Author of People: Dare to Build an Intentional Culture & Data: Harness Your Numbers to Go From Uncertain to Unstoppable | Visionary and CEO at EOS Worldwide

Today I'm Visionary at EOS Worldwide. But full transparency: 

I've failed more than I've succeeded.

After starting my entrepreneurial journey at 29, I built and sold 9 companies for 7 figures, made the Inc. 5000 thirteen times, and earned Inc's Honor Roll. 

I also started businesses that completely tanked (landscaping, furniture, boot camps, HVAC, and yes, a 660-acre ranch in Wyoming).

The failures taught me more than the wins.

In one of my "successful" companies, we hit pure chaos:

- Nobody agreed where we were going
- Everyone stepped on everyone else
- We fought fires daily instead of building
- We'd set goals then ignore them
- We hit a ceiling and stayed stuck

I knew there had to be a better way to run a business.

That search led me here: 

Helping leadership teams implement EOS to get control of their business and their lives.

We strengthen 6 key components: 

Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction. 

Most companies run at 20-40% strength. 

We get them to 80%+ so entrepreneurs can have what they really want: freedom of time, money, relationships, and purpose.

Ready to get what you want from your business? Start here: https://bit.ly/47a5Nfj

Built a business and want to help others? Consider becoming an EOS Implementer: https://bit.ly/49kWB99

Lighting someone else's candle won't cost you your flame.

But it could brighten the whole room.

Great analogy here from Gareth Lloyd!

Leaders will often think it's their job to be the smartest person in the room.

The one with all the answers,
Or the person everyone comes to for decisions.

And they convince themselves that if they help someone else shine,
It somehow diminishes them.

But that's just ego, not true leadership.

Real leaders build other leaders.
Who build more leaders after that.

When you help others shine:

- You build loyalty that can't be bought.
↳ People don't forget who believed in them when they doubted themselves.

- Your teams perform better.
↳ When people feel empowered, they take ownership and stay longer.

- You attract better people.
↳ Word gets around about leaders who make the effort to develop their team.

- You get better yourself.
↳ Teaching something forces you to really understand it.

- You create something that lasts.
↳ The people you invest in will go on to invest in others.

Helping someone else succeed doesn't take anything from you.

It only multiplies what you're building.

Instead of hoarding the flame, 
Try passing it on to those around you.

Who helped light your path when you needed it most? Tag them.

♻️ Share this to inspire someone in your network.
Follow me Mark O'Donnell for more.

Mark O'Donnell

Simple systems for stronger businesses and freer lives | Visionary and CEO at EOS Worldwide | Author of People: Dare to Build an Intentional Culture & Data​: Harness Your Numbers to Go From Uncertain to Unstoppable

Accountability in teams doesn't happen by accident.

You have to design it:

Chaos from lack of ownership is extremely common in businesses,

And the root of the problem is this:
Most businesses use org charts.

They show titles and reporting lines,
But they don't show who's accountable for outcomes.

That's why execution breaks down.

We have a passionate plea at EOS: do away with titles and org charts.

Instead, structure your organization around function.

That's the Accountability Chart.

Every organization has 3-7 major functions. 

Let's say these are:
1. Sales & Marketing
2. Ops
3. Finance

Whether you're a company of 10 or 10,000, all 3 must be strong.

That's why the Accountability Chart is built on one core principle:

Only one person can be accountable for each major function.

In the world of accountability,
When two people are accountable, nobody is accountable.

So this is how you build the chart correctly:

1. Define the major functions.
↳ Start with the three core functions, then customize for your business.

2. Identify the five major roles for each seat.
↳ What do you want that seat to deliver?

3. Fill the seats.
↳ Right people, right seats. They must get it, want it and have the capacity to do it.

Structure first, people second. Always.

You'll know it's working when an issue comes up, you know who owns it, that person says they got it, and they go solve it.

Simple as that.

Want the step-by-step guide to building your Accountability Chard

📌 Get The EOS Life here:
https://bit.ly/47NTKEw

Is there a function your business doesn't have clear ownership of right now?

♻️ Share this with entrepreneurs in your network.
Follow me Mark O'Donnell for more on building systems-based businesses.

