Using the Vision/Traction Organizer (V/TO) as a Decision Filter for Your Leadership Team

In every organization, leadership teams are faced with critical decisions that shape the company's future. Whether it's a strategic investment, a new market opportunity, or a personnel change, the choices you make today will influence your success tomorrow. So how can you ensure that every decision aligns with your long-term vision and goals? Enter the Vision/Traction Organizer —a powerful tool in the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) framework.

What is the V/TO?

The V/TO is a two-page business plan designed to provide clarity and focus for leadership teams. It outlines your company’s vision, long-term goals, core values, target market, and key priorities. It helps your team align around a shared purpose and set of objectives, ensuring everyone is on the same page. The V/TO organizes critical information into two main categories:

• Vision: Who the organization is, from a values and core business standpoint, who its customers are, and where the organization is headed in the coming 7-10 years.

• Traction: Translates longterm goals into short-term objectives, ensuring that the team is actually moving in the direction of your vision.

When used as a decision filter, the V/TO becomes a guiding light that ensures every decision is aligned with your company’s vision and strategic direction.

How to Use the V/TO as a Decision Filter

1. Check for Alignment with Core Values 

   Every decision should be rooted in your company's core values. When a leadership team is confronted with a choice, whether it's hiring, investing, or developing a new service, the first filter should be: Does this align with our core values? If the answer is no, it's an easy decision—the idea doesn't move forward.

   For example, if "customer-first mindset" is a core value and you're considering a new initiative that might sacrifice customer experience for short-term gains, the V/TO will prompt you to reconsider.

2. Evaluate Long-Term Vision Fit The next step is to assess whether the decision supports your 10-year target (or 5-7 year target; companies’ targets may vary). Leadership teams should ask: Does this move us closer to our vision? This filter helps avoid distractions and ensures that you're focusing on the right things.

   For instance, if your 10-year target is to become a leader in sustainability but a new business opportunity undermines your environmental commitments, the V/TO would signal that the decision may not be in alignment with your vision.

3. Messure Against 3-Year and 1-Year Goals The V/TO breaks down your vision into more tangible, measurable 3-year and 1-year goals. Use these timeframes as a checkpoint for every decision. Ask: Will this decision help us achieve our 3-year picture or 1-year plan?

   This is especially useful for resource allocation or strategic investments. If a proposed decision doesn’t move the needle on your current-year or near-future goals, it might not be the right time to pursue it.

4. Consider Your Target Market and Niche Another important aspect of the V/TO is defining your target market and niche. When considering new business initiatives or opportunities, leadership teams should ask: Does this fit with our ideal customer profile?

   If an opportunity presents itself outside of your target market, it could lead to diluted focus and resources. The V/TO helps ensure you stay in your lane, homing in on what you do best for the clients you serve most effectively.

5. Focus on Quarterly Rocks The quarterly rocks outlined in the V/TO are your top priorities for the next 90 days. When new ideas or initiatives come up, ask: Is this a rock for this quarter, or will it distract us from achieving our current priorities? 

   This filter helps prevent your leadership team from becoming overwhelmed by too many competing priorities. It forces you to focus on what matters most and what will drive the biggest impact this quarter.

6. Accountability for Roles Finally, the V/TO ensures accountability by making sure that every decision is made within the context of the right people in the right seats. Leadership teams should ask: Do we have the right people and capacity to execute this decision?

   The V/TO defines roles and responsibilities within the team. If a new decision places undue strain on certain team members or doesn’t align with their skill sets, it may need to be revisited.

Why the V/TO is a Game-Changer for Decision-Making

Using the V/TO as a decision filter isn’t just a good practice—it’s a game-changer. Here’s why:

1. Clarity and Focus: By consistently filtering decisions through the V/TO, leadership teams maintain laser focus on the company’s long-term vision and short-term priorities.

2. Alignment Across the Team: It brings everyone into alignment, preventing fragmented or conflicting decisions that can derail progress.

3. Faster Decision-Making: When you have a clear, structured framework to guide decisions, the process becomes more efficient, reducing decision fatigue and allowing for quicker execution.

4. Better Use of Resources: The V/TO helps prevent the allocation of resources—time, money, and people—toward initiatives that don’t serve the company’s vision and goals.

The Vision/Traction Organizer (V/TO) is more than just a strategic planning tool—it’s a decision-making framework that can transform the way your leadership team operates. By consistently using the V/TO as a filter for decisions, you ensure that every choice, big or small, aligns with your long-term vision, core values, and short-term priorities. As a result, your team becomes more focused, aligned, and better equipped to drive sustainable growth.