The Vision/Traction Organizer, or V/TO, is a simple tool from the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). It helps businesses define their vision and stay focused on what matters most.
The V/TO puts everything important on two pages. That makes it easy to share with your team and review often. It connects long-term goals with short-term actions.
By using the V/TO, teams gain clarity, stay aligned, and make better decisions.
Why the V/TO Matters
Many teams struggle because they don’t have a clear plan. They may work hard, but they aren’t always moving in the same direction.
The V/TO fixes that. It gives your team a shared vision and a simple path to get there. Everyone knows what the company wants to achieve and how they fit into the plan.
When used well, the V/TO keeps teams focused, reduces confusion, and drives real progress.
The Two Sides of the V/TO
The V/TO has two parts: Vision and Traction. Each side has key elements that guide your business.
Vision is about where you’re going and why it matters.
Traction is about making it happen with discipline and action.
Let’s look at each section in detail.
Core Values: Who You Are
This is the first part of the Vision side. Core values are the beliefs that shape your company’s culture. They guide how your team acts, hires, and works together.
Usually, you pick 3 to 7 core values. These values should be real and clear and not be just nice words.
Example core values:
- Do the right thing
- Help first
- Always improve
These values help attract the right people and guide daily decisions.
Core Focus: What You Do Best
Your core focus is made of two things: your purpose and your niche.
Your purpose explains why your business exists. Your niche is what you do better than anyone else.
Together, they help your team stay focused and avoid distractions. When you know your focus, it’s easier to say “yes” to the right things, and “no” to the wrong ones.
10-Year Target: Your Long-Term Goal
The 10-Year Target is your company’s North Star: a clear, measurable destination that inspires and aligns your team over the long haul. It doesn’t need to spell out every step of the journey, but it does need to define where you’re headed in a way that’s simple and motivating.
For some organizations, that target might be hitting $50 million in annual revenue. For others, it could mean serving 10,000 active clients or establishing a presence in five new international markets. The specifics vary, but the principle is constant: the target should be ambitious enough to spark energy, yet concrete enough to guide day-to-day decision-making.
When your team can articulate the 10-Year Target in a single sentence, they have a reason to push forward and a filter for choosing the right priorities along the way.
Marketing Strategy: Reaching the Right People
Your marketing strategy defines how you connect with the customers you’re best positioned to serve. It sharpens your focus on who you want to reach, why they should choose you, and how you consistently deliver on that promise.
A complete strategy usually covers four essentials: identifying your target market, clarifying your unique value proposition, outlining the proven process you follow, and, if appropriate, offering a guarantee. Together, these elements give your team a common language. Instead of every department explaining your business in different ways, you create a consistent message that resonates with the right audience and builds trust.
For example, a technology company might focus on mid-market businesses frustrated with legacy software. Their value proposition could highlight speed and simplicity, while their proven process demonstrates a smooth onboarding experience. That clarity not only drives marketing campaigns but also helps sales, service, and operations stay aligned around what makes the business competitive.
When your team has this framework in place, they can talk confidently about who you serve and why you’re different—whether they’re pitching to investors, closing deals, or simply explaining the company to a new hire.
3-Year Picture: A Clear Future Snapshot
The 3-Year Picture turns your long-term vision into something concrete. It’s a snapshot of where the business should be if execution stays on track.
Describe it in plain language, then anchor it with a few measurable markers—such as revenue, profit, customer count, or key milestones. The goal is clarity, not detail.
For example: In three years, annual revenue is in the mid-eight figures, margins are strong, and two new offerings are live. Customer retention is up, onboarding is faster, and the company is recognized as a leader in its space.
A strong 3-Year Picture gives your team a clear destination. It keeps daily decisions aligned with the bigger story and sets up the next step: your 1-Year Plan.
1-Year Plan: Focused Goals for the Next 12 Months
The 1-Year Plan takes the 3-Year Picture and breaks it down into immediate, measurable priorities. It defines what must be achieved in the next 12 months to keep the business on track.
