Relentless Leadership, Scalable Growth, and Why It’s Always About People
Insights from Ken Schrader, West Elk Strategic Advisor
After 33 years in business leadership and seven additional years facilitating over 600 EOS® sessions with entrepreneurial leadership teams, one truth has become unshakably clear:
It’s always about people.
We are in the people business. Every meaningful result—growth, execution, culture, performance—starts and ends with people. Great people, equipped with clarity and supported by intentional leadership, create extraordinary organizations.
But success isn’t accidental. It’s the outcome of consistent effort, high standards, and building a leadership culture that drives execution through every layer of the organization.
The EOS® Model: A Framework, Not a Shortcut
The Entrepreneurial Operating System® is a simple but powerful framework. It helps companies gain traction by getting strong in six key areas: Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction. But here’s the catch: none of it works without the right people.
Vision is born, shaped, and owned by people.
Data is selected, tracked, and acted on by people.
Issues are raised, solved, and prevented by people.
Processes are created and executed by people.
Traction—the meeting rhythms, disciplines, and accountability—are only as strong as the people holding the line.
Bottom line: Get the right people in the right seats (RPRS)—or nothing else scales.
What the Best Leadership Teams Do Differently
Across hundreds of sessions, the highest-performing leadership teams share distinct, unwavering traits:
They are “Next Level” driven, never satisfied with the status quo.
They execute to the vision relentlessly.
They are committed to discipline with accountability.
They hire for values alignment, not just skills.
They seek coaching, crave growth, and model coachability.
They live in the GAIN (celebrating wins), while managing the GAP (what’s next).
They operate from abundance, not scarcity.
They overcommunicate to maintain understanding and alignment
These teams demonstrate a “constant improvement” mindset. They're not chasing perfection—they’re relentlessly pursuing BETTER.
People First Is More Than a Slogan
The best leaders don’t just say they value people—they show it:
They build on a foundation of trust and humility.
They make values-based decisions, even when it’s hard.
They create environments where people can live in their Unique Ability®.
They coach, mentor, and support team members can reach their potential.
They set clear expectations of what winning looks like.
People rise to the level of expectations that are clear and known. And vague direction? It’s not just inefficient. Its poor leadership. As Yogi Berra famously said "If you don't know where you are going, you might end up someplace else."…just not where you wanted to be!
Clarity is kind. Ambiguity is frustrating.
Culture Isn’t Accidental—It’s Intentionally Built
A strong culture isn’t what hangs on the wall. It’s what happens in meetings, in decision-making, and when things go sideways. It begins with leadership having genuine care and concern for those in the organizations. In the book PEOPLE (O’Donnell, Knight, and Dube) this kind of intentional culture is called Heart-Centered Leadership.
Demand that all live, promote, coach and hold self and others accountable to company core values.
Model humility and trust
Being authentic in caring for others
Focus on personal and company growth, not perfection
Make people feel seen, known, appreciated and needed
Disciplined Execution Is the Differentiator
If you want a high-performance company, build it on three things:
Great People who align with your values and own their roles
Discipline in how you communicate, operate, and coach
Execution that scales beyond the leadership team
EOS founder Gino Wickman has famously stated that “Vision without Traction is hallucination”! Vision is only as achievable as the quality of the execution required to achieve the vision. The companies that scale consistently:
Execute critical processes with discipline and consistency
Drive execution down and through the organization—not just at the top
Enable and hold middle management accountable (strong middle management is a success factor for a great culture and execution excellence)
Create systems that scale—not just systems that work in theory
Discipline is righteous. Consistency is critical. They will shine a light in the storm and give safe passage through it. In calm waters they will provide the pathways to new level of excellence.
Final Thought
After decades of leading and coaching organizations, here’s what I know: You don’t scale a company. You scale leadership. The company will follow.
That starts with you.
So…
What level of courage do you show in getting the right people in the right seat?
What level of commitment do you have to build an intentional, caring culture?
what level of clarity are you creating?
What level of accountability are you modeling?
What level of discipline are you driving down through your organization?
As goes the leadership team, so goes the company.