Beth Rusert

There's a success-killing disease hiding in every entrepreneur’s brain.

And most founders ignore it completely.

Thank you to Gareth Lloyd for the visual!

That disease is called impatience.
And it ruins more business than bad ideas ever will.

Let me show you what I mean.

Imagine two identical pies.

They're the same size, have the same ingredients, are cooked in the same pan...

But one comes out burnt to a crisp.
The other, perfectly golden.

What's the difference?

One founder tried to rush it.

They cranked up the heat, checked it every 30 seconds,
And just overcomplicated the whole thing.

The result → ruined.

The other trusted the process.
They set the right temperature, and let it cook.

The result was perfect.

This same concept is how businesses fail.

The idea might have been great,
But the founder wouldn't give it time to work.

In a world obsessed with speed, where everyone's chasing "overnight success",

Patience is your competitive advantage.

In EOS, we teach something called a 90-Day World.

You set your priorities every quarter. You meet with your team every week.

You execute. You review.

Then you do it again... and again.
That's how you build real traction.

So here's my question for you:

Are you building something that lasts?
Or are you burning your vision trying to rush it?

Let your business cook.

Time, consistency, and discipline will get you further than panic ever will.

♻️ Share this with entrepreneurs in your network.
Follow me Mark O'Donnell for more.

90% of growth problems are people problems.

The ones you've been putting off for months.

Leadership teams know when something isn't working out.

They feel it. The rest of the team feels it.
But instead of dealing with it, they push it down the road.

I get it.

People decisions are hard and uncomfortable.
But every day you wait, that problem only gets bigger.

Unresolved people issues leak into everything:

🚫 Your best people start carrying extra weight.
🚫 Meetings take longer because no one wants to say what needs to be said.
🚫 Goals slip because the team isn't firing on all cylinders.

The issue isn't always a bad hire.

Sometimes it's someone who fit at $5M but can't scale to $15M.
Sometimes it's a values mismatch you hoped would resolve itself.

But hoping doesn't solve it.

In EOS, we talk about getting the right people in the right seats.

That's not just a framework, but key to the survival of your business.

The business you want to build requires hard conversations.

It needs you to make people decisions even when they're uncomfortable.

Structure sets you free.
But first, you have to have the guts to build it. 

Do you find people decisions particularly hard to make?

♻️ Share this to help a leader in your network.
Follow me Mark O'Donnell for more on people & systems-based leadership.

Great teams solve 5-10 issues per meeting.

Weak ones waste two hours and solve one.

So many teams will sit in the same room week after week,
Discuss the same issues,
But end up resolving nothing.

That's because talking about problems isn't the same as solving them.

In Traction, we discuss the 10 Commandments of Solving Issues.

Functional filters that healthy teams use to make decisions and move forward:

1️⃣ Thou Shalt Not Rule by Consensus
↳ Trying to please everyone makes progress hard.
↳ Make space for discussion, but appoint an owner to decide.

2️⃣ Thou Shalt Not Be a Weenie
↳ Avoiding tough decisions creates confusion.
↳ Say what needs to be said. It's better to be clear than liked.

3️⃣ Thou Shalt Be Decisive
↳ Indecision is a decision. And usually a bad one.
↳ Use what you know now. Make the best call you can, and adjust if needed.

4️⃣ Thou Shalt Not Rely on Secondhand Information
↳ Hearing something third-hand leads to bad choices.
↳ Go to the source. Always check facts before solving the wrong problem.

5️⃣ Thou Shalt Fight for the Greater Good
↳ Solve for what's best for the company, not egos.
↳ When in doubt, ask: what helps the business most right now?

6️⃣ Thou Shalt Not Try to Solve Them All
↳ Not every issue needs fixing now.
↳ Pick your top priorities. Work through the real ones, let the rest wait.

7️⃣ Thou Shalt Live with It, End It, or Change It
↳ You have 3 choices. Staying stuck isn't one of them.
↳ Accept it, fix it, or move on. Stalling helps no one.

8️⃣ Thou Shalt Choose Short-Term Pain and Suffering
↳ Avoiding discomfort only makes it worse.
↳ Have the hard talk. Deal with it now to avoid bigger pain later.

9️⃣ Thou Shalt Enter the Danger
↳ The real issue is usually the one no one wants to say.
↳ Name the elephant in the room. Be brave enough to say what others won't.

🔟 Thou Shalt Take a Shot
↳ No one knows everything. That's not the point.
↳ Trust your gut. Use what you know. Action beats perfection every time.

If your team is stuck rehashing the same issues,
It's not because the issues are too complex.

You're likely just not following a clear process to solve them.

These 10 Commandments are just one piece of the Issues Component in EOS.
The full breakdown is in Traction.

📌 Grab a copy here https://bit.ly/490hqqy

Do you need to revisit any one of these with your team?

♻️ Share this if you know a leader frustrated by unproductive meetings.
Follow me Mark O'Donnell for more on systems-based leadership.

 10 Commandments of Solving Issues

I believed every single one of these when I started.

Until EOS showed me what really works:

"Why does success feel this hard?" 

That's the question I kept asking myself early in my entrepreneurial journey.

We were winning by every outside measure, but I was exhausted.
My team was confused. And every new level of growth brought more chaos.

Turns out, I'd been believing 9 myths that made everything harder than it should be.

Discovering EOS completely reframed my understanding of a healthy business:

❌ "More hours = more success"
✅ More structure = more success 

Systems multiply your impact, and free you from the work you think only you can do.

❌ "Vision will take care of itself"
✅ Vision only works when it’s shared

Vision has to be documented and shared constantly so everyone is working towards the same goal.

❌ "I have to do everything myself"
✅ Right people, right seats = freedom

When people own outcomes instead of tasks, they solve problems you'll never even see.

❌ “Meetings are a waste of time”
✅ Effective meetings create alignment

90 minutes a week in a Level 10 Meeting builds more alignment than 10 hours of status updates.

❌ “We can grow through chaos”
✅ You can’t scale what isn’t organized

Predictable systems give you the confidence to grow without breaking everything you built.

❌ “Accountability means micromanagement”
✅ Accountability creates ownership

Scorecards turn guesswork into data. When people measure their own numbers, they manage their own performance.

❌ “Hiring fast solves problems”
✅ Hiring right solves problems

The People Analyzer keeps you honest about fit. Slow down the hire, speed up the results.

❌ “Every issue needs my input”
✅ Leaders solve root causes, not every symptom

Stop being the bottleneck. IDS trains your team to solve issues without waiting for you.

❌ “Traction happens by chance”
✅ Traction happens by design

Rocks turn 90 days into progress you can measure. Traction is the outcome of doing the right things consistently.

Structure doesn't slow you down.
In fact, it's the only thing that lets you speed up.

If you're stuck believing any of these, EOS can help. 

See if it's right for you: https://bit.ly/3X7GIeV

♻️ Share to help bust these common myths.
Follow me Mark O'Donnell for more on EOS & systems-based leadership.

9 Myths Entrepreneurs Believe

Leadership teams keep telling me they want growth.

Then make decisions that protect feelings over performance.

You can't have both.

They're hiring someone because they were patient in the interview.
Keeping someone because they've been around a long time.
Avoiding a conversation because it's uncomfortable.

None of this is obvious when you're in it.

It feels like good leadership.
Like you're being human and giving people a chance.

But it's really creating an environment where:

- No one's sure who owns what.
- Decisions are getting made by whoever speaks up first.
- Your best people are looking around because they're carrying everyone else.

The difference between a company stuck at the ceiling and one that breaks through isn't just better tools.

It's a fundamental shift in how leadership thinks.

Instead of filling a seat because you're desperate...
You define what that seat actually needs and refuse to compromise.

Instead of managing around someone's gaps...
You either get them into a seat they can win in or you make the call.

Instead of letting issues sit for weeks because it's 'complicated'...
You address them within 24 hours and move on.

This isn't cold. It's clear. 

And clarity is the most generous thing you can give your team.

The biggest trap isn't necessarily thinking the old way is wrong.
It's thinking it's working well enough.

It's not.

Take a minute. Look at your leadership team's decisions over the last month.

→ How many were driven by data vs. history?
→ How many tough calls got delayed because it felt easier?
→ How many roles exist because of the person, not because the business needs it?

That's where growth is waiting.

Would this framework help your team see where you're stuck?

Consider becoming an EOS Implementer:
https://bit.ly/47KCCP8

♻️ Save this post and share it with your leadership team.
Follow me Mark O'Donnell for more on systems-based leadership.

This photo was taken before everything broke.

We looked successful. But we felt stuck.

Pictured are my three business partners and me at the Inc. 5000 Conference.

(One of whom is my brother, on the far right)

We'd just made the list. On paper, everything was a huge success.

But behind that photo was also everything that needed to change. 

We had the energy. 
The ambition. 
Even the talent. 

What we didn't have was clarity on who owned what.

Decisions got made, then unmade in the hallway.

Someone would bring an idea to me, I'd say yes, and three other people would find out later.

Nobody was trying to cause problems. 
We were all doing our best.

But without structure, we were tripping over each other every single day.

I thought more effort would fix it, but of course, it didn't. The chaos just scaled.

That experience taught me something I didn't want to learn: 

Passion doesn't replace process.

Years later, when I found EOS, everything in that photo made sense.

The framework gave us what we were missing: 

A system where everyone knew their role and could do their best work without stepping on everyone else's.

Looking back, I'm grateful for every messy and frustrating quarter we lived through.

They're what shaped how I see leadership now.

And made me realize that unity at the top makes everything downstream easier.

If your team has the drive but can't seem to get on the same page, that's not a people problem.

That's a structure problem. And it's solvable.

We ask every leadership team these 8 questions.

Most can't answer them.

I've been running EOS sessions for years.

When I sit down with leadership teams, we walk through the same framework:
The Visiton/Traction Organizer.

Eight questions that sound simple on paper.

But if you hesitate on any of them, they're indicative of a clarity gap.
And you can't execute what you haven't made clear.

Try these:

1. Can you name your values, and what your people recognize them in action?

2. Are you clear on why you exist and what you do better than anyone?

3. Can everyone picture where you're headed 10 years from now?

4. Do you know exactly who you're building this for and why they'd choose you?

5. If I asked you to describe your business three years out, could you paint that picture without hedging?

6. What has to happen this year to make that picture real?

7. What are the few things that matter most in the next 90 days?

8. Are you being straight about what's actually in your way?

If you got all eight without hesitation, you're rare.

Most leadership teams aren't aligned on even half of these.
And when that's the case, execution always breaks down.

These aren't just questions.
They're the foundation of everything that follows.

Want help getting clear on all eight?

Get started here: https://bit.ly/47a5Nfj

♻️ Share this to help build stronger leadership teams.
Follow me Mark O'Donnell for more.

This is the biggest lie in business:

"You can do it all yourself."

At the start of my career, it looked like I had it all figured out.

I built a pharma services company to $25M. 
Made Inc. 5000 five straight years.

But really, I was drowning.

Putting out fires every single day.
Stuck at a ceiling I couldn't break through no matter how hard I worked.

Sound familiar?

What ended up changing everything wasn't working harder.

It was getting the right people around me.
Real coaching. And a system that actually worked. 

That's exactly what I write about in my forward for GROW! How Entrepreneurial Leaders Optimize for Growth.

Look, you can't do this alone.

I tried. It doesn't work.

You need the right systems and the right relationships.

That's the only way you can break through.

And this book shows you exactly how to do it.

I'm also excited to share that for a limited time, GROW! is available for 99c on Kindle starting November 18.

So don't miss out!

Grab your copy here: https://bit.ly/47UuDic

♻️ Share this with someone who may be interested!

You started a business to control your life.

Now your business controls you.

As you grew, the system that worked at five people broke down at fifteen.
And the one that worked a fifteen fell apart at fifty.

Pretty soon, you're drowning in decisions. 
Problems you "solved" last quarter are back.

The hardest part is, you can't point to a single cause.
It's everything, all at once.

When this happens to businesses, it's because they lack a system.

Most companies run at 20-40% strength across the fundamentals.
Simply because nobody taught the founder that there's a better way to build.

EOS is that better way.

It's not magic.