For many companies, this means setting three to seven top goals that are both ambitious and realistic. Examples might include:
- Increase annual revenue to $12 million with a 20% net profit margin
- Acquire 500 new customers in core market segments
- Launch two new product offerings and achieve $1M in first-year sales
- Reduce customer churn by 15% through improved retention programs
- Hire and onboard five senior managers to strengthen leadership capacity
- Implement a new CRM system company-wide to improve sales efficiency
- Expand into one new regional market and establish a local sales presence
The exact goals will vary by business, but the principle is the same: limit focus to the priorities that matter most this year. With a clear 1-Year Plan, your team has a roadmap that connects daily work to measurable results and keeps momentum moving toward the bigger vision. This is where COO expertise for growing companies often makes the difference—helping leadership stay disciplined, focused, and accountable.
Quarterly Rocks: Short-Term Priorities
Quarterly Rocks are the handful of priorities your business commits to achieving in the next 90 days. Think of them as the non-negotiable projects that will create the most impact if completed on time. Each Rock has a clear owner who is accountable for driving it to the finish line, which builds both focus and accountability.
For a small business, Rocks might look like this:
- Launch an updated company website with improved lead capture forms
- Finalize and roll out a new customer onboarding process
- Hire and train a sales development representative
- Reduce overdue accounts receivable by 25% through a new collections system
- Implement a standardized weekly leadership meeting cadence
- Publish five high-value thought leadership articles
- Secure two new strategic partnerships to expand the referral pipeline
The exact Rocks will differ by company, but the principle is the same: choose three to seven priorities that matter most right now. By narrowing focus, teams create urgency, avoid distraction, and make measurable progress toward the larger vision. If an initiative doesn’t fit into a Rock, it likely doesn’t deserve attention this quarter.
Issues List: Solving What’s in the Way
Creating a V/TO works best as a team exercise. Set aside dedicated time with your leadership group and work through each section together, because the value comes from the discussion as much as the final document.
Be direct and specific; you want to avoid vague statements that no one can act on. Once complete, share the V/TO across the company so everyone understands the vision and the plan to get there.
Revisit it every quarter. Regular review ensures the team stays aligned and allows you to adjust for new opportunities or challenges without losing focus.
How to Fill Out a V/TO
Filling out a V/TO should be a team effort. Set aside focused time with your leadership team. Go section by section, and talk through each item.
Don’t rush. Be honest and specific. Once finished, share it with your whole company.
Review it every quarter to make sure your team is still on track.
How Teams Use the V/TO Weekly
The V/TO is not meant to sit on a shelf. It should be an active part of how the business runs. Most leadership teams review it at the start of each quarter and reference it in weekly meetings.
It becomes a decision filter: Does this idea or project align with our V/TO? If the answer is no, it likely does not deserve attention right now.
By bringing the V/TO into weekly conversations, teams stay aligned, focused on priorities, and clear on how their work connects to the bigger vision.
Benefits of Using a V/TO
When teams commit to the V/TO, they start to see real change. Teams work better because everyone knows the big picture. Goals become clear and measurable while progress becomes easier to track. This cuts out the potential for distraction.
The V/TO gives your company clarity, structure, and momentum.
Final Thoughts
The Vision/Traction Organizer is more than a planning tool. It is a framework for alignment. By putting your vision and execution plan on just two pages, you give your team clarity, focus, and a common language for progress.
The real power of the V/TO lies in consistency. When it is reviewed regularly and used to guide decisions, it turns strategy into traction and keeps everyone moving in the same direction.
Ready to put your vision and execution on the same page? At ScaleUpExec, we help leadership teams create and implement V/TOs that do more than sit in a binder. We guide your team through the process, make sure it reflects your real priorities, and build the habits to keep it alive week after week.
Schedule a call with ScaleUpExec today and learn how to turn your V/TO into a driver of clarity, accountability, and traction.
