Building a Team That Sails Smoothly ft. Christopher Thiel of 1227 Coaching | EYB

Chris is an executive and leadership coach helping people and organizations achieve their goals. He has a passion for helping entrepreneurs grow their companies and have sustained success. Chris has 35+ years in corporate finance, spending the last 13 years as a CFO for an employee owned (ESOP) company.

Elevate Your Brand is the #1 marketing podcast for entrepreneurs and “wantrepreneurs” looking for insider tips and secrets from the most exciting new and growing brands in Los Angeles and the US at large. 

Each week, entrepreneurial special guests join Laurel Mintz, founder and CEO of award-winning marketing agency Elevate My Brand, to discuss the marketing failures and successes that have brought their brands to the next level. Learn from real-life experiences and be inspired by leaders in your industry about how smart digital and experiential marketing can elevate your brand.

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Transcript

00:49.29

elevatemybrand

Hi everyone and welcome back to another episode of elevate your brand I of course am your house laurel mint and I'm joined today by my friend chris Thiel who is the Ceo of twelve twenty seven coaching that uses the incredible E O S Method Chris thank you for joining us today. This method is used globally and has been for many many years but you are like such an incredible.

01:15.15

Chris Thiel

Um, thank you laurel. It's great to be here.

01:25.42

elevatemybrand

Implementation Coach and ah you like live and die by this method. But for those who are unfamiliar share with us a little bit about about it and about your background.

01:35.59

Chris Thiel

Yeah, so Laurel Eos is a operating system put together by geno wickman and it really focuses on creating ah a healthy company through focusing on vision traction and health of an organization by vision. We mean. Most entrepreneurs have a great vision but they just can't get their company to fulfill that vision and it's really a lot of times because of how it's being communicated and not getting everybody bought into that vision and when we talk about traction. We really work on trying to create a. A company that has great ah accountability and ah decision making within that company and health really being focusing on a leadership team and how are they interacting with each other and are they doing that in a healthy way because everybody knows however, the leadership team goes. That's how the entire company goes.

02:31.44

elevatemybrand

Oh yeah I mean it's really about accountability and that comes top down like that's so critically important and 1 of the reasons why I wanted to have you on the podcast today is because you have been such a huge supporter of us on our other side of the company which is. Um, fabric vc which is all about working with startups and I know that that is like I mean I know you work with some huge companies also but startup world is 1 of the most important and impactful ways that you can work with companies to make sure that they're not messing it up from junk right.

03:00.89

Chris Thiel

That is absolutely correct. We work with companies as small as 5 or 6 employees all the way up to thousands but really our sweet spot is that 10 to 250 employee range because a lot of times those are the companies that got started by an incredible entrepreneur. And they know exactly what they want to deliver to market but too often. They either don't come from a business background or they haven't focused really on the company setup the infrastructure for which it's going to run and eos is a great opportunity for us to help that entrepreneur get the company to see its vision. To live its vision and to accomplish its vision while not really taking a lot away from the work life balance that so many people are looking for today.

03:49.27

elevatemybrand

Yeah, it's um, it's 1 of the interesting things that I've seen as I've grown my company and as I'm sure you've seen time and again you know a Ceo has this concept and they build a company but the company that they build from day one is a completely different company. In year two year five you're 10 if you can give it alive that long. So what are some of the fail points that and a Ceo needs to keep an eye out for that. You can help solve for.

04:16.68

Chris Thiel

Well I think the biggest thing is when you think of a when a company starts. It's usually 1 or 2 people and they can just sit in the office and talk to each other and they both perfectly understand what needs to happen next but as they grow they add 2 3

04:22.63

elevatemybrand

Yeah.

04:36.54

Chris Thiel

Or 5 people and if you think about it as a spoken wheel system where each leadership person is ah is the ah center of that wheel and it has all of these spokes and it just gets completely more and more complicated where it looks almost like a ah. The milky way with stars all over and and how do you get all of those to communicate together and too often. They rely on the ability just to I will broadcast it. It will happen and really, you can't do it that way you got to get it a good communication method and then as you get big like that.

04:59.16

elevatemybrand

Ah, yeah.

05:14.96

Chris Thiel

Every manager holds her people accountable and and creates discipline in a different way and so how do you make sure that it it works in a way that the entire company is all rowing in the correct direction. You know, ah Gino Wickman often says you you see a lot of people get in a rowboat. And if 1 person is sitting the wrong way and everybody's paddling as hard as they can. You're going to go in circles because you've got that 1 person that through no fault of their own is working as hard as they can. They're just not going in the right direction because nobody informed them what they should be doing.

05:38.88

elevatemybrand

Yeah, yeah.

05:50.28

elevatemybrand

Yeah, or if like 3 people are rowing backwards and what and 3 people are rowing forwards then the boat's going to start spinning right? It's a great metaphor truly um I remember the first time I was ever in an eos run meeting.

05:55.45

Chris Thiel

Exactly.

06:04.95

elevatemybrand

I was absolutely blown away the structure of that meeting I was like wow I've been doing this wrong the whole time I've been running my business. It is an absolutely like mind blowing experience because it is so efficient which by the way Chris I don't know if you knew this but efficient is my favorite word in the english language like. I used to say it was efficiency but that was inefficient. So now I took off the see why and it's just efficient I wouldn't assume that's one of your favorite words too. Yeah.

06:30.75

Chris Thiel

That's that's exactly right? It is is you know I I Often listen all right I quote ah bill gates all the time and it's it's kind of funny and it's if you ever want something done efficient. You so give it to the laziest person because they will not take any extra steps if you want it done Inefficient. You give it to the most detail orientated because they will make sure that it is listed out in such detail that you can't take any shortcuts um and and the the Eos meeting is. Exactly that you know you so often you talk to somebody and they say I hate meetings and you ask why and they say because they go they always go over and we never get anything done what the Eos meeting sequence really does is it takes some of that inefficiency out. So.

07:13.72

elevatemybrand

So totally.

07:22.10

Chris Thiel

You only discuss things when it's time to discuss them in the level of importance. So you start off the meeting and you start off the meeting. It's so simple. Everybody give us 2 positives in your life 1 personal 1 professional what that does is it sets everybody off on a good mood. You know so you could you could come in and just have had a horrible interaction with somebody.

07:32.10

elevatemybrand

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

07:41.10

Chris Thiel

And you give 2 positives in your life and your whole attitude changes and then you do really quick report outs. Hey how are how's our scorecard going and if there's a somebody says. Well we're off track on this line. Okay, great. We're going to put it down for discussion at the end of the meeting so we don't get off track and not get to the other things.

07:44.94

elevatemybrand

Um, yeah.

07:59.84

Chris Thiel

And then hey we we've got these quarterly rocks? How are we doing on those positive negative if you say we're off track on that. Okay, let's put it down to the end of the meeting. We'll talk about it when we get there and you get through this top stuff and you get rarely efficient then when you get to all of the stuff you put on what we call the issues list. You can prioritize it. So if somebody says well our accounts receivable is off um and you say okay, let's put that in the issues list. But as you're going through this one of the scorecards is implementation of a software system is off track. Well you can tell us which one is more important instead of. Whichever one came first in the meeting gets a bulk of the meeting minutes and then you get to the end and you're like well god we'd never even got to talk about the more important issue of the day and so you get the ability to only solve the things that are are right now important to the company and those other things will get solved.

08:43.43

elevatemybrand

Yeah, yeah.

08:53.29

Chris Thiel

When it's time and not in the middle of a meeting distracting from something else.

08:56.70

elevatemybrand

Yeah, it's just such a. It's a it's a methodology that makes so much sense because we've all been in those meetings like you said we're just just shit never gets done and there is nothing more frustrating than that, especially for me as a leader where I just want to make. Just want to make people happy first of all which I think to your point. The human element is so critically important and there's always those people on a team who are either liketo Woow Woo so touchy-feely that they only want to focus on the human elements and then there's those operational people that only want to focus on the numbers piece. But you've got to have the balance of both. To have a team that is ultimately balanced and happy and so that's what the the eos method really teaches is that it has to be a balance of both and it's just it's it's like a beautiful thing to watch an implementation. It really is.

09:47.56

Chris Thiel

Um, well and when you get to a point when you're solving issues in a manner that is most painful first least painful last people get excited about being there because they know their lives are going to be easier at the end of that day because you got to solve the biggest problems of the day today.

10:01.30

elevatemybrand

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

10:06.36

Chris Thiel

Now the other thing that's fun about an Eos meeting is first of all we eliminate politicking and what do we mean by politicking. It's that person that wants their opinion to matter more than everybody else's.

10:12.10

elevatemybrand

Yeah.

10:20.60

Chris Thiel

So when you come down and say hey I think the system implementation is more important than the count receivable problem. You'll get that 1 person says well but cash is king and then you kind of go around the leadership team and everybody agrees. No. We need to focus on this this software implementation and that person the entire time will keep saying ah. No, it's it's cash. No, it's cash at any moment they get. They say what about the cash problem and all they're doing is politicking saying my opinion is more important than the team's opinion and when you get it in the us model. We actually praise you for calling them out and saying.

10:49.70

elevatemybrand

Um, yeah.

10:54.91

Chris Thiel

No, you're politicking. We made a decision as a team. We're moving on this direction and it really helps slow down the distractions in a meeting and the more focused you can get on an issue sometimes you can get ten fifteen issues done in an hour because of the efficiency and nobody's. Nobody's personal agenda is the most important part.

11:14.28

elevatemybrand

Yeah, yeah I Love it. We are going to take a really quick break will be right back.

11:26.47

elevatemybrand

Um, thanks for sticking with us and if you are just joining. We are chatting with my friend Chris Thiel who is the Ceo of twelve twenty seven coaching which is an implementation team for the els method I don't even know we've ever had a like purely ops. Person like a methodology implementation person on the podcast but I am so fascinated by the work that you do and I just truly like enjoy who you are as a person Chris because you are so pure in your approach to the human elements that in terms of how they. Um, can really help or detract from the business. Ah the business of business I guess like how they can really help or hurt how a business thrives or dies right. Tell us how you got into this work and like a little bit about you as a human and and your background and how you came to the the us method.

12:22.20

Chris Thiel

Yeah, so I've been in business my entire career I graduated too long ago with an accounting degree. But I knew I didn't want to be a public accountant I wanted to work for companies and I wanted to make them stronger and I wanted to grow with them And then I spent the last thirteen years as the cfo of an employee owned company here in San Antonio and a part of that I got the greatest opportunity to ah work with small construction companies through a mentor protege program um helping them solidify their business. And ah be able to grow and get past that fail point of I know exactly what I'm doing I just don't know how to make people want to buy it and in that process I just knew that's what I wanted to do and you can even if you talk to my wife. She'll say that there's 2 times when my eyes lit up over the last thirteen years And was either I was talking about employee ownership or I was talking about being a mentor to these companies. So when I knew it was time to move on I knew what I wanted to do which was to find a way to help those companies I want to get past the point where you know they say 90% of all small businesses fail within the first two years I want to get that down to 0 and part of that is knowing how to run their businesses and I just enjoy so much sitting there and watching the aha moments and really to be honest, I'm a little envious because I wish I would have had this thirteen years ago my career and my companies.

13:35.00

elevatemybrand

Um, yeah, wow.

13:53.15

Chris Thiel

Directory would have been completely different from the aspect of my being able to help them run more efficiency and run better.

13:59.68

elevatemybrand

Interesting and how did you come across? ah the method where did it where and where did you find it.

14:07.32

Chris Thiel

Well, um, I actually when I left my company I knew I wanted to do this I just knew that I couldn't walk in and say hey I know how to do this pay me so I went on the internet and started searching and what I found I found 2 books. 1 of them is called traction by genome wickman and the other one is called get a grip also by genno wickman. Ah and he has a couple co-authors on that one and it really laid out the exact philosophy that I had been missing in my career and so I started to dig in and I found.

14:25.82

elevatemybrand

Yep.

14:41.20

Chris Thiel

You know I could go to class I could buy my own franchise. Um, and I knew right away I needed to do that and so I was able to do that. Ah I was able to I made able to go into companies now and so traction is a very business minded. This is how you do it. Get a grip is the fable story of so of a company going through it so depending like I love the details so I like reading traction. My wife loves the the fiction part so she loves watching our reading get a grip. Ah, but either side you can see how this can help you and. Once I read that book I'm like that's it. That's exactly what I need to do going forward and it's funny because I also am a executive coach and I'm also a board a director and I always find myself taking from those 2 books and implementing into these companies small pieces of it because it just makes so much sense for a company. Companies growth and sustainability to have a ah process in place like this.

15:42.31

elevatemybrand

Um, what is ah what is like your biggest pet peeve in like the business world that you see entrepreneurs doing.

15:49.10

Chris Thiel

I Think one of the biggest thing is they think they know everything and so they they they don't know what they don't know so they're they're going out and they a lot of times they think they can get it through get their vision through with just pure might.

16:04.28

elevatemybrand

Yeah, yeah.

16:06.20

Chris Thiel

I'm going to overpower this and make it happen and then they get frustrated and quit because it's exhausting to do it that way and there's a great solution out there to make it so much easier I Just actually last week I got done talking with a client and they they.

16:13.28

elevatemybrand

Yeah, what's true.

16:25.79

Chris Thiel

At the end they literally told me it can't be this easy and I said well if you trust me, it is this easy. We will get through it so I spend a total of 2 years with ah each company sometimes longer and they're like at the beginning we just kept thinking where's where's the. Where's the gotcha. Where's the oh now you have to keep me forever and they go we get to the end and it's it is that easy. It's just focus on making it easier and and not making it any more complicated than it has to be.

16:59.29

elevatemybrand

Yeah I think that's true and what is like the one tool that you other than obviously the eos method that you recommend that that these um. Entrepreneurs do to like simplify within their lives or their business lives I should say.

17:16.77

Chris Thiel

So um, we have a thing that's called the accountability chart um, and and let me explain first they're in the Eos we have 6 components of the business that we think all entrepreneurs should focus on and if they can get those 6 components fixed Or to 80% great ah they their lives will be so smooth first it's vision then it's people then it's run near your business on data then it's how do we solve issues. How do we? ah document our processes. And then how do we create traction which is the discipline and accountability with the organization. Even having said those six positions eighty five percent of all problems in business come from ah people and it's never yeah.

18:02.98

elevatemybrand

Totally I mean I don't know I don't have that experience. You're talking out.

18:10.82

Chris Thiel

Um, but it's and it's never and it's never bad. Oh it's 99% of the time. It's not bad people. It's misdirected people. So what we do is we start with the accountability chart which is what we say okay, what roles don't worry about the people you have but what roles do you need to make this company successful.

18:15.92

elevatemybrand

Totally.

18:30.37

Chris Thiel

And every company starts with 3 It's sales and marketing. You got to create demand for whatever you're doing. It's operations you got to deliver on that demand and then it's finance you got to get paid for delivering that on that demand and then they get.

18:35.88

elevatemybrand

Yep.

