12 Companies, Real Impact

Christine Watts
[0:00:00]
Welcome to Impact Moments powered by 90. Today we're joined by Jim Coyle. You will love hearing from Jim. His energy is infectious and he gets really vulnerable and sharing his stories. He got started, he's been a serial entrepreneur his whole life, running 12 companies before and getting his start even selling candy bars while he was still in school. He started a jewelry line, he ran restaurants, he did real estate development. A lot of different things. Then he found himself reading a self-published book called Traction. And so that was the start of becoming an EOS implementer. He was implementer number 16. I believe that was 15 years ago for him. And in this conversation, Jim traces his quest back for impact to two funerals that changed how he thought about his legacy. And he also talks about the platform he built to preserve the tribal knowledge of the EOS community. He also talks about some of the mistakes he's made along the way himself. And so you'll really enjoy this conversation. Let's get into it. Welcome to Impact Moments powered by 90. I'm Christine.

Kris Snyder
[0:01:11]
I'm Kris Snyder.

Christine Watts
[0:01:12]
Great. And today we're joined by Jim Coyle. Thanks for being here.

Jim Coyle
[0:01:15]
This is awesome. Thanks for having me.

Christine Watts
[0:01:16]
Yeah. So excited to learn a little bit more about you. You're an EOS implementer, but kind of give us your backstory and how that came to be.

Jim Coyle
[0:01:22]
So I've run, uh, 12 companies, um, and. Through that work, um, from, uh,

Kris Snyder
[0:01:31]
you almost sound exhausted as you're running 12 companies.

Jim Coyle
[0:01:36]
It was actually, so that was appropriate response. And even more so than how I got here, it just made it so more complex and chaotic than we needed to. Through all the companies, I look back and I'm like, oh my God, what a freaking mess.

Christine Watts
[0:01:53]
So how did you, like the first company that you started, what was that and how did you kind of catch that entrepreneurial bug?

Jim Coyle
[0:01:59]
I mean, I could take it all the way back. You know, the, the weird one would be like, um, I wanted to go to, um, Italy when I was a kid, but my family didn't have the money and I got this opportunity. I could go and, and I was like, well, how do I figure it out? And so I talked to my teacher, I'm like, I don't have the money. What are we doing? She's like, well, if you sell these candy bars and I sold like a million candy bars, um, I was really good.

Christine Watts
[0:02:22]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:02:24]
Everybody in the neighborhood probably still has those candy bars. I don't know how the heck. And so I realized I had, um, like, I was like, oh, this does, that was actually kind of enjoyable. Um, I enjoyed doing that. And then, um, I started making jewelry, like beaded jewelry was cool when I was younger. And, um, and so I started to make stuff and then, um, then I was selling it. I'm like, all right, you know, I started selling it. And, uh, like stores picked up my jewelry line.

Christine Watts
[0:02:52]
Wow.

Jim Coyle
[0:02:53]
That was really weird. Yeah, exactly. You know, you knew, Kris, that I was a jewelry maker. Oh, yeah. Years, right? I mean, who doesn't?

Kris Snyder
[0:03:00]
Every time I mention you, I say, you know Jim Coyle, the jewelry maker. The jewelry maker.

Jim Coyle
[0:03:06]
And so I did that, like, even in high school or in college. And I literally would set up boards, and I'd go into, like, sorority school way to meet people, women, you know, whatever way. And yeah, it put me through college. I ran a paint contracting company, a couple of restaurants in Chicago that I owned and ran, real estate development companies.

Christine Watts
[0:03:33]
Very diverse. Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:03:34]
I didn't really figure out what the heck I wanted to do with my life.

Christine Watts
[0:03:37]
So you just did everything.

Kris Snyder
[0:03:38]
Just keep trying.

Jim Coyle
[0:03:39]
How do you figure it out? You do all the wrong things. I, I think my life if, you know, at some point on my tombstone, well, you know, the hard way, you know, I, I was, I was successful, you know, not all of them by any stretch, but the, the, the idea that I, I always did it the hard way. Um, I, I learned quick. Is it another way of saying it? Cause you learn from your mistakes. It was great. And through that experience, um, you did ask a question. Um, the, through that experience, I. I just ended up realizing there had to be a better way to do this. This is ridiculous. And so I ended up coming back home. I lived in Chicago for years and I sold my house and my business and came back to my town in Kalamazoo, Michigan and said, okay, I got to figure out my dad. My dad was in a bad spot. So I figured out where my, put my dad in a good spot. And, um, I'm like, all right, what am I going to do? Like right now? And it was weird. I was living back at a family home, like. Okay. Like this is not where I thought I would be at this stage. No, exactly. How did I end up here? Single, no job living at home, but mom and dad aren't there. So this is, this is a whacked out space, but I did some good thinking and just started realizing that my experience and I was 30, by the way. So this guy was, you know, I was pretty young still to figure some, all this stuff out. And, um, I'm like, all right. What the heck? And I started thinking, maybe there's, of my crazy experience that I learned the hard way, maybe there's some value for other businesses. So I started Nexus Business Solutions and that was my business advisory company. And we did generalist business consulting, which is a horrible thing to sell. I help businesses with what? Well, you know, I help... Anything you need. No, exactly. You tell me.

Kris Snyder
[0:05:23]
Where's your thing?

Jim Coyle
[0:05:24]
Exactly. I will sell you that.

Christine Watts
[0:05:26]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:05:27]
I will fix that pain. Oh, miserable. But, uh, I did it for years and it was successful. Not what I wanted it to be, but you know, um, did well. Um, and then ended up reading. So I live in the same town as Don Tinney. Um, and, uh, a friend of his had given me this book. They're like, Oh, have you read this book? Cause it sounds like the stuff you do. Cause I was trying to sell them on my generalist services. And I said, Oh no, you know, let me read it. And it was self-published. So of all the implementers are left, I'm the 16th. So like, I'm one of the first ones, my first QCE, we're about to go to a 700 person QCE. And my first one was 30. So there's like four tables. It was awesome. And, uh, you know, we didn't know different, um, but it was interesting. So I went and I read the book and the book had like spelling errors and, um, but it was really good. And the crazy thing is, is like, I have my original book that, um, that I read and it's actually the same book. They just, they shined it up. That's all they did. So it's actually pretty amazing that like how true to form that was.

Christine Watts
[0:06:38]
Wait, what was it called?

Jim Coyle
[0:06:39]
It was called Traction.

Kris Snyder
[0:06:40]
Distraction.

Jim Coyle
[0:06:40]
Oh, okay.

Christine Watts
[0:06:41]
I thought it was a different name. No, no, no.

Jim Coyle
[0:06:43]
I mean, um, no, just when the, like, publishers got it, they were like, okay, we got to clean this. Right. This is a mess.

Christine Watts
[0:06:51]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:06:51]
Um, but no, I mean, it literally, I was looking, I was like, do you know, was anything really changed? He's like, there's nothing of substance. He goes, there's, they've decided that some of my sentences weren't full sentences. I'm like, okay.

Christine Watts
[0:07:03]
Sticklers, yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:07:04]
There's that stuff. And he says, no. And then I ended up digging into it at one point because somebody said that there was some differences and I never found a thing. So it's kind of cool that like really his original thinking is still true today.

Christine Watts
[0:07:16]
Yeah, that's very cool. I didn't realize it was self-published at first either.

Jim Coyle
[0:07:20]
Oh, yeah.

Christine Watts
[0:07:20]
So it resonated with you right away.

Jim Coyle
[0:07:22]
There was, there was really something there. And actually I called Gino and I said, look, I want to steal your stuff and put it into my system. Cause I had an approach similar. Um, it just was, uh, more nebulous. And I said, Ooh, this is good stuff. I just, I'm going to steal your stuff. And people who own IP generally don't like that.

Kris Snyder
[0:07:38]
And that's not the opening you'd want.

Jim Coyle
[0:07:40]
It's usually not the opening. But the thing is, is that I'm a very like, I'm a, one of my clients says you're a stab you in the front kind of guy. Like, well, there you go.

