A letter from Walt Brown to the EOS Community at large
A letter from Walt Brown to the EOS Community at large
A letter from Walt Brown to the EOS Community at large
To the EOS Community,
The 7 Critical Needs™ didn’t begin as an EOS Trust Builder. It began with a question I've been working on for more than a decade:
The 7 Critical Needs™ didn’t begin as an EOS Trust Builder. It began with a question I've been working on for more than a decade:
How do we make Organizational Health just as measurable and actionable as Vision and Traction?
EOS has given us an extraordinary system for helping entrepreneurs get what they want from their businesses. We help Leadership Teams create a shared Vision, gain Traction, and become Healthy.
But what about the rest of the organization?
How do we know whether people throughout the company are buying in, trusting one another, and engaging with the Vision?
And what if we could measure that, identify where attention is needed, and use the EOS tools we already have & love to make it better?
That’s the journey I’ve been on.
EOS has given us an extraordinary system for helping entrepreneurs get what they want from their businesses. We help Leadership Teams create a shared Vision, gain Traction, and become Healthy.
But what about the rest of the organization?
How do we know whether people throughout the company are buying in, trusting one another, and engaging with the Vision?
And what if we could measure that, identify where attention is needed, and use the EOS tools we already have & love to make it better?
That’s the journey I’ve been on.
2014 aka The Beginning:
The Patient Organization
My first book, The Patient Organization, was published in 2014.
It began codifying my thinking around organizational health, the needs of people, and the connection between leadership, trust, engagement, and performance.
The central idea was simple: organizations become stronger when leaders intentionally understand and meet the needs of their people.
And what gets measured gets done.
My first book, The Patient Organization, was published in 2014.
It began codifying my thinking around organizational health, the needs of people, and the connection between leadership, trust, engagement, and performance.
The central idea was simple: organizations become stronger when leaders intentionally understand and meet the needs of their people.
And what gets measured gets done.
The Next Chapter, Attract or Repel
A decade later in 2024, BenBella Books published my second book, Attract or Repel.
BenBella’s CEO, Glenn Yeffeth, described the work as “the missing link, the bridge between Gino’s work and Patrick Lencioni’s work.”
Glenn has published both authors.
Gino Wickman endorsed the book:
A decade later in 2024, BenBella Books published my second book, Attract or Repel.
BenBella’s CEO, Glenn Yeffeth, described the work as “the missing link, the bridge between Gino’s work and Patrick Lencioni’s work.”
Glenn has published both authors.
Gino Wickman endorsed the book:
“A great book on how to measure organizational trust, courage and employee engagement. If measurable organizational health is important to you, this is the book to read.”
Gino Wickman
That endorsement meant a great deal to me because I believed we were connecting two powerful ideas: the discipline and accountability of EOS and the power of organizational health Lencioni shares in his Advantage approach.
Smart and Healthy working together.
That endorsement meant a great deal to me because I believed we were connecting two powerful ideas: the discipline and accountability of EOS and the power of organizational health Lencioni shares in his Advantage approach.
Smart and Healthy working together.
Gino Wickman — aligning human energy.
Patrick Lencioni — Healthy and Smart.
Years in the Field While Putting the Thinking to Work
In the early days, Gino used to challenge us:
“Great, go try it in the room 100 times and, if it works, bring back what you’ve learned. Then we might consider it.”
Well, that’s what we did.
In the early days, Gino used to challenge us:
“Great, go try it in the room 100 times and, if it works, bring back what you’ve learned. Then we might consider it.”
Well, that’s what we did.
Built in the field. The 7 Critical Needs alongside the EOS tools already in use.
Over the years, I've worked with 158 EOS clients using measurable organizational health to roll out and explain the Why of EOS to employees, maximizing EOS adoption and impact, maximizing Vision, Traction and Healthy. Over the years I have served 215 EOS clients.
Other Implementers began using the approach as well, discovering how measuring Organizational Health could help their clients identify issues and take action with the EOS tools already in place.
