An Honest Traction Book Review from Our Team at Whale

We're sharing our team's book review of "Traction" and Getting a Grip on Your Business but first let me explain how I came across the book.
traction-book-review

Table of Contents

An Introduction to the book "Traction"

book Traction®

“Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business” is a business book written by Gino Wickman. It was published in 2012 and is part of a series of books aimed at helping entrepreneurs and business leaders improve their companies.

The book introduces the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS®), which is a practical framework designed to help businesses achieve their vision and gain traction in their operations. EOS provides a set of simple, yet powerful tools that can be implemented to create a more organized and effective business structure. The book outlines a holistic approach to running a business and covers various aspects, including setting clear goals, creating an accountable and effective team, implementing processes, and achieving measurable results.

We’re sharing our team’s book review of “Traction” and Getting a Grip on Your Business but first let us explain how our Co-founder and CEO, Gary Vanbutsele came across the book.

How we found "Traction"

“Any entrepreneur serious about getting what they want from their business has heard of the Entrepreneurial Operating System® — a set of tools created by successful businessman Gino Wickman, to help entrepreneurs like him elevate their businesses and reach their goals.

Like many entrepreneurs at an accelerated growth stage of their business’ development, when my previous company started to really gain momentum, I knew it was vital that we grow in a healthy, structured way.

At that time, we were part of a peer network group focused on learning through shared experiences. That’s where the concept of EOS® was first introduced to me.

Everyone in the group seemed to be having great success with the system, and I wanted to know what all the hype was about.”

Gary Vanbutsele - Cofounder and CEO of Whale
Gary Vanbutsele
Co-founder & CEO, Whale

So picking up a copy of Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business seemed like a natural starting point.

“What if I told you that by reading this book and applying its core principles, you could eliminate all of your business-related frustrations?
That you could have great employees at all levels who share your vision, communicate with each other, solve their own problems, and demonstrate accountability? That your organization could not only run seamlessly, but also have the potential to scale up as large as you
see fit?
I am telling you that, and you can. Believe it or not, you already have everything you need to make those changes.”

Extract from Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business

Book Review: Our team’s top takeaways from reading Traction

The book, “Traction,” is well-structured and easy to read. It’s filled with potent and yet still pragmatic business advice. Here are our team’s takeaways;

  • Running a business entails constant turmoil. Turmoil often results in forgetfulness, deprioritization, and missed opportunities. Luckily, Traction presents a comprehensive framework that enables you to minimize this chaos by providing the necessary structure for your business. Additionally, Whale serves as an essential tool for implementing this process-driven framework effectively.

  • Employing EOS grants you a notable competitive advantage. Traction inherently assumes that your business will experience growth, and by embracing this framework and concentrating on the Process Component™, you position yourself favorably from the outset.

  • Inadequate structure and a lack of vision come at a high cost. Companies and their employees waste significant amounts of time and resources due to a lack of focus and a clear vision and unstructured processes. However, it doesn’t have to be this way, and Traction convincingly and practically teaches you how to overcome these challenges. 

What you didn't know about the book Traction

Before writing “Traction,” Gino Wickman was a third-generation entrepreneur who had been involved in the family business since the age of 21.

He eventually started his own consulting practice and began working with a wide range of companies. Through his experiences, he developed the EOS framework as a comprehensive and practical approach to solving common business challenges and helping businesses achieve their goals.

The book “Traction” is essentially a distillation of the knowledge, insights, and methods that Gino Wickman accumulated over the years of working with various businesses. It outlines the key principles of EOS and provides a structured roadmap for implementing the system. This background adds depth and credibility to the concepts presented in the book, as they were developed based on real-world experiences and tested in different organizational contexts.

So, when reading “Traction,” you’re not just getting theoretical advice – you’re benefiting from the practical wisdom and expertise that Gino Wickman gained through his hands-on work with businesses, making the book a valuable resource for entrepreneurs and business leaders seeking actionable strategies for improvement.

You can't get Traction half heartedly

“Traction” emphasizes the importance of having a clear vision and mission for the company, and it provides a step-by-step guide for defining and communicating these elements throughout the organization. The book also introduces the concept of the “Six Key Components” of EOS, which are essential areas to focus on in order to run a successful business.
 
Armed with that knowledge and crystal clear steps for application, Traction made it possible for us at Whale to self-implement all the tools in the EOS Toolbox™. And the results?
 
Whale, getting our people on the same page with regard to vision, mission, and culture is a significant win that money can’t buy.
"In summary, successful businesses operate with a crystal clear vision that is shared by everyone. They have the right people in the right seats. They have a pulse on their operations by watching and managing a handful of numbers on a weekly basis. They identify and solve issues promptly in an open and honest environment. They document their processes and ensure that they are followed by everyone. They establish priorities for each employee and ensure that a high level of trust, communication, and accountability exists on each team."
Gino Wickman Traction
Gino Wickman
Founder of EOS Worldwide and author of Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business

Whale itself is an organization that works on the basis of EOS and the learnings taken from Traction. We’re definitely ‘practice what you preach’ kind of people. 🐳 We built Whale to help companies running on EOS master their processes.

So if you’re after a framework that has everything you need to keep focused, get things done, and skyrocket your growth, Traction is a must-read.

But if you’re looking for quick fixes to solve an urgent pain and get you from A to B quickly (even if those fixes might not pass the test of time), then EOS probably isn’t your best option. And Traction probably isn’t going to be the bedtime read for you either.

Because as excellent as EOS is, like anything worth having, it requires years of meticulous focus. If you’re not at the stage where you can give it your all, then save it until you are. 

Traction - the Bottom Line

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overall we give Traction a 5 out 5 rating based on;

⭐ Content

⭐ Structure

⭐ Relevance

⭐ Ability to implement

⭐ Ability to impact

The book is clear and well articulated and offers a framework to improve business operations and growth.

Traction book review

Traction is a book well worth the time investment if you’re looking to scale your business in a way that will last. It’s actionable, insightful, and speaks to every entrepreneur with a growth-led mindset.

The book however is just a starting point and while the Six Components are universally applicable, in reality, each organization needs to consider their context.

For instance, a startup is most likely going to have to rethink the ‘People’ and ‘Process‘ components more than ‘Vision’. In essence size, structure and life phase of a business is going to impact where to start. For this reason it’s highly advised to work with an EOS Implementer.

STOP FLOPPING AROUND

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