“Vision without traction is merely hallucination.”
― Gino Wickman, Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business
It takes more than a vision to steer a family-owned business through all of the challenges a century can bring.
As Roscoe has passed through three generations of the Buik family, the challenges have always kept pace alongside our commitment to core values that include service, integrity, consistency and continuous improvement.
So while the coronavirus is unquestionably among the biggest obstacles we have ever faced, we find ourselves returning to the principles and processes that have gotten us this far.
Roscoe President Jim Buik, grandson of founder George C. Buik, and an avid reader who writes and speaks frequently about the books that have inspired his entrepreneurial efforts, frequently returns to a favorite among his business book recommendations: “Traction,” by Gino Wickman.
Motivated by Pride and Building on Leadership
Wickman’s book lays out a strategy for improving decision making and leadership for entrepreneurs. Known as EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System, Wickman’s system has been adopted by thousands of entrepreneurs across the world, and inspired four additional books that expand on the concept, built around 6 key components:
- Vision
- People
- Data
- Issues
- Processes
- Traction
During a presentation on “Traction” for Chicago’s Business Executives Association months before coronavirus struck, Buik discussed the book’s framework for establishing a compelling vision that is properly communicated to everyone in the company. This requires strong leadership and consensus among decision makers.
It’s a foundation that has served us well over the years, and perhaps especially so as we navigate the landscape of coronavirus.
At Roscoe, we’re a family-owned business but there’s a bigger family here that extends to every one of our team members. We have an exceptional workforce, committed to a culture of excellent customer service and genuinely motivated by pride in the jobs they do. We have never been more grateful for their efforts.
As Wickman notes, the right team positions a company to adapt to changing conditions.
A Vision of Success Rooted in our Customers’ Success
In addition to our team, we rely on an annual planning process that establishes the vision and goals for the year, and regular customer feedback to identify areas in which we can improve. We work to achieve and maintain the highest industry and environmental certifications and we’ve invested in state-of-the-art technology to ensure that our vision of success is rooted firmly in the success of our customers.
Today, that means something different than it did four months ago, but it also means being able to look beyond the current crisis and anticipate the problems our customers will be facing as we begin the recovery process.
“We are living in a new world,” said Buik. “Our customers are facing an array of challenges that will require an even greater commitment to providing a level of service that will allow them to focus on rebuilding their businesses. We are proud to be part of a solution that can help ensure that employees and customers feel safe about returning to full productivity.”
To learn more about how we can help, with hygienically clean work uniforms and an array of products to protect the health and safety of your employees, give us a call or click on the link below.
Contact us to learn more about our work uniform rental services