This wasn’t about creating a new operating system or adding more EOS tools.
It was about seeing more clearly where to use the tools we already have.
Over the years, I’ve worked with 158 EOS clients using measurable organizational health to roll out and explain the Why of EOS to employees, maximizing EOS adoption and impact, maximizing Vision, Traction and Healthy. Over the years I have served 215 EOS clients.
Other Implementers began using the approach as well, discovering how measuring Organizational Health could help their clients identify issues and take action with the EOS tools already in place.
This wasn’t about creating a new operating system or adding more EOS tools.
It was about seeing more clearly where to use the tools we already have.
The Official EOS Worldwide Evaluation
In April 2022, the initial EOS Worldwide evaluation protocol was developed by Kelly Knight and quarterbacked by Amber Baird in the winter of 2022, and we were set to begin. We say "set to begin" because parallel to this effort were negotiations with Patrick Lencioni to add his 6 Working Geniuses to the Trust Builder List. When his deal was cut, EOS Worldwide thought adding two Trust Builders to the list at the time was not the right thing to do. The pause button was hit. We kept testing in the field.
Then, in May 2025, Don Tinney leaned in and sponsored the official evaluation process. It began with a series of focus groups where Expert Implementers participated in a go no/go grand jury of sorts. On December 10th, 2025 the protocol moved forward and Expert EOS Implementers began the official test of the framework, running it more than 100 times in the room with their clients, achieving session ratings of 8.75 or better.
Following that evaluation, the 7 Critical Needs became an official EOS Trust Builder on June 17th, 2026.
In April 2022, the initial EOS Worldwide evaluation protocol was developed by Kelly Knight and quarterbacked by Amber Baird in the winter of 2022, and we were set to begin. We say "set to begin" because parallel to this effort were negotiations with Patrick Lencioni to add his 6 Working Geniuses to the Trust Builder List. When his deal was cut, EOS Worldwide thought adding two Trust Builders to the list at the time was not the right thing to do. The pause button was hit. We kept testing in the field.
Then, in May 2025, Don Tinney leaned in and sponsored the official evaluation process. It began with a series of focus groups where Expert Implementers participated in a go no/go grand jury of sorts. On December 10th, 2025 the protocol moved forward and Expert EOS Implementers began the official test of the framework, running it more than 100 times in the room with their clients, achieving session ratings of 8.75 or better.
Following that evaluation, the 7 Critical Needs became an official EOS Trust Builder on June 17th, 2026.
An important distinction:
The 7 Critical Needs are an EOS Trust Builder, not an EOS Tool.
Like other Trust Builders, they offer Implementers and their clients an optional resource to help strengthen their organizations.
Like other Trust Builders, they offer Implementers and their clients an optional resource to help strengthen their organizations.
The Vision of Making Healthy Measurable Throughout the Organization
We’ve built something extraordinary with EOS. And there’s still so much to master.
But I believe an enormous opportunity is sitting right in front of us.
Imagine making Organizational Health just as measurable & actionable throughout an entire organization as we’ve made Vision & Traction.
We know that what gets measured gets done.
We know that you must inspect what you expect.
And we know that the answers are often already in the room and in the EOS tools we love and use every day.
The 7 Critical Needs Healthy Assessment helps us see where organizational health is strong and where attention is needed. The BITE7® Index makes progress visible over time.
Then we use the EOS tools already in place to address what we discover.
We’ve built something extraordinary with EOS. And there’s still so much to master.
But I believe an enormous opportunity is sitting right in front of us.
Imagine making Organizational Health just as measurable & actionable throughout an entire organization as we’ve made Vision & Traction.
We know that what gets measured gets done.
We know that you must inspect what you expect.
And we know that the answers are often already in the room and in the EOS tools we love and use every day.
The 7 Critical Needs Healthy Assessment helps us see where organizational health is strong and where attention is needed. The BITE7® Index makes progress visible over time.
Then we use the EOS tools already in place to address what we discover.
Measure. Analyze. Share. Execute.
Uncle Walt