Yes, HR Should Run on EOS? Too

During the past quarter, I kept running into a strange situation that surprised me. I had the same conversation with three leadership teams of family businesses. All three family businesses wondered if all departments should follow EOS concepts when a company runs on EOS.

All three of those leadership teams asked, “What about HR?”

Huh?

All three businesses didn’t use EOS with their HR teams. It boggled my mind. It worried, scared, and then infuriated me as I asked questions.

Why Wouldn’t HR Run on EOS?

Honestly, I wrote this blog post in a fit of rage.

I learned their HR leaders insisted that EOS doesn’t apply to their department. They said HR couldn’t have numbers. These leaders claimed HR has circular processes that you can’t force into linear processes. Then they insisted HR needed their OWN tools.

The HR leaders said they MUST have job descriptions and annual reviews that work in a certain way. They declared that HR in family businesses just works differently, and EOS doesn’t fit them.

I asked around. Since then, I’ve learned that many HR leaders of companies that run on EOS feel similarly.

HR Can (and Should) Run on EOS

Please, I beg you. Don’t treat HR in your company like a separate thing that needs separate tools. They should run on EOS, using EOS Tools, like the rest of the organization.

Claim: EOS Can’t Help Write Job Descriptions

Myth: One HR leader shared how arduously they work to write job descriptions, and EOS couldn’t fix that.

Busted: In companies that run on EOS, HR can easily write job descriptions. I referred this leader to my recent blog that recommends using their organization’s Vision/Traction Organizer? (V/TO), The Accountability Chart?, and the Scorecard to write job descriptions.

Claim: HR Can’t/Doesn’t Need to Have Numbers

Myth: Another HR leader claimed numbers on a Scorecard could not capture HR’s roles in a company.

Busted: In the current job market, HR plays a huge role in recruiting and retaining the best team members. How do they know if they’re succeeding unless they measure progress?

I could go on for three days, but I’ll share a few measurables that have immensely helped HR teams — tracking the number of:

• Qualified applicants in the last week
• Applicants contacted within 1 hour
• Screening calls made within 24 hours
• Career fair contacts
• Creative postings
• Social media postings
• Interviews scheduled within 48 hours

Claim: EOS Doesn’t Offer Leadership Training

Myth: I nearly fainted when one HR leader told me EOS just doesn’t have anything to help leaders in their organization.

Busted: If running a Level 10 Meeting? well isn’t leadership training in itself, I don’t know what is.

Rocket Fuel? and How to Be a Great Boss literally cover nothing but creating great leaders in a company.

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