In Good to Great, Jim Collins shares, “The executives who ignited the transformations from good to great did not first figure out where to drive the bus and then get people to take it there. No, they first got the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) and then figured out where to drive it.”
Following this philosophy when implementing EOS®, the Entrepreneurial Operating System®, I begin with two tools in the People Component™: the The Accountability Chart™ and The People Analyzer®. The first establishes the Right Seats, and the second applies your Core Values to identify the Right People to fill those seats.
In this article, I’ll break down exactly what the EOS People Analyzer is, how it works, and how it helps you get the Right People in the Right Seats. We'll highlight how running EOS powered by Ninety accelerates your team to the desired outcomes.
Let’s break down how the EOS People Analyzer works.
Key Points:
- The People Analyzer tool focuses on Core Value alignment and GWC™ (Get it, Want it, and Capacity)
- The People Analyzer is a top 5 tool in the EOS Toolbox™
- Coaching people is a “forever” work, not just left to an annual review
What Is the EOS People Analyzer Tool?
The People Analyzer is an essential practice from the EOS Toolbox. It strengthens your People Component — one of the Six Key Components™ of the EOS Model® — by helping you consistently evaluate people against clear standards.
EOS abstracts all the variables a small or midsize business comprises into these six components: Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction®.
The People Component teaches you to identify, hire, and retain team members who align with your culture and fit the Right People in the Right Seats framework (see how it works in practice in this People Analyzer guide). The first time you’ll use the People Analyzer tool will likely be when your EOS Implementer® or the self-implementer on your team holds your Vision Building® Day 1.
Image credit: EOS Worldwide, LLC
I wrote about Core Values previously in our V/TO® article, so I’ll summarize here. Core Values are the three to five guiding principles describing how we behave as individuals and as a whole. We ask the people in our organization to align, share, and embody these values daily. Doing so allows us to operate in a system of trust and accountability.
If you haven’t outlined your Core Values yet, remember they’re already a part of your organization. You won’t be inventing something out of thin air or researching the best PR move. Your Core Values are fundamental to the origin of the business and often originate with the founders. For example, Ninety’s Core Values are GSSD, Team, Resilience, Inquisitive, Better, and Extra Mile.
Here’s how the EOS People Analyzer works in practice.
How to Use the EOS People Analyzer
The great news is you can use the People Analyzer anytime, especially if you are powering your EOS experience on Ninety.
One of the most impactful times to use the EOS People Analyzer is during Quarterly Conversations, where you evaluate each team member against Core Values and GWC.
You can use the EOS People Analyzer in Ninety’s 1-on-1 tool or on paper by creating a simple table with Core Values and GWC It’s so much faster than a formal review. You can complete the EOS People Analyzer in under 10 minutes and spend the rest of your time on a meaningful conversation with your team member.
The metrics you use with this tool can be as simple as these symbols:
- + (Exhibits this Core Value)
- - (Mostly does not embody this Core Value)
- +/- (Sometimes does, sometimes doesn’t)
- Y (or “Yes,” this person Gets it, Wants it, or has the Capacity to do it)
- N (or “No,” this person doesn’t Get it, Want it, or have the Capacity to do it)
These conversations are just the beginning of the feedback loop that keeps your team aligned. Leadership is ongoing. As I like to say, it’s forever work.
What Is GWC?
GWC is the framework used in the EOS People Analyzer to determine if someone is the right fit for their seat. It stands for Gets it, Wants it, and has the Capacity to do it.
To “get” the role, a team member must have the natural ability or learned skills needed to succeed in that seat. I recently heard this described as “batteries included,” meaning it’s already there.
To “want it,” the team member must genuinely enjoy and be motivated by the work.
To have the “capacity,” the team member must have the time, energy, and capability to perform the role effectively. This piece of the puzzle also considers their education, training, and experience. My experience has shown that this is an opportunity to identify growth areas for the person to improve.
Why the EOS People Analyzer Is One of the Most Important EOS Tools
In Traction© by Gino Wickman, he states that the People Analyzer is in the top five tools all his clients use. Based on my coaching experience, I agree. So much of what we do as leaders is coaching people to be better versions of themselves professionally. In our IDS® (Identify, Discuss, Solve) work, many discussions reveal a people Issue behind the obstacles identified. This is where the People Analyzer is extremely valuable. It helps us quickly identify the true cause of many Issues.