Christine Watts
[0:07:49]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:07:49]
No, too brute. I won't get you in the back. Like you're going to see me coming. So I did, I just told him and he's like, no, that's cool. Like, yeah, we hope that you get value. And I'm like, okay. He's like, no, no, we give it all away. No big deal. I was like, okay. Now I'm even more intrigued, like that actually got me even more, and I'm like, okay. And the training was very little money at that point. I don't want to say, because any new implementer would be very frustrated what I paid. But so I went over, I was like, oh, whatever, it's cool training. You know, that's the way I looked at it. And then I've been around since. They haven't gotten rid of me. That was 2011, so this is my 15th year. Nice.

Christine Watts
[0:08:27]
Yeah. So you brought an impact moment to share with the audience. What is that?

Jim Coyle
[0:08:31]
Well, so it's funny, I was telling you before that I, I was thinking about my word for a long time was impact. Like, um, I want to have a big impact on the world and all those businesses I ran, I think I was trying to figure out how, like, who's my audience. Um, I didn't realize this at the time, but now looking back, um, I, my searching was who do I want to have an impact on? And what is, what is my tool, um, to do that? And so I thought I found something with Nexus. I'm like, this is, I'm really enjoying this. And entrepreneurs are great. These are crazy bunch of people, you know, they're not twisted, but they're all a little bent, you know? And it's like, okay, like this is, I think this is a good group of people. And, um, so I was pretty sure I found my audience, but I. didn't have the right tools. And then when I found, you know, traction, I was like, okay, there's something here. But I started to think back farther, like, where did I get this? Why do I have this quest? And, um, and it was more of a personal thing. So when I was 25, um, well, actually even younger than that, probably 20, my mom got really sick. Um, and then for the next five years was really sick. Um, and, uh, So my sister and I both lived in Chicago and we would travel home so it's about two and a half hours away and we'd come back every other weekend at least and just to be with my mom and then help my dad because he was doing a lot of the caretaking and and then she passed away when I was 25. And at her funeral, I think this is the moment that I, um, and I never thought about this until you guys asked the question, by the way. Um, so thank you. Um, at her funeral, there was so many people there. My mom was a kindergarten teacher. And there were so many people there and it was, you know, like standing room only in this big church. And, um, all these people kept telling and like speaking about her impact and some came up and wanted to talk about it and at the funeral. And, um, it was amazing. I was like, Oh my God. Like, and it's my mom. Like I didn't know that, you know, how cool she was.

Christine Watts
[0:10:42]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:10:43]
And I'm like, Oh my God, like, what am I going to do? I, I, like, I want to be, you know, half as cool as my mom. Um, and, um, and so I just started thinking about that and that was 25 and then it took me a while. Um, but, uh, I think I just was like, all right, I need to have that impact. And kindergartners were not my, I knew that wasn't my audience. That's not it, necessarily. I love kids, but that was not gonna be my path. I don't have patience. But, so it was, it was that moment that I was like, okay, like, I gotta figure it out. And then, strangely enough, once again, I hadn't thought this, Then my dad passed away. And this was when I was just figuring things out with EOS. And once again, my dad was a judge. And once again. Churches packed, there's like all these people coming up like, oh my god, you know, without your dad and I'd be in restaurants and people would hear me introduce myself and they're like, oh my god, was your dad Jim Coyle? I'm like, they would start crying to me about what the impact they had and I'm like, wow, my god, like, so my quest is to be half as cool as my parents.

Christine Watts
[0:12:07]
Yeah. And

Jim Coyle
[0:12:09]
And I had to find my audience. And what's interesting is that, I don't know if you ever heard this, there's a theory that says that you become the, I don't know if this is the right word, but the amalgamation or the combination of your parents' jobs. And I had heard that and I was like, Oh, this is interesting. And I was like, judge, kindergarten teacher, EOS implementer. No. And then I started thinking about it. So teaching is one thing we do, right? We do. And my dad, his approach, they always said, my dad's approach when he was a judge was always to coach them, to help them ultimately. His, his job wasn't to penalize people. His job was actually to help them. And that was always his role. They always asked him to go to the higher courts, like, Oh, become a circuit court judge. And that's where all the, you know, more money, more prestige.

Christine Watts
[0:12:50]
No, no, no.

Jim Coyle
[0:12:51]
I can help people here. And then what's really interesting is that then he would, he was in town, he would come in and he would facilitate meetings. He became known as the guy that would help to mediate things. And I was like, strangely enough, the judge and the kindergarten teacher, I think, created a new implementer. Um, and so it, um, that, that, that was my, that's kind of like how I came here to want to make an impact.

Christine Watts
[0:13:16]
Wow.

Jim Coyle
[0:13:17]
Well, the ripple effect is interesting to the impact, right?

Kris Snyder
[0:13:19]
Like you think often that you touch a person and that's how, you you know, that's, that's what you've done, but what you've probably found out through your parents is it wasn't just the one person they touched. It was all the other lives that were ripple affecting from that work that they did, the people that they helped, the community that they served. And, you know, it's probably not measurable because the attribution is impossible, but I think just from the, those, those data points of all the people that come up and that they care enough to say something, right. Whether it's a restaurant or not, that, that, that made a difference.

Christine Watts
[0:13:51]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:13:51]
And like, think of all the people who didn't say anything, like, you know, then it's like, you know, and so the whole idea of the ripple effect, it's another idea of impact, right. Is I want to make a big splash so that it has bigger ripples. Um, you know, that's, that's another way of having that bigger impact. Um, but yeah, I think it was interesting. I knew our work did that, Kris, you know, the work that we do, like I knew that it was doing that, but I wasn't sure. Uh, at what level? And I was introduced to one of my client's wives and she, he said, you know, this is Jim. Are you an implementer? She goes, Oh my God. And then came over and just gave me a big hug. And I was like, well, hello.

Kris Snyder
[0:14:35]
And nice to meet you.

Jim Coyle
[0:14:38]
Not awkward for me is it's awkward for you know, I was great and she said I think you've saved our marriage Wow And it needs nodding. He's like, yeah. Yeah, and I was like, oh, okay go go on So I had another guy Like he was a roofer so not on the leadership team, but one of my roofing clients he comes over to me and he goes dude like IDS is genius. Like I, like my wife and I get along so much better and I'm really good with my kids. Like they don't know that I'm EOS-ing them all the time, but like, I'm actually just better. Like, I think I'm a better human, Jim, uh, because of that. Thank you. And then once again, I never met this guy. Um, he didn't hug me, thank God. Cause he was really dirty. Um, But, um, yeah, I, I, I wanted that impact.

Christine Watts
[0:15:34]
It's such a fresh perspective to think about impact and the ripple effect. Cause even just yesterday we were talking about the concept of legacy. And I feel like even from that conversation, if you think about legacy and thinking about that for yourselves, it's looking like inward and like what I wanted about me as opposed to like the impact and other people and how it's affecting them. So. Yeah.

Kris Snyder
[0:15:55]
Well, speaking of, um, impact, it's probably one of the ways in which I've got to know Jim over time as an EOS implementer is by you being a community leader, right? And all the work that you do and giving back to the community. And then what that really means for, for those paying attention at home is that we have these quarterly collaboratives that we get together and somebody has to lead it. Somebody leads sessions and Jim does, he does a marvelous job. But you've taken that a step further. You've got a company that you've actually been helping implementers as well. Do you mind talking about that a little bit?

Christine Watts
[0:16:27]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:16:27]
It's funny. I, um, I started to realize that my audience, you know, I had to figure out the audience and I really love implementers. I'm like, okay, this is great. And so it started, um, I would do a little backstory being implementer 16. There wasn't as many people there, you know, along the road. And so Don Tinney was the original coach, which is hilarious. Cause I'd never even realized he was. Like that was an option. I could have called you. Like somebody should have told me this. I could have used you. Um, but he was running the Monday calls. So the Monday calls are, you know, implementers come together every Monday and we have these conversations and he said, you know, Jim, I mean, I need you to start to run those. And I was on them because I was getting those, cause I needed to help. Right. Um, And I'm like, Oh, okay. Um, sure. Um, so I started running the Monday calls and then I, um, I would get phone calls like, Hey Jim, I'm struggling with this. And so I started coaching implementers and I started to. find myself coaching and doing these calls. And so I got a call from Ed Callahan and he's a good Philly boy. So I won't tell you all the words he said, because he is colorful with his language. Um, but I love Ed and Ed said, you know, Jim curious, would you be okay if we paid you to do all the stuff you're already doing? I'm like, well, twist my arm. Well, yeah. Okay. Um, can you walk me through this, Ed? And he said, yeah, I, I think, Jim, that we need somebody to run Monday calls and, you know, somebody that really, uh, uh, doing that. I said, well, I'm already doing that. And he's like, yeah. He says, and then we need people to coach, you know, implementers. And I was like, yeah, well, I'm, I'm doing this.

Christine Watts
[0:18:07]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:18:08]
We believe that we should be doing that through EOS Worldwide. And so we'd like to pay you to do it." I'm like, okay. And he's like, well, then why me? And this is where the language got colorful. He said, Jim, you've effed it up so bad. And the fact that you're still here, he's like, you'll be a perfect coach. And I was like, first, fuck you, Ed. Thank you. Like it was the weirdest backhanded, you know, like a true backhanded compliment. I was like, okay. And he meant it, like it was heartfelt. Like it was really funny. And I'm like, but he wasn't wrong. I really had screwed it up. And he's like, it's just a miracle you're still here. And I was like, okay, thank you. So I give the backstory because then I started helping out implementers and I loved it. And I'm like, oh my God, there's something here. You know, we talk about the ripple effect and sometimes helping the people that are helping the people.

Kris Snyder
[0:19:02]
That's right.

Jim Coyle
[0:19:03]
Helping the people, right? You know, and so the, you know, I was helping the roofer's leadership team. Well, now I'm helping the roofer's implementers, you know, who's helping the leadership team there. And so I started doing this and I did it. One of the first ways I did it was with what we called our firm model. And so I had implementers coming in and didn't know how to set that up. I had no idea what I was doing. Um, they would all tell you that as well, by the way, they would, they would all agree. Um, and, um, but I started to learn there's, there's something here, like there's value in ultimately things we're creating. And so I started to put a lot of the. content I had to, because I was training implementers as well, because there's a lot of stuff that us worldwide was doing, but it, it, it wasn't in total what was needed for some implementers. Some implementers was perfect, you know, maybe higher, um, low fact finders, high quick starts, you know, it's like. Gina or Peyton's videos are perfect, but then other people needed more. And I, and I was one of those, I'm a six fact finder and I was like, okay, I need more. So I just started to build more and I put it on a platform playbook builder. Um, and, um, who's, uh, um, John LeDuc is one of my clients. And so we were putting it on there and I was like, okay, this is, this is great. You know? And so I had it for a group of local people. And then I, um, the franchise came in and they're like, you know, you can't do that anymore. So that went away. And I was like, okay, that was, that's tough. Cause I built this for years. Okay. Um, and they said, you can start a firm. You just can't actually do it with anybody. Cause I was helping people like come into, uh, before, um, I forget what we called it, but it was like a. ramp up, um, firm where I was helping people before they became implementers. Um, they would be implementing, but not in the community yet. Cause you know, that was fine. And so I was helping people with that and they're like, you can't do that anymore. Which to be honest, I always thought it was weird. I always said, this seems strange that we can do this, but somebody needs to, cause they're hurting my brand in my community. So yeah, I'm like, forget this. I'm just going to help them to do it better. Um. But then somebody said, Hey, I heard you have like a platform or something. Um, a friend of mine from Texas. And she's like, you know, and it's online. Right. And I was like, well, yeah. She's like, could I get out? I was like, well, yeah. Huh. Um, and so then I started to build this platform. Um, and so super long answer to your simple question. Um, but I built this platform, the Nexus Accelerator, and, um, it had, now it has, I think we're up to three, 400 hours worth of videos and hundreds of tools. And it's, you know, Hank O'Donnell did a whole thing on core focus in it. You know, and so like, which, um, he's a genius when it comes to that. And there's, there's a bunch of other implementers on there and then a lot of it is me, but it's just these three to five minute videos about like, okay. You got the loud mouth in your session. How the heck do you handle that? Like, okay, this is great video by Hank, you know, and you can go in. And so, um, yeah, people pay a monthly subscription fee similar to like a 90, actually, you know, they pay a monthly fee and then they get access to the tools.

Christine Watts
[0:22:05]
That's really cool because I feel like all of those little like soft skills and like situational things that come up, like when you're first getting into it, it's hard to anticipate what's going to happen. And so having all of that in one place is probably really helpful for people even just start proactively thinking about it.