18:44.88

Chris Thiel

As you grow. They get more complicated you add an Hr department you add an I t department. Maybe you add 2 or 3 different operations department maybe sales and marketing split from each other. But if you always focus on only the roles that are needed. You take the complexity out. Um. Of the organization and so there's always 2 issues that happen with people you either have the right person in the wrong seat which that right person has all of your core values. You know they bleed the color of your company. They're the rah rah people they just can't do their job very well. Um, because they're they're not what they're asked to do is not their strength and the second problem is you have the wrong people in the right scenes which means you have somebody. That's great at their job and you can ask them to do the task day in day out and they will never make a mistake. But they do not have your core values and both of those create the most amount of problems because if you have somebody that is just the Rah Rah person. Everybody loves them but they're not doing their job. The people around them that are the right people and in the right seats. Will see that you're not holding them accountable for not getting their job done and will eventually either go down to their level of performance or they will leave because they're frustrated.

20:02.26

elevatemybrand

Yeah, and are any of those more heavily weighted or are they all equally weighted.

20:06.73

Chris Thiel

Well and I would say the the having the wrong person in your company is much worse than having the right person doing the wrong job because the wrong person in your company is kind of like creating the Grand Canyon It doesn't look like a problem. But every day that that chasm is just getting deeper and deeper and but what I mean by that is when they're the when they don't believe in your core values every time you ask them to do something. They will nod their head in a meeting but as soon as they get out there outside the walls they're saying I'm only doing this because I'm told to I don't agree with it and it just creates. Animosity amongst the team and animosity between those who are getting job done and the leadership that's trying to help them. Do it. So Ah so you know the and it's but the most painful to deal with too because they're doing such a great job at their their the role that. It's like God I hate to fire himm because then I'm have to pick up the slack. But if you don't the slack that you're going to have to pick up later is so much more devastating to the company.

21:10.92

elevatemybrand

Yeah, it's very true. It's the hardest part because I mean I just recently had you know you always as the leader have to hire and fire and it is. It's the hardest part but I always say like if you don't feel bad about that then you're just not human like it. It should never feel normal to have to do that work. Um, yeah to have to affect people's lives is is terrible but on the other side of it. The best part is like being able to like hire new people and give them an opportunity and I love that part of the work. So it's all really it's exciting it's hard being an entrepreneur is just not for the faint of heart. But when you have someone like you Chris on on their side on your side as a. Ceo to help guide and give a framework for success and makes it a heck of a lot easier. Let me tell you we do do need to take 1 more quick break. We'll be right back.

22:02.69

elevatemybrand

All right chatting with my friend Chris Thiel who is the Ceo of twelve twenty seven coaching is it twelve twenty seven or 1 2 2 7 do you have a preference and what mean.

22:13.21

Chris Thiel

It's twelve twenty seven it's actually the numbers high high school softball numbers high school softball number of my daughter in high school baseball number of my son put together.

22:20.73

elevatemybrand

Um, oh my gosh I played softball as well I was the hot corner. Ah, third base. Ah, and I was a fourth in the lineup I was cleanup I knew I knew we liked each other Chris yeah I was I was a tough kiddo I also believe that playing sports.

22:32.69

Chris Thiel

Um, how good do you? ah.

22:39.13

elevatemybrand

In high school makes for really really strong entrepreneurs because you're tough but you know how to play nights with others or um, you know, really support and and play a team sports really helpful. Um, Okay so ah. In the last few minutes that we have left I Always like to ask more personal and more human questions. So This is what we call our quick fire. Are you ready all right? What was your favorite. Um, subject in school.

23:00.96

Chris Thiel

I am ready.

23:10.70

Chris Thiel

I was a was at math I loved math I could do it all day long.

23:14.53

elevatemybrand

Oh okay and I guess that that made that makes total sense I was the opposite I was like not the numbers person I was always the people person. But again, that's why we have folks like you. Um, next question is what is your biggest pet peeve.

23:31.20

Chris Thiel

My biggest pet peeve is when people will act like they see the problem even though they are the problem.

23:45.66

elevatemybrand

how can you differentiate you can just and you you just like get it like you see when that's the issue.

