Vertex Pest Control was already a successful business when Trent McKenzie and his leadership team began working with me. They were not new to EOS®. The company had been running on EOS for more than two years.
Their challenge was not whether to adopt an operating system. It was how to make the leadership structure fit the business Vertex was becoming.
Trent, the company's owner, was still carrying the Integrator seat. He wanted to spend more of his time in the Visionary seat, focused on the future of Vertex and the work only he could do. To make that possible, the team needed to decide who should own the Integrator role and make sure that person had the clarity and tools to succeed.
A leadership decision, not a title change
Selecting an Integrator can look simple on an Accountability Chart. In practice, it changes how decisions are made, how the leadership team works together, and where the owner puts his energy.
The answer could not be imposed from outside. Trent and his team knew their people and business. My role as a Certified EOS Implementer® was to teach the tools, facilitate the hard conversations, and coach the team as they made and implemented the decision.
We met five times over roughly nine months. The work focused on the leadership transition while also tuning up the EOS foundation the company already had in place. In addition to those sessions, Trent and I had a handful of one-off conversations in which I served as a sounding board as he worked through important leadership decisions.
Rocket Fuel was central to finding the right Integrator
Rocket Fuel, by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters, was a critical book for Trent, Sarah, and John. Its principles played a central role in helping Vertex find the right Integrator.
The team clarified the Accountability Chart, worked through who should occupy the Integrator seat, and selected Sarah Davis as the person they believed could lead the operating rhythm. They then gave Sarah the tools, ownership, and support she needed to be successful.
The work also focused on the partnership between Trent and Sarah. We used Rocket Fuel principles to clarify how they would complement one another, communicate, make decisions, and challenge each other in service of the business. Choosing the right Integrator and building a strong Visionary and Integrator relationship were connected parts of the transition.
At the same time, we strengthened the rest of the Foundational Tools. The team sharpened its Rocks and Scorecard, clarified the company's Core Values and Core Focus, and brought greater alignment to its one-year vision. The goal was not to replace what Vertex had built. It was to help the leadership team use EOS more effectively for the next stage of the business.
The team became able to carry the work forward
The most meaningful sign of progress came after our facilitated work ended.
Vertex led its next quarterly planning session on its own. The team later reported that the session went very well and that the core team gained additional value from the open conversation. They decided to continue leading their own planning sessions for the time being.
That outcome mattered because the goal of implementation is not dependence on the Implementer. It is a leadership team that understands the tools, uses them honestly, and can keep strengthening the business together.
For Vertex, the work created a clearer path for Trent to spend more time in the Visionary seat, established Sarah's ownership of the Integrator role, and gave Trent and Sarah a stronger foundation for working together as Visionary and Integrator.
What another owner can learn
A company can be successful and already use EOS while still needing help with a pivotal leadership transition or some other part of their system.
If you are an owner carrying both the Visionary and Integrator seats, the first question may not be, "Who can take work off my plate?" More useful questions may be, "What kind of person would work well with me? Who will be able to lead the day to day operations of the business? Who will be a great thought partner for me? Who will be strong enough to challenge me?"
Choosing the person is only part of the work. The leadership team also needs clear seats, useful numbers, shared priorities, and a disciplined meeting rhythm. When those pieces reinforce one another, the owner can move toward the role where he or she creates the most value without leaving the team to figure out the rest alone.
What would have to become clear for you to stop carrying both seats?