Have You Mastered the Tidy Bow?

I remember many a day sitting in Gino Wickman’s session room for what we referred to as our “Monthly Navigation Meetings.” (Oh, the valuable lessons that time afforded me!) It was a precious half day, every month, dedicated to his helping me become a world-class Integrator. Over five years, these meetings were a part of the succession plan for Gino Wickman as Visionary and Don Tinney as the original Integrator for EOS Worldwide.

During one monthly navigation meeting, I recounted a decision we’d made and the steps taken following that decision. With genuine interest, Gino asked one simple question: “Where’s the tidy bow?” 

“Tidy bow?” I asked.

It was the first time I’d heard this term, but it wouldn’t be my last. Gino proceeded to share with me “the lesson of the tidy bow.”

Learning to Tie a Bow

A tidy bow means that you took the time to follow up with every single stakeholder. You let them know the outcome of a decision, a change of plans, an update to an important project or Rock, or generally anything that has a material impact on others. Every single stakeholder applies to those both inside and outside the organization.

This lesson was the kind of moment that created common-sense clarity. I’d not done this well in this decision, and I had not been doing this well generally. It was eye-opening and life-changing.

Identifying Every. Single. Stakeholder.

I immediately embraced the lesson of the tidy bow and began to think consistently about all the stakeholders. When I counted them all up for that particular decision, there were 27! I don’t mean that there were 27 individual people, but 27 groups of people: owners, leadership team members, mid-managers, the wider EOS Worldwide team members, EOS Implementers, clients, partners, collaborators, sponsors, outsourced independent contractors, vendors, and more. 

I realized the net is much wider than I’d first imagined. With communications being key to successful relationships and results, this became a defining moment for change.

Sharing the Tidy Bow with Others

Today, I humbly lead with this gift of the “tidy bow” by my side as we’ve grown, and I share the lesson of the tidy bow with others. In fact, “tidy bow” has now become a common phrase, passed down and cascaded throughout our 150-person EOS Worldwide team. It creates greater confidence by signaling to one another the status and resolutions of any given issue. 

We use this throughout every weekly Level 10 Meeting™, but especially during the Conclude section. This section pulls the whole meeting together (in a tidy bow), ensuring no loose ends need addressing. In the last 5 minutes of these weekly meetings, we review all new To-Dos and any resolutions that require additional communication outside the meeting. 

This is part of the practice of leading with genuine care and concern. When you show you care enough to cascade messages to every stakeholder and keep people informed, you build trust and buy-in. 

Just the other day, I received an email from a member of our team that only stated, “Tidy bow back to you!” with a forwarded message. I can tell you it made all the difference… and it made my day!
So, regardless of your seat on The Accountability Chart^®, I leave you with this: Have you mastered the tidy bow?