Kris Snyder
[0:22:19]
And it's, my experience has been, well, we'd like to say seven times here for the first time that you might be at a quarterly collaborative exchange and you, you see Jim do something and you're like, I didn't write that down fast enough. But if it's on, if it's actually online and in a video, I can go back to it again and again till I get it. Sometimes I'm slow. It takes me a few times to go, Oh yeah, that's what he's talking about. That's what I should do.

Jim Coyle
[0:22:44]
So one of the things I've studied, I geek out about the work we do, is how do adults learn? So adults learn differently than kids learn. And I was like, oh, this is interesting. And so I started to dig in on that. And one of the things that adults learn, you'll hear me say something, Kris, and you're like, oh, that seems cool. But you don't, there's not a situation to use it. And so it goes away because we learn better as adults, and this is where we're different from kids, is that we learn better when it's directly applicable to a situation we have now. Right. And so it's not implementation. It's like, OK, I have a loud mouth. I need to I need something on that. How do I do that? Wonder if Jim has something, you know, and then they can search it and say, you know, there it is. And so that's when it, then it becomes useful because, oh, then I can put that into play. Um, and so that's the hard thing about, you know, like these QCEs and all this is that, oh my God, that sounds genius. I don't have a situation where I need that. Um, and I think some of the broad stuff that we hear is cool. Um, and yeah, that changes some of the ways that we do things, but a lot of times it's more of the specific things and the little things that really make the adjustments for people who've been doing this a long time. It's just those little adjustments, you know? Um, so. It's been a blast. Um, we've had, I don't know, I think it's 150 some odd people through the platform at some point. Um, and, um, yeah, people have been on it for years. So it's kind of fun to, to make an impact that way too.

Kris Snyder
[0:24:09]
Early on, I started writing down at, at these quarterlies, people will, whether they call it a nugget or they just have an ism. that they share, right. And you're like, oh, I don't know what to do with that, but that's, that I can see that. So I now have a list of 225 of these I've gathered.

Jim Coyle
[0:24:24]
Oh, you do. That's cool.

Christine Watts
[0:24:25]
Yeah.

Kris Snyder
[0:24:26]
And it's one of those things often I will, even before a session go back through these and I think about, oh, that's, that's a really good transition given where they're at right now.

Jim Coyle
[0:24:33]
Or I think this is maybe something they need. Right.

Kris Snyder
[0:24:37]
Um, anyways, if you ever want to see that list, by the way.

Jim Coyle
[0:24:40]
No, it's just in my head. I was like, okay, mental note to do for Jim. That'd be awesome.

Kris Snyder
[0:24:44]
What's also interesting is clients will pick up those isms that we use and they'll be like, hey, do you have a list? And I'm like, oh, I actually do. I have a list. I give it to them because it's just coaching statements that we've been using, right? And so it's like, how do we help them be better teachers and coaches along the way?

Christine Watts
[0:25:02]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:25:02]
And what's funny is that We start to learn that stuff and then, you know, I start to think, oh, that must've been in a video or something like that. And like, no, we got it at QCE. Like nobody, cause I said something to an implementer the other day. Um, and I said, you know, of course this is when, you know, you say that and they're like, what? No, I'm like, no, no, we do. And we looked, we literally looked at the implementer guide to see, he's like, it's not there. I was like, well. this is where I sit. And that lands and works. It goes here. He goes, it's really good. He goes, I was like, oh my God, I thought for sure it wasn't there. So it's funny, we start to, like, then we embody it and put it in. So I'd love to see that list. Thank you.

Kris Snyder
[0:25:37]
I feel bad about my attribution to the words because I don't, I never write down like who said that, right? Then I'm always like, oh well, oh well.

Jim Coyle
[0:25:44]
Yeah, exactly.

Christine Watts
[0:25:46]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:25:46]
I'll put in my name next to the ones that were mine.

Christine Watts
[0:25:48]
Yeah.

Kris Snyder
[0:25:48]
If you look at it, you're like, that's mine, that's mine.