How the EOS People Analyzer Drives Cultural Fit
Culture is show, not tell. How well everyone embodies your Core Values determines your organization's culture.
Cultivating culture is one of the prominent five roles in the visionary seat (or, typically, whoever is at the top of your Accountability Chart). As suggested in Rocket Fuel, the visionary needs to be "the spark and energy for the culture."
You can enhance these intangibles of energy, honesty, and connection by your company’s leaders living out your Core Values day by day. Just as a simple act of kindness, like someone holding a door open or sharing a smile with a stranger, can spread and multiply kindness, your actions trickle down to the attitudes and actions of your team members.
Knowing this, when you agree and commit to your Core Values, understand those words aren’t just for decoration; they’re the behaviors of the leadership team at their best and the actions they want to see represented in team members all through the Accountability Chart.
How to Implement the EOS People Analyzer in Your Organization
In chapter 4 of EOS’s business fable, Get a Grip, EOS Implementer Alan explains to the leadership team of Swan Services, "If the people in your department don’t share the Core Values or don’t GWC the roles in their seat, they’re consuming precious time of yours each week."
This comment comes during Vision Building Day 2. The leadership team has made a lot of agreements on how they’ll operate. Now, they’re building out their Accountability Chart and determining whether or not their departmental team members fit their Core Values and GWC their seats.
They’ve established their "bar" for considering someone a Right Person by their Core Values to be "anyone receiving at least three pluses and two plus/minuses." Your bar may differ, but the process will look much the same.
After building your Accountability Chart, leaders can use the EOS People Analyzer to quickly identify who may not be the Right Person in the Right Seat. Anyone listed becomes a people Issue and should be added to your Issues List for resolution.
Use the EOS People Analyzer Inside Ninety
Running on EOS is the right decision for almost all companies between 10–250 employees. If you want to accelerate the outcomes of this decision and get more from your investment, then make it powered by Ninety. The hard work of leading and managing people becomes less about capturing the information and more about your actions.
Culture is activated through rituals and artifacts. Rituals are what you do, and artifacts are what you create to support those actions. Together, they remind us of the people we want to be. Ninety brings all this together.
Don’t let misalignment go unnoticed. Start using the EOS People Analyzer to improve alignment, strengthen culture, and ensure you have the Right People in the Right Seats.
Start your free trial of Ninety and put the EOS People Analyzer to work on your team today.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the EOS People Analyzer?
The EOS People Analyzer is a simple tool for determining if you have the Right People in the Right Seats of your Accountability Chart. - What is the GWC framework in the context of the EOS People Analyzer?
The GWC framework is one-half of what the People Analyzer assesses. GWC stands for Gets it, Wants it, and has the Capacity to do it. When using the People Analyzer, you’ll determine if a team member GWCs each role of their seat with a simple “Yes” or “No” response. - Can the EOS People Analyzer help determine job compatibility?
Yes, the EOS People Analyzer can help determine job compatibility. Someone is deemed to be the right person in the right seat when they embody your Core Values, fit your culture, and GWC each role of their seat — which are the criteria this tool uses. - What are some common challenges in implementing the EOS People Analyzer?
Some common challenges experienced when implementing the EOS People Analyzer are realizing you have a lot of team members in the wrong seats or too many people who don’t embody your Core Values. These are challenging Issues to solve. You may be able to find better seats for team members, but unless you need to update your Core Values, you’ll need to schedule one-on-one time with anyone below the bar and give them a chance to realign the company’s vision. - What impact can the EOS People Analyzer have on my organization?
Using the EOS People Analyzer to get the right people in the right seats can have a tremendous impact on your organization. You’ll fill the seats you’ve deemed necessary for your business to function with people who fit your culture, exhibit your Core Values, love the work they do, and are great at it.
An organization structured like that will be well on its way to reaching its goals. - Can the EOS People Analyzer be integrated with other tools in Ninety?
Yes, the EOS People Analyzer integrates with Ninety’s 1-on-1 feedback tool.
