it doesn’t have to be that way!

We wanted to share our review and why we think everyone needs to read this book!

Summary of the book Process!

Process knowledge and SOPs by Mike Paton and Lisa Gonzalez.

If you own, run, or lead in a fast-moving business, you’re likely driven by passion and a desire to be free. Many leaders mistakenly believe instilling rigor and discipline for process throughout your organizations will inhibit freedom.

They couldn’t be more wrong.

It’s when you’re stuck in the day-to-day, putting out fires and cleaning up messes, that passion turns to frustration. Freedom seems somewhere between elusive and impossible. The secret to getting unstuck is  process. This inspiring, informative field guide will prove it’s possible to establish rigor and discipline for process while also increasing creativity, flexibility, and innovation.

Process! will help you identify a handful of core processes that make your business uniquely valuable. You’ll learn how to document and simplify the major steps in those processes so they can be done the right and best way, every time. And how to get them Followed-By-All (FBA).

Ultimately, it’s a must read if you want to master the EOS Process Component™

Finally, you’ll execute a simple, step-by-step plan that is helping more than 10,000 entrepreneurs around the world consistently get the results they want.

Title of the book

Authors of the book Process!

The book Process! is authored by Mike Paton and Liza Gonzales. 

Mike Paton

Having grown up in a home full of teachers and entrepreneurs, it’s no surprise that Mike Paton has spent much of his nearly 40 years in business helping entrepreneurs and leaders get what they want from their businesses.

One of the first EOS Implementers™ on the planet, Paton has helped the leadership teams of more than 150 companies run better businesses and live better lives, co-wrote Get A Grip with Gino Wickman, and succeeded Gino in the Visionary role at EOS Worldwide. He’s now a sought-after speaker and the host of The EOS Leader™ podcast, and he continues to create and share content with EOS fans around the world.

It's just a fact that if you're trying to grow and scale a business of any size, at some point you've got to get everyone in your organization doing the right thing at the right time. You just can't do that without process.
Mike Paton on the book Process! on the Whale blog
Mike Paton
Speaker, Author, EOS Implementer® & former Visionary at EOS Worldwide

Lisa Gonzalez

Lisa González helps business leaders (including, founders, CEOs, and family-owners) rediscover their passion for their businesses. Bringing over 25 years of business experience to her clients, she has also served on the board of YPO, and has been a member of EO and Vistage.

Lisa grew up in an entrepreneurial family in California and supported them in their many business operations. 

It was this experience that prompted her to join EOS and help other founders and businesses unlock their potential. 

It's often thought that process inhibts freedom and creativity but the opposite is true. Once leaders embrace process, they find that the reverse is true. Actually lack of process destroys freedom and creativity.
Lisa González Process!
Lisa González
Speaker, Author, EOS Implementer®

Who is the book Process! for?

This book is a must-read for Entrepreneurs, team leaders, and scaling businesses!

3 Mindsets that prevent Process

According to Lisa and Mike are 3 Mindsets that prevent process. Ironically these are typically faulty beliefs and not the truth.

  1. Process is not in my nature.
  2. Process takes too much time!
  3. Process destroys freedom.

 

Once entrepreneurs put process into action, they often find that the converse is true. 

3 Key takeaways from the book “Process!”

The training process is shown in a cartoon.

1. Commit to Process

“Every growing organization ultimately reaches a point where passion is simply not enough. The founders and leaders begin to realize that what got us here won’t get us there.”

This first section of the book deals with the right mindset needed for process and dissects the myths that often prevent process from being implemented. 

Whilst entrepreneurs have the continuous drive necessary to get a business up and running, scaling up requires process. Without giving too much away, there are certain beliefs that prevent entrepreneurs from committing to the process.

💡Key Learning

With the proper mindset, you will be able to appreciate the monumental impact that strengthening your Process Component™ can have on your business and your life.

2. Keep Learning

Mastering process requires learning the tools and steps needed to have a clear, straightforward blueprint for the exceptional results that your business or team can achieve on a consistent basis. 

The steps to mastering process include

  1. Identify a handful of processes that represent your core process
  2. Document and simplify each core process
  3. Package your core processes and, most importantly, role them out to the whole organization. This means training team members, measuring impact, managing people in a way that drives accountability, and reviewing and updating process regularly.