Christine Watts
[0:25:50]
Take credit for the ones you like, of course. Just the good ones. Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:25:54]
Uh, it's funny, cause I, a friend of mine was in Sue Hawkes', uh, um, session room and, uh, he said, Oh my gosh, Jim. And he takes a picture, Joe Paulson. And he goes, check this out. And I, there's a, this quote, um, and it's like, um, today you have to decide to be the, the leader that your company and your people deserve. And so there's something I said at a QCE, and it has it, and then it says Dash Jim Coyle next to it. And I was like, Oh wow. And it's literally on like on her wall. I was like,

Christine Watts
[0:26:23]
That's really cool. Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:26:25]
It's fun. And that quote, it's funny cause I've seen other people use it. And there was one buddy of mine, he's like, I'm not getting an attribution. I was like. I don't know, that kind of feels weird. But yeah, I love it.

Christine Watts
[0:26:39]
It's an interesting take to like take something that's tribal knowledge and make it really accessible to everybody, especially new people joining the community.

Jim Coyle
[0:26:46]
It's funny, one of my jobs is being, so I'm the person that is the strategist for QCEs actually. So that's another one of my jobs. I work at EOS Worldwide as one of my clients. Um, and not as an implementer, but I help them from, to run the QCEs. And that's one of the things we've been talking about is the idea like, how do we pull out more of this, this tribal knowledge so we don't lose it? So we don't lose some of this stuff because Ed Callahan's not going to be doing this forever. Right. Um, and Don Tinney doesn't have clients anymore, you know, and so we're going to lose some of this stuff. And so we're trying to find ways to do that.

Christine Watts
[0:27:19]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:27:19]
It's really important that we keep that.

Christine Watts
[0:27:21]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:27:22]
We don't want to lose that.

Christine Watts
[0:27:22]
Well, you kind of led me to this question earlier. Um, but I do like to ask every guest because we talk a lot about the ripple effect and the positive things that happen. But if you look back, what would you consider one of your biggest fuck ups and what happened? What'd you learn from it? Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:27:39]
So many. Um, it's, it's not that I don't have a list. Um, I think, so a couple of them, um, what do they go back to is that. If I've found the root of the issue, it's me getting in the way. A lot of times there's this great work we do. We can be a catalyst for, we can make it better, or we can be in the way. And when I look back, it's me getting in the way. And, um, the one situation, um, is that, um, I. I was excited because I like, Oh my gosh, like, Oh yeah. Oh, I know.

Christine Watts
[0:28:25]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:28:25]
And I started to like give them ideas and, you know, and then it became about, and then all of a sudden it's spinning around me and the conversation shouldn't be spinning around me. And I was like, what the heck am I doing? And then I wish I'd say that I've only done that ever once.

Kris Snyder
[0:28:38]
That one time.

Jim Coyle
[0:28:40]
Oh, my one mess up. Let me tell you.

Kris Snyder
[0:28:44]
Their bankruptcy was not your fault.

Jim Coyle
[0:28:47]
It's hard to say that that was, at least it wasn't proven in court. I was exonerated. Thank you. Um, uh, no, I think that, um.

Christine Watts
[0:28:57]
Do you apply that more to like your entrepreneurial experiences when you were starting and leading companies or into like EOS implementer world or both?

Jim Coyle
[0:29:05]
Yes. Beginning of the way, you mean?

Christine Watts
[0:29:08]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:29:12]
I find it's funny because I think one of the reasons why I enjoy the work that I do with EOS Worldwide and then with other implementers is because then I can be the answer person. I mean, in some regards, that's what we're looking for is like, you know, help me with this, you know, a little more of the consulting role. Um, and so that's actually kind of released that for me, if that makes sense, where like, I don't have that, you know, that need as much in my sessions. Um, so it's kind of interesting. It's like we have needs as humans. And for some reason that is one of mine. Um, and I think that, um, so it's kind of good that I'm getting those needs met. Um, in that regard, I can still get in the way with the implementers as well. I still screw that all up. Yeah, ask Mark. Him and I were having a conversation the other day. I'm like, all right, all right, I'll get out of the way. But I think that it's interesting to have the impact. It doesn't need to be about you. I think that as I've grown up, I've realized that really the impact is not about me. Like, how do I do this for others?

Christine Watts
[0:30:15]
Right, right. So what are you reading, listening to, like channels you're watching that you feel like you're into learning and growing from right now?

