Let this serve as an overview of two Gino Wickman books:
TRACTION: Get a Grip on Your Business
Get a Grip
The first book really dives into the details of how Wickman’s model of the Entrepreneurial Operations System (EOS), which provides a set of tools and framework for building a business. The second book is a novel based around a fictional company which adopts this model.
If you clearly comprehend Traction, then Get a Grip doesn’t offer much value, other than illustrating practical examples of how one could implement his system.
Does it offer value?
Within the first 60 pages of Traction, I was sold. It answered a number of questions I had lingering about my current role at work, and how to answer them. Notably, how do I get everyone on the same page, and how do we create a vision that will actually work?
Once you get past the first 80 pages, the book turns towards the people side of an organization, which wasn’t relevant to my current priorities, so I didn’t find as much value there.
In those first pages however, I received more than enough value to cover my time I spent reading the book. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, or just someone in Corporate America trying to get a team on the same page, I’m confident you’ll find this worth your while in the first few chapters alone.
Additional Info
Wickman also offers a number of free tools (.pdf and .doc) on his website, which are outlined in the book and used heavily within the book. The Vision/Traction Organize (V/TO) is his tool for simplifying the strategic planning process, getting your vision out of your head and onto paper by answering eight questions to illustrate where your organization is going and how you will get there. I actually found this to be extremely useful and filled it out shortly after reading.
I found a fantastic outline of the book in .pdf form, so take a look at that, and consider purchasing the book if you’d like to dive deeper.
Are there other books around entrepreneurship, finance, or economics that I should be reading? Best way to reach me is on Twitter, @DaveVoyles.
-----------------------@DaveVoyles
