bradfeld/ceos/ceos-kickoff

ceos-kickoff

Facilitate the EOS implementation kickoff sequence — the three foundational sessions where a leadership team first implements EOS. Focus Day introduces the tools and establishes the foundation. Vision Building Day 1 defines the Vision component (Core Values, Core Focus, 10-Year Target, Marketing Strategy). Vision Building Day 2 completes the V/TO (3-Year Picture, 1-Year Plan, Rocks, Issues List). These are one-time sessions, distinct from the recurring L10 or quarterly/annual planning cycles.

When to Use

• "Focus Day" or "run our Focus Day"
• "Vision Building Day" or "VB Day 1" or "VB Day 2"
• "Start EOS" or "implement EOS" or "kick off EOS"
• "First EOS session" or "EOS implementation"
• "We're starting EOS — what's first?"
• Any reference to the initial EOS implementation sequence

Context

Finding the CEOS Repository

Search upward from the current directory for the .ceos marker file. This file marks the root of the CEOS repository.

If .ceos is not found, stop and tell the user: "Not in a CEOS repository. Clone your CEOS repo and run setup.sh first."

Sync before use: Once you find the CEOS root, run git -C <ceos_root> pull --ff-only --quiet 2>/dev/null to get the latest data from teammates. If it fails (conflict or offline), continue silently with local data.

Key Files

Kickoff Sequence

The EOS implementation follows a specific cadence:

1. Focus Day — Day 1. Introduces all EOS tools, creates initial drafts. Typically a full-day session.
2. Vision Building Day 1 — ~30 days later. Deep dive into the Vision component. Half to full day.
3. Vision Building Day 2 — ~30 days after VB Day 1. Completes the V/TO, sets first formal Rocks. Half to full day.

After all three sessions, the company transitions into the regular EOS rhythm: weekly L10s, quarterly planning, annual planning.

File Naming

• focus-day-YYYY-MM-DD.md — Focus Day session
• vb-day-1-YYYY-MM-DD.md — Vision Building Day 1
• vb-day-2-YYYY-MM-DD.md — Vision Building Day 2

All files are saved in data/meetings/kickoff/.

Process

This skill has three modes. Ask which session the user wants to run.

Mode 1: Focus Day

The first full-day session when starting EOS.

1. Setup

1. Ask for the date (default: today) and attendees.
2. Check for existing Focus Day files: glob data/meetings/kickoff/focus-day-*.md.

• If found, ask: "A Focus Day session already exists ([date]). Open to review, append notes, or start fresh?"

1. Check for existing V/TO: read data/vision.md.

• If populated, note: "V/TO already has content. Focus Day typically runs when first starting EOS. Continue anyway?"

1. Read the template: read templates/focus-day.md.
2. Replace placeholders (date, attendees) and start the session.

2. Welcome & EOS Overview

Walk through the Six Key Components of EOS:

• Vision — Get everyone on the same page
• People — Right people, right seats
• Data — Manage by a Scorecard, not feelings
• Issues — IDS (Identify, Discuss, Solve)
• Process — Document the core processes
• Traction — Rocks + Meeting Pulse

Capture team expectations and commitment notes.

3. V/TO Introduction

This is a first pass — capture initial thoughts, not final decisions:

• Core Values brainstorm (3-7 candidates)
• Core Focus first draft (Purpose + Niche)
• 10-Year Target initial idea

Note: "These will be refined and finalized in Vision Building Days 1 and 2."

4. Accountability Chart Draft

Guide the team through building the initial org structure:

1. Define major functions (seats) — focus on the structure, not the people
2. Assign 5 key roles per seat
3. Place people into seats — mark where "Right Person, Right Seat" evaluation is needed

If data/accountability.md already exists, read it and build on it.

5. Initial Rocks Brainstorm

Brainstorm priorities for the current quarter:

1. Ask: "What quarter are we in?" (set the {{quarter}} placeholder)
2. Brainstorm 10-20 Rock candidates
3. Narrow to company's top 3-7
4. Assign owners

Note: "These Rocks are preliminary. They'll be formalized in VB Day 2 after the full vision is set."

6. Scorecard Discussion

Introduce the weekly Scorecard concept:

1. Explain: "5-15 numbers that tell the health of your business at a glance"
2. Brainstorm initial metrics
3. Assign owners and set weekly goals

7. L10 Preview

Introduce the Level 10 Meeting format:

1. Walk through the 7-section L10 agenda (5-5-5-5-5-60-5 minutes)
2. Schedule the first L10 meeting (day, time, location)

8. Conclude & Save

1. Summarize key outcomes from each section.
2. Set dates for Vision Building Day 1 (~30 days) and Vision Building Day 2 (~60 days).
3. Capture immediate action items.
4. Show the complete file and get approval.
5. Save to data/meetings/kickoff/focus-day-YYYY-MM-DD.md.

Suggest: "Use ceos-accountability to formalize the Accountability Chart. Use ceos-scorecard to set up the formal Scorecard."

Mode 2: Vision Building Day 1

Deep dive into the Vision component of the V/TO. Typically ~30 days after Focus Day.

1. Setup

1. Ask for the date and attendees.
2. Check for prior Focus Day: glob data/meetings/kickoff/focus-day-*.md.

• If not found, warn: "No Focus Day session found. VB Day 1 typically follows a Focus Day. Continue anyway?"
• If found, read it for context (prior V/TO drafts, Core Values brainstorm, etc.).

1. Check for existing VB Day 1 files: glob data/meetings/kickoff/vb-day-1-*.md.

• If found, ask: "A VB Day 1 session already exists ([date]). Open to review, append notes, or start fresh?"

1. Read the template: read templates/vb-day-1.md.
2. Replace placeholders and start.

2. Core Values Definition

Guide the team through the Core Values discovery exercise:

1. Speech exercise: "If you had to give a speech about what makes [Company] great, who would you point to as the embodiment? Why?"
2. From the Focus Day brainstorm, refine to 3-7 final Core Values.
3. Define each value — one sentence that explains it in your company's language.
4. Add example behaviors for each value.
5. People Filter Test: Do these values help you hire, fire, and review?

3. Core Focus Clarification

Finalize the two elements of Core Focus:

1. Purpose / Cause / Passion: Why does this organization exist beyond making money?
2. Niche: What do you do better than anyone else? What's your sweet spot?
3. Validation: Is it simple? Does it energize? Does it filter opportunities?

4. 10-Year Target Setting

Set the one big goal:

1. Review the Focus Day draft if available.
2. Make it specific and measurable.
3. Gut check: Exciting? Measurable? Actually 10 years out?

5. Marketing Strategy

Walk through the Four Marketing Strategy Uniques:

1. Target Market: Geographic, Demographic, Psychographic, The List (top 10-20 prospects)
2. Three Uniques: What combination of three things differentiates you from ALL competitors?
3. Proven Process: Name your process. Break it into 3-7 steps.
4. Guarantee: What brand promise can you make?

6. Conclude & Save

1. Summarize decisions from each section.
2. Set date for Vision Building Day 2 (~30 days).
3. Assign pre-VB2 action items (share Core Values with team, test Marketing Strategy).
4. Show the complete file and get approval.
5. Save to data/meetings/kickoff/vb-day-1-YYYY-MM-DD.md.

Suggest: "Use ceos-vto to formalize the Vision component (Core Values, Core Focus, 10-Year Target, Marketing Strategy) into data/vision.md."

Mode 3: Vision Building Day 2

Complete the V/TO and set the first formal Rocks. Typically ~30 days after VB Day 1.

1. Setup

1. Ask for the date and attendees.
2. Check for prior VB Day 1: glob data/meetings/kickoff/vb-day-1-*.md.

• If not found, warn: "No VB Day 1 session found. VB Day 2 typically follows VB Day 1. Continue anyway?"
• If found, read it for context (Core Values, Core Focus, 10-Year Target, Marketing Strategy).

1. Also read the Focus Day file if available: glob data/meetings/kickoff/focus-day-*.md.
2. Check for existing VB Day 2 files: glob data/meetings/kickoff/vb-day-2-*.md.

• If found, ask: "A VB Day 2 session already exists ([date]). Open to review, append notes, or start fresh?"

1. Read the template: read templates/vb-day-2.md.
2. Replace placeholders and start.

2. 3-Year Picture

Paint a vivid picture of the company in 3 years:

1. Revenue, profit, headcount targets.
2. Narrative description: "What does the company look like? Culture? Products? Market position?"
3. 3-5 measurables with current state and 3-year targets.

3. 1-Year Plan

Set specific goals for this year:

1. Revenue, profit, headcount targets for the year.
2. 3-7 goals that move toward the 3-Year Picture.
3. Each goal should be measurable with a clear owner.

4. Quarterly Rocks Setting

Set the first formal Rocks:

1. Ask: "What quarter are we in?"
2. Set 3-7 company Rocks — each must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely).
3. Set individual Rocks for each leadership team member (1-3 each).
4. Alignment check: Every Rock should connect to a 1-Year Goal.
5. Review the Focus Day Rock brainstorm — some may carry forward, others may have changed.

5. Issues List Brainstorm

Surface all issues:

1. Brain dump — everything on everyone's mind. Quantity over quality.
2. Categorize by EOS component (Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, Traction).
3. Prioritize (H/M/L) — but don't solve. Issues get worked through in L10 meetings.

6. Conclude & Save

1. Summarize all V/TO sections and their completion status.
2. Review the V/TO completion checklist — all 8 sections should now have content.
3. Capture action items for formalizing decisions into CEOS data files.
4. Show the complete file and get approval.
5. Save to data/meetings/kickoff/vb-day-2-YYYY-MM-DD.md.

Suggest follow-up skills:

• "Use ceos-vto to formalize the complete V/TO into data/vision.md."
• "Use ceos-rocks to create formal Rock files in data/rocks/."
• "Use ceos-ids to enter issues into data/issues/open/."
• "Use ceos-scorecard to finalize Scorecard metrics."
• "Use ceos-accountability to finalize the Accountability Chart."

Output Format

During session: Progressive display of each agenda section. Fill in the template section-by-section as the team works through it.

Before saving: Show the complete file content and get explicit approval before writing.

File format: Markdown with YAML frontmatter (date, attendees, location). Follows the template structure with tables for structured data and checklists for action items.

Guardrails