The EOS® Journey: How Asking the Right Questions Led Me to Microsoft 365

When I first set out to self-implement the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS®), I imagined it would be straightforward—define a vision, set Rocks, hold Level 10 Meetings, and watch alignment happen. But reality quickly humbled me. Why were our Scorecards always outdated? How could we ensure everyone was aligned without drowning in meetings? And why did resolving issues feel like chasing shadows? This is the story of how asking these questions led me to discover the power of Microsoft 365, Apollo.io, QuickBooks Online Advanced (QBOA), and Power BI as the backbone of a truly integrated EOS® system.

The Awakening: "Why Is This So Hard?"

The Problem: Manual processes. Our Vision/Traction Organizer (V/TO) lived in a static PDF, Rocks were tracked in spreadsheets, and Scorecard data came from five different systems. Accountability was a myth.

The Question: "How can we make EOS® metrics visible, real-time, and actionable?"

The Discovery: I realized EOS® wasn’t the problem—the lack of integrated tools was. We needed a system where:

• Rocks auto-updated based on progress.
• Scorecard metrics pulled directly from operational/financial systems.
• Issues were tracked and resolved collaboratively.

This led to the first phase of the journey: The Crawl.

Phase 1: Crawl – Building the Foundation

The Tools: Microsoft Teams, OneNote, and EOS One App.

The Struggle: We started by moving our Level 10 Meetings to Teams. But Notes were scattered, and tasks were forgotten. OneNote became our digital V/TO, but updating it felt like busywork.

The Breakthrough: Linking EOS One App to Teams. Suddenly, Rocks and Scorecards had a home. We used OneNote to document meeting outcomes and Planner to assign tasks. It was clunky, but for the first time, we had:

• A single source of truth for Rocks.
• Basic accountability via Planner assignments.
• Searchable meeting notes in OneNote.

The Lesson: "Tools don’t solve problems—integrated workflows do."

Phase 2: Walk – Connecting the Dots

The Question: "Why are we still manually entering data into Scorecards?"

The Tools: Power BI, Apollo.io (CRM), QuickBooks Online Advanced.

The Discovery: Our sales data lived in Apollo.io, finances in QBOA, and projects in Planner—but none spoke to each other. Power BI became the translator. We built dashboards that:

• Pulled sales pipeline data from Apollo.io.
• Auto-populated financial metrics from QBOA into EOS Scorecards.
• Flagged at-risk Rocks based on Planner progress.

The "Aha" Moment: When our Scorecard updated automatically after closing a deal in Apollo.io, I realized: "Data integration isn’t a luxury—it’s how EOS® scales."

Phase 3: Run – Letting the System Work

The Question: "What if the system could predict issues before they derail us?"

The Tools: Power BI Premium (AI), Celonis (process mining), Custom Integrations.

The Transformation: With Power BI’s AI, we could forecast Rock risks based on historical data. Celonis analyzed process bottlenecks in our Issues List, showing why certain problems recurred. Microsoft Teams became a command center, with:

• Automated alerts when Scorecard metrics dipped.
• AI-generated summaries of Level 10 Meetings.
• QBOA cash flow predictions embedded in Rocks planning.

The Revelation: "EOS® isn’t a framework you ‘do’—it’s a system you enable."

The Information Architecture: How It All Fits

Lessons from the Journey

• Start Small, Think Big: Crawl phase tools (Teams, OneNote) built trust in the system before complex integrations.
• Data Fluency Is Non-Negotiable: Power BI became our "EOS® Rosetta Stone," translating raw data into actionable insights.
• Culture Follows Tools: When Rocks updated automatically and issues resolved faster, the team wanted to engage with EOS®.

The Socratic Takeaway

This journey began with frustration but ended with clarity—not because I found all the answers, but because I learned to ask better questions:

• "Where is manual work hiding our weaknesses?" → Exposed by OneNote vs. EOS One App gaps.
• "What data would make this decision easier?" → Answered by Power BI dashboards.
• "How can tools help us live the EOS® mindset?" → Solved by Teams/Planner integration.

For anyone self-implementing EOS®, remember: The tools aren’t the destination—they’re the compass that keeps you asking, "How can we do this better?"