23:51.89

Chris Thiel

Yeah, you can just see it. It goes back to the right or the wrong person in the right seat is they will sit and they will agree with everything you do and say and then the next thing you see them doing is exactly what you were just telling them was inefficient and causing problems and you're like. I Knew you didn't get it or I knew you don't care. That's probably what is worse exactly.

24:15.28

elevatemybrand

Um, or they continue with the same exact behavior they're like aha I hear you I hear you I'm going to change and then they do the same exact repeated behavior. That's my biggest I hate that actually my biggest is when people are late but in business I would say the one that you mentioned is the worst.

24:27.77

Chris Thiel

Yeah.

24:30.10

elevatemybrand

Um, what was the last concert or show that you went to.

24:34.96

Chris Thiel

Actually I have been lucky enough in the last two weeks ah my family went to Cain Brown and Luke Combs in separate concerts. Both of them were amazing.

24:46.10

elevatemybrand

Ah, um, how do you deal with stress.

24:51.17

Chris Thiel

Um, I either go work out or I go sit and meditate in my sauna.

24:57.14

elevatemybrand

O I one of those 2 I love my sauna. It's the best fondana jacuzzi best way to sweat out stress other than I would say a martini or ah, a big old last to Cula if you drink.

25:05.17

Chris Thiel

I said her a glass of wine with my wife always happens on the stressful days That's true.

25:12.58

elevatemybrand

There you go there, you go? Um, what was the last thing that made you cry.

25:18.81

Chris Thiel

Um, the last thing that really made me cry was um when my father passed away about it I guess it's about about four years ago now um yeah

25:30.60

elevatemybrand

Oh that's an honest answer. Yeah sorry for your loss. Um, well back to business at hand if folks want to get in touch with you because they've learned so much on this podcast and. Need the help that you provide because let's face it who doesn't need operational support and helping them get there. You know what together which is exactly what you do Chris how can they get in touch with you. So.

25:53.46

Chris Thiel

They could either email me at chris.thiel at twelve twenty seven coaching dot com and that's teal spelled t h I e l or chris dot teal at Eosworldwide.com and then there's always I can always find me on a Linkedin under Christopher Thiel

26:15.30

elevatemybrand

Last question is what is your favorite word and why and this could be something that just pops into your head for the purpose of this conversation or something that's had like real meaning to you over time and what does it mean to you? yeah.

26:29.70

Chris Thiel

Resilience I think that so many people fail 1 step before they were going to succeed because they lost their resilience and if you can continue to to fight through.

26:39.75

elevatemybrand

And.

26:46.30

Chris Thiel

Whatever obstacles are in your way, you're a lot closer to success than you think you are.

26:52.56

elevatemybrand

That is so true. Um I will just share that I had a really tough week last week as you know we're we're raising this fund and and it's not for the faintest part for sure and I had a tough week last week and I pushed through it and this week we had a great week closed a bunch of stuff and. I think that's the best. The best word because you're just right around the corner from the next next big success Chris and you're such a positive impact I'm so lucky to have you on my team. Thank you so much for spending time with us today wrap us up with final words of wisdom.

27:25.50

Chris Thiel

Um, you know business owners are the fabric for which the company is is made and for all of you out there that are struggling just don't see the and keep fighting. Um. There are companies that have grown nine hundred and sixty eight percent through just fighting through getting a good base to put it in like Eos um in in just 10 years so you're there. You've already taken the hard step which is starting your company. Let us help you get everything out of it that you want.

27:59.61

elevatemybrand

I love it Chris I can't thank you enough. You're really an inspiration to me such a great supporter of mine of fabric of all of the entrepreneurs that I know you've made their life easier better. Um, and the trickle down is.

28:10.27

Chris Thiel

Why.

28:15.90

elevatemybrand

Really impactful So I am so grateful for you and for spending some time with us on the podcast today. Thank you, Thank you.

28:20.43

Chris Thiel

Thank you Laurel and it was great to be here and thank you for inviting me on.

28:24.58

elevatemybrand

And thanks to everyone who tuned in stay tuned for more from elevate your brand coming up next.