It takes the typical leadership team nine to twelve months in order to complete this cycle.

💡Key Learning

Utilize the above 3-Step Process and tools in order to make use of the EOS system to get process done. Documenting process as a rock and utilizing Level 10 weekly meeting pulses will help you in the learning phase. 

3. Act (I.e. Walk your Talk)

Once you’ve committed to the process of getting process done and learned the tools and steps needed in order to implement process, it’s time to live them in action.

Of course, as with life, this doesn’t always go according to plan. People who may have initially been passionate about starting may start to lose focus. There may be a lack of internal expertise or leadership. Perhaps the ability to measure is lacking.

Whatever happens, don’t lose traction!

💡Key Learning

Whatever happens, every obstacle can be overcome. Use templates, technology, and resources to implement a custom action plan for your organization.

Note – it’s for this reason that we’re so passionate about helping businesses unlock growth with Whale, and why we recommend using the EOS system and related tools.

10 things we love about the book “Process!”

1. The introduction by Gino!

Gino Wickman is a legend in the world of entrepreneurship and the founder of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). He is also the author of the award-winning, best-selling book Traction and a number of others.

2. The stories!

The anecdotal stories interwoven throughout the book! They make the idea and implementation of process more accessible and relatable. 

Like the one of  John Wooden, the legendary coach of the UCLA Bruins, considered by some to be the greatest coach of all time who said

“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” 

3. The imagery!

The magnificently simple but oh-so-appropriate imagery adds a human touch and enriches the reading experience

A training book debunking process myths.

(Source: Process)

4. The easy style

The easy style in which the book is written makes it easy to consume and, more importantly, easy to apply.

5. The power quotes

Jim Collins quote in the book Process!

The powerful quotes by some powerful people, including Richard Branson and Jim Collins, in each chapter.

6. The 3 part ‘process’

The 3-part ‘process’ to the book that resembles what it takes to get process done!

7. The practical questions

The practical questions in part 3 are designed to help readers apply process in their organizations 

8. The resources

The resources and templates section at the end of the book (including Whale🐳) are designed to help make process practical and get it done!

9.The strong process checklist

See point 8 re getting process done!

10. 🐳

We also love that Whale was mentioned as a resource in the book 🐳.

Why every entrepreneur needs to read Process!

Well, you don’t need to read it if you want to stay static in your business, but if you’re looking to optimize, scale, and grow your business then this is the book for you!

FAQs about the book Process!

What order should I read EOS books in?

If you’re not familiar with EOS, we definitely suggest starting with Traction.

  1. "Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business" by Gino Wickman – Start with this foundational book. It introduces the EOS model and covers the six key components of any organization: Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction. It’s essential for understanding the basics of EOS.

  2. Process!: How Discipline and Consistency Will Set You and Your Business Free -This deep-dive into the revolutionary EOS method to strengthen a company’s process component will help leaders at all companies run better businesses and live better lives.

  3. Get A Grip: An Entrepreneurial Fable" by Gino Wickman and Mike Paton – This book is a narrative that illustrates how EOS can be implemented in a company. Reading it after "Traction" can help solidify your understanding of the concepts in a practical, story-driven format.

  4. Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business" by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters – This book focuses on the critical relationship between the Visionary and the Integrator roles within a company, detailing how businesses can thrive when these two roles are aligned.

  5. How To Be A Great Boss" by Gino Wickman and René Boer – After grasping the EOS system, this book provides practical tools and techniques for managing and leading people effectively within the EOS framework.

  6. What the Heck is EOS?: A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS" by Gino Wickman and Tom Bouwer – This is an excellent resource for employees in an EOS-run company. It explains what EOS is, how it affects their work, and how they can contribute more effectively to the company’s vision.

Bottom line?

The book "Process" get a 5-star rating for its importance and usability in assisting businesses to move the needle forward.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Process! is just one of seven books in the EOS library, including the legendary book Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, which has sold over 1 million copies!

Get the book Process! If…

…you’re ready to scale your business! For Real!

Get Documenting & Training NOW

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