Jim Coyle
[0:30:24]
Yeah, I am. So, um, I am reading Mark Winters' book. He'll love that. This is coming up, by the way. Mark Winters' book. Visionary. Have you read it yet?

Kris Snyder
[0:30:34]
I have not read it yet. I'm in rollout right now. So I got to get through.

Jim Coyle
[0:30:37]
Okay. You are. Okay. That's funny. Um, cause that's my next one. We'll swap.

Christine Watts
[0:30:41]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:30:44]
The, uh, you know, the ladies asked me like, Hey, can you be a reader for it before it was coming out? And I was like, I can't, I can't, like, I really want to, um, for Marissa and best book. But, um, it's really good. Um, and he said something in there that I thought was really interesting. So I'm not a visionary and it's funny. A lot of us implementers are, um, and, um, I decided, Oh, I was going to do a test. And I knew that that wasn't me. I've definitely started a lot of companies, but it's not, I don't think that that's my DNA. Uh, so the Crystallizer exam. Um, I was talking to one of my clients and then a couple of implementers about this. Everybody thinks that you're either one or the other. You're either an integrator or you're, it's not like I'm, I'm bad at both. I actually shouldn't be an integrator and I actually shouldn't be a visionary. And it's like, it's like I should be an implementer actually is what I should be. And so I'm doing the right thing. Um, but it's interesting. Like I have a low score for both. Um, and I didn't know the test was actually built that way, but when I took it, I'm like, Oh, that's actually really funny. Um, and it fits cause I'm not, I don't, I'm not the integrator for my company and I'm not the, uh, visionary. Um, and, um, but. I need to understand them better. And so I really enjoy the idea of like, how do I understand entrepreneurs and visionaries? And, you know, like, how do I get more connected to them? And his concept is the idea that there should be an operating system for the human, for the visionary. And I'm like, Oh, that's interesting.

Kris Snyder
[0:32:07]
So they have an operating system for their company. And then there's one for the human of a visionary. I'm like, okay, that's pretty interesting.

Jim Coyle
[0:32:13]
That's interesting. Um,

Christine Watts
[0:32:14]
What are the base concepts there, like compartmentalizing your ideas, or what does it get into?

Jim Coyle
[0:32:20]
It's ten pillars, and I'm not through it all. So read the book. Mark will be disappointed. Yeah, I'm midway through, but it's like they're higher concepts. The idea of, you know, know thyself, you know, kind of the, I think Socrates said that originally, but the idea that kind of these ideas, but then he says how, and it's really, so he makes it very tactical. It's almost like traction, you know, cause it was very tactical. Like Gino wrote that in a more tactical way than any business book I think it was ever written before. And now people are changing, I think because of it. Um, so it's more like that, like, okay, and then do these things. And it's like, okay, this is really interesting. Um, and it does apply for, you know, normal humans too, not just visionaries. Uh, cause I was like, Ooh, this is good. So I've done some of the exercises and so, um, but I will tell you when I get done. Love it.

Christine Watts
[0:33:11]
Yeah.

Jim Coyle
[0:33:12]
So that's been really good.

Christine Watts
[0:33:13]
Great. Well, thank you so much for being here. Really fun conversation. Love digging into your background. But that's all we have today. So thanks for joining everyone.

Jim Coyle
[0:33:21]
And appreciate it. This has been fun. Thank you.

Kris Snyder
[0:33:24]
Thanks, Jim.

Jim Coyle
[0:33:24]
Appreciate it.

Christine Watts
[0:33:31]
Jim said his goal is to be half as cool as his parents, and I feel like I very much resonate with that. But really, I loved hearing Jim talk about how he saw himself in both of them. His mom as a kindergarten teacher, his dad as a judge, and the impact that he felt just being there, standing room only, at their funerals, and how that really impacted the way that he was going to live moving forward. What I keep coming back to as well is the roofer that pulled Jim aside and said EOS made him a better human and how he wasn't talking about being a better employee but a father and husband and person overall because he could feel that sense of calm and have that sense of confidence and understanding in who he was and what he was meant to do. So that's the ripple effect that I feel like doesn't show up on the scorecard, but it's the human energy and human impact that can really come from the tools and taking control of your business. So thank you so much for listening. I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. And if the episode did resonate, please like, subscribe, and share it with somebody that you care about. We'll see you next time.