It's six components every business needs to strengthen:

1. Vision → Create shared direction so no one drifts/second-guesses
2. People → Get the right people doing the right things, with total ownership
3. Data → Run the business on numbers, not opinions
4. Issues → Solve root problems before they explode
5. Process → Build repeatable systems to reduce chaos
6. Traction → Build a rhythm of discipline, focus and execution.

When you implement EOS into your business, you will:

✅ Scale without chaos or silos
✅ Build a business that doesn't depend on you
✅ Solve problems permanently, not just patch them
✅ Align your team, clarify roles, and execute better

Want to start using it? Start here:

→ Run your next leadership meeting using the Level 10 Agenda
→ Pick 5 weekly numbers a build your first Scorecard
→ Choose 3 quarterly Rocks as a leadership team
→ Sketch your Accountability Chart in 10 minutes
→ Fill out page 1 of the V/TO: Vision + Core Values

You don't need to implement everything tomorrow.

Aim for 80% strength across all components in 24 months.
In other words, consistent strength in the fundamentals.

If you want the full breakdown, grab "What the Heck is EOS?" by Gino Wickman here:
https://bit.ly/490hqqy

It's the clearest introduction to the framework and will walk you through each component step by step.

♻️ Share this to help someone build a stronger business.
Follow me Mark O'Donnell for more on EOS frameworks.

If it feels like your business is fighting back, it’s not just you.

The problem is one of five predictable frustrations:

If you're an entrepreneur, you've probably hit all five at some point.

I know I did.

After starting nine companies, selling a few, and watching a couple tank,
I started seeing a pattern.

Now, after two decades of helping leadership teams run EOS,
The frustrations come up everywhere.

But these aren't random. They point to something specific.

Something you can fix:

1. Lack of Control
↳ Your business is running you.
↳ You're buried in decisions and can't find time to think.

✅ EOS Fix: Get your vision onto paper. Build structure and be driven by purpose.

2. People Problems
↳ Your team isn't listening or following through.
↳ Deadlines are slipping and there's no ownership.

✅ EOS Fix: Create and assign clear roles. When everyone knows what they're responsible for and they share your core values, things start to click.

3. Not Enough Profit
↳ You're working hard, but the margin isn't there.
↳ Growth costs more than it gives back. Revenue doesn't equal reality.

✅ EOS Fix: Focus on the vital few. Track the right numbers. Simplify your business so you can actually grow it.

4. Hitting the Ceiling
↳ You're always busy, but not growing.
↳ Every new idea dies in execution.

✅ EOS Fix: Delegate. Build systems. Think in 90-day priorities that compound over time.

5. Nothing's Working
↳ You've tried books, consultants, programs... but nothing sticks.
↳ You've lost belief that change is even possible.

✅ EOS Fix: Stop chasing quick fixes. Start running an operating system that aligns your people, process and purpose.

Every entrepreneur comes across these five frustrations eventually.

The question isn't whether you'll face them.

It's whether you'll stay stuck or systemize your way through.

Ready to get what you want from your business?

Let's figure out where you are and where you're going:
https://bit.ly/3X7GIeV

What's one frustration you're in right now?

♻️ Share this to help another entrepreneur out of these problems.
Follow me Mark O'Donnell for more on building systems-based businesses.

taplio

Mark O'Donnell's Linkedin Analytics

Mark O'Donnell

Performance ScoreMark O'Donnell's LinkedIn Performance

Who is engaging with Mark

Mark O'Donnell's Best Posts (last 30 days)

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

.css-6ytdur{background-image:linear-gradient(284deg, rgba(39, 43, 72, 1) 0%, rgba(33, 47, 183, 1) 100%);color:transparent;-webkit-background-clip:text;background-clip:text;}Mark O'Donnell's Linkedin Analytics

Mark O'Donnell

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Mark O'Donnell's LinkedIn Performance

Who is engaging with Mark

Mark O'Donnell's Best Posts .css-1emoo84{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:400;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);}(last 30 days)

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Mark O'Donnell's Linkedin Analytics

Performance ScoreMark O'Donnell's LinkedIn Performance

Mark O'Donnell's Best Posts (last 30 days)