Issues: Remove Friction, Fast Track Your Growth, and Ignite Your Greatness by Mark O'Donnell, Sue Hawkes, and Jill Young (2026) The EOS Mastery Series #3 4h 24m narrated by Tom Parks, 208 pages
Genre: Nonfiction, Business & Economics > Personal Success, Leadership, Decision-Making & Problem Solving
Rating as a movie: PG
Featuring: Forward by Gino Wickman Leadership Teams, Issues - Problems, Challenges, Obstacles, Opportunities, and New Ideas; Stop Hiding, Organizational Checkup, The Issues List, The Issues Solving Track - IDS: Identify-Discuss-Solve; Meetings, The Ten Commandments of Solving Problems, Trust, Fake Positivity, Entrepreneurial Operating System® (EOS), Fruitful Discussions, 4 Quadrants of Time Management, Conclusion, FAQ, Checklists, Tools
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🤔🔧🗃🗄
My thoughts: 📱44% 2h 28m left - Solving Issues in Real Life - I've had a busy day so there's been several interruptions but I'm absolutely loving this book I definitely passing this one off to my husband.
This book is great, almost perfect. I only had one issue, it's a short book but their was some repetitive narratives. Some of these tips, particularly The 10 Commandments of Solving Problems, were brought up in several different areas of the book which had me questioning if I had accidentally backtracked the audio, nope just repeating the same story and tip. This could be beneficial to some, but wasn't needed for me, and since not repeating yourself was one of the guidelines I felt like it was counterproductive overall and that's why I took off half star. The benefit of having a book is you can go back and reread information if you need a refresher you don't need refreshing throughout the book. Since there are three authors and this is a breakdown of a larger book, I wonder if they each wrote a piece on The Commandments that was then place in each part of the book. I almost flipped out when The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni was mentioned and given an identical description as when The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni was mentioned earlier in the book, another ½ star deduction. This was almost a five-star read but because I had to question my sanity when they started repeating stories and guidelines it only got four stars.
Recommend to others: Yes! Yes! I will be put this one on my husband's reading list.
The EOS Mastery Series 1. Process!: How Discipline and Consistency Will Set You and Your Business Free (2022) 2. People: Dare to Build an Intentional Culture (2024) 3. Issues: Remove Friction, Fast Track Your Growth, and Ignite Your Greatness (2026)
Books and Authors mentioned: Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman, Decide! The One Common Denominator of All Great Leaders by Gino Wickman, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni, Ernest Hemingway, Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap ... and Others Don't by Jim Collins, Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters, Radical Candor by Kim Scott, The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything by Stephen M. R. Covey, Process! How Discipline and Consistency Will Set You and Your Business Free by Mike Paton and Lisa González; People: Dare to Build an Intentional Culture by CJ DuBe', Kelly Knight, and Mark O'Donnell; Data: Harness Your Numbers to Go from Uncertain to Unstoppable by Mark O'Donnell, Angela Kalemis, and Mark Stanley
In today’s uncertain market, a company's ability to tackle issues head-on is a crucial competitive advantage, yet many businesses remain trapped in a cycle of endless, unresolved meetings. Issues reveals the cure through a proven system built on the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) foundation, by mastering two essential problem-solving tools, building a high-trust culture of psychological safety, and transforming circular meetings into productive, 90-minute sessions.
I hadn’t realised this book was part of a series, but it became immediately apparent as the text jumped straight into the core topic of resolving business issues. While I appreciate that it didn't waste any time rehashing introductions, the overall book felt a bit short - more like a long article or framework guide than a comprehensive standalone book.
The problem-solving methodology outlined and the tips covered are nothing new, but I can personally speak to their efficacy as I have successfully applied similar practical frameworks within a professional project environment.
I’d recommend checking out this book, or even the entire series, if you are looking for straightforward, actionable guidelines on effective problem solving.
(Thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for a gifted review copy)
If you are like most business leaders I have worked with, you are frustrated with the seeming inability to solve issues at all levels in your business. “Issues” include obstacles, problems, challenges, process failures, opportunities not taken advantage of or simply ideas not brought to fruition.
Then “Issues: Remove Friction, Fast Track Your Growth, and Ignite Your Greatness” by Mark O’Donnell, Sue Hawkes, and Jill Young is a must read. Full disclosure - all three of the authors are friends and colleagues of mine at EOS Worldwide.
The book dives deep into the Issues Solving tools of the EOS Process. It will show you how to unlock the power of the “right people” who are in the “right seats” in your company, at all levels.
The Issues tools can work whether you are implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) in your company or not. It is a simple tool but not always easy to master. This book will help you break through that logjam of issues that are making you crazy.