Maximum Lawyer Podcast Summary
Episode: EOS, Ego, and the Power of Speaking Up with Brett Stewart
Host: Tyson Mutrux
Release Date: April 15, 2025

In this enlightening episode of Maximum Lawyer, host Tyson Mutrux engages in a profound conversation with Brett Stewart, a seasoned business professional who shares his journey through significant career highs and devastating lows. The discussion delves deep into the intricacies of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), the impacts of ego in business, and the transformative power of fostering an environment where team members feel empowered to speak up.

1. Guest Introduction: Brett Stewart's Career Journey

Brett Stewart opens up about his professional trajectory, highlighting both his successes and the moments that challenged him profoundly.

Brett Stewart [01:29]: "I was somebody that had like all the, you know, everything that you kind of would want from a career standpoint. Good schools, good jobs early on, but always had a desire to do something new, do something on my own."

Brett candidly discusses a pivotal moment when his business venture failed, attributing the collapse to risky decisions and a lack of a healthy team dynamic.

Brett Stewart [02:52]: "When the business failed, I lost pretty much everything I had. That experience drove me to understand the importance of building a resilient and healthy business structure."

2. Understanding EOS: Vision, Traction, and Healthy Teams

The conversation shifts to EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), a framework Brett has extensively worked with. He emphasizes the three core components of EOS: Vision, Traction, and Healthy Teams.

Brett Stewart [09:16]: "A healthy team is a team where you have a lot of conflict, a respectful conflict. People are willing to speak up, argue, and debate because they trust each other enough to surface issues openly."

Brett reflects on his initial self-implementation of EOS, recognizing that while the tools were effective, the absence of a coach hindered his ability to build a truly healthy team.

Brett Stewart [08:34]: "EOS worked. The tools worked, the systems worked, we grew the business, we hit our goals, but I didn't build a healthy team."

3. Building a Healthy Team: The Importance of Conflict and Speaking Up

Drawing inspiration from Patrick Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Brett underscores the necessity of fostering an environment where team members feel safe to express disagreements respectfully.

Brett Stewart [09:15]: "A healthy team is a team where you have a lot of conflict, a respectful conflict... because they trust each other enough that they'll have that conflict, if they'll have the conflict, and then issues get surfaced."

He discusses the challenges he faced when strong personalities dominated the decision-making process, leaving little room for others to voice concerns.

Brett Stewart [10:38]: "Probably, yeah. Probably, yeah. Because myself and the president of the business... didn't leave room for other people to speak on."

4. Implementing EOS in Law Firms and Professional Services

Brett elaborates on how EOS can be tailored to fit the unique structures of professional service firms, such as law firms, which often have distinct practice areas and operational nuances.

Brett Stewart [26:18]: "Professional service firms tend to be more have what I call business unit focus... they have multiple business units that need to operate as profit centers."

He explains the importance of creating accountability charts that reflect the specific needs and structures of these firms.

Brett Stewart [27:34]: "We have to make sure that we're teaching each of those profit center owners to almost act like an integrator in a sense. They have their own little business unit."

5. Developing Core Values in an Organization

A significant portion of the discussion centers around crafting and implementing core values within a business. Brett shares his method for identifying and consolidating team values.

Brett Stewart [16:16]: "When I get a team in a room... I have them come up with the names of three people in your business that are real culture heroes... We find out the themes and define a handful of non-negotiable values."

He warns against including "permission to play" values like integrity or honesty, which should be inherent and not explicitly stated.

Brett Stewart [19:17]: "Sometimes you can tell when values aren't genuine... You drop out the aspirational and accidental values that don't truly represent the team."

6. Accountability and Goal Setting with EOS

Brett emphasizes the pivotal role of clear and attainable goals within EOS, advocating for specificity without overcomplicating the cascading of objectives across organizational levels.

Brett Stewart [54:42]: "They don't need to tie directly going down. It just gets... it's a too many variables in the equation to drive yourself nuts."

He compares effective goal setting to athletic training, where measurable and attainable objectives lead to sustained progress.

Brett Stewart [58:05]: "Goals need to be specific. Specificity creates energy... they also need to be attainable so we set people up to succeed."

7. The Integrator vs. Visionary Dynamic

One of the most insightful segments addresses the often-challenging relationship between the visionary and integrator roles within a business structure.

Brett Stewart [62:28]: "If you're a visionary, eventually you need a separate integrator. A lot of visionaries fool themselves into thinking they can be the integrator... But it compromises their growth."

He advises that even those who find themselves embodying both roles should strive to separate them to unlock their business's full potential.

Brett Stewart [65:03]: "When you bring in an integrator, you can spend more time coaching and mentoring people, rather than being bogged down by management tasks."

8. Personal Reflections: Clarity Breaks and Maintaining Confidence

Brett shares personal strategies for maintaining mental clarity and confidence, especially during challenging times.

Brett Stewart [51:27]: "I take about 45 minutes, I get quiet, I pray for a while, I clear my mind. I take notes and write questions to help my mind."

He highlights the importance of dedicating uninterrupted time to reflect, which aids in aligning personal and professional goals.

Brett Stewart [35:38]: "Clarity is the thing that I've struggled with historically. Confidence is the best focus tool."

9. Overcoming Challenges in EOS Implementation

Addressing common obstacles, Brett discusses resistance to regular meeting cadences and the perception of EOS as merely a management tool rather than a strategic focus system.

Brett Stewart [23:14]: "I send emails just as nudges now... I'm forcing it on them a couple of times a quarter and then I'm at their disposal other times."

He underscores the necessity of maintaining discipline in meeting schedules to ensure continual progress and issue resolution.

Brett Stewart [36:23]: "The meeting cadence is the idea that I can maintain my confidence... create confidence by focusing on the right things."

10. Conclusion: Lessons from Brett Stewart on EOS and Leadership

As the conversation wraps up, Brett imparts his foundational beliefs that helped him rebuild after his business failure—primarily rooted in his faith and gratitude for personal relationships over material wealth.

Brett Stewart [66:38]: "The foundation of my beliefs is my faith... I was confident that God had his hand in it, that it would work out."

He emphasizes the importance of appreciating what one has, especially during times of financial or professional turmoil.

Brett Stewart [67:09]: "Every day, when I was broke, I could still spend time with my kids, take my dog to the park, and have dinner with my wife. It didn't matter how much money I had."

Brett's resilience and focus on meaningful relationships over monetary gains serve as a powerful testament to the human spirit's capacity to overcome adversity.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Brett Stewart [09:16]: "A healthy team is a team where you have a lot of conflict, a respectful conflict."

• Brett Stewart [16:16]: "We want the values of that team. We don't want Google values. We don't want the values of the whole company."

• Brett Stewart [54:42]: "They don't need to tie directly going down. It's a too many variables in the equation to drive yourself nuts."

• Brett Stewart [65:03]: "When you bring in an integrator, you can spend more time coaching and mentoring people."

• Brett Stewart [66:38]: "The foundation of my beliefs is my faith. As a Christian, I was confident that God had his hand in it."

Key Takeaways

1. Healthy Team Dynamics: Encouraging respectful conflict and open communication is essential for a thriving team.

2. Tailored EOS Implementation: EOS must be adapted to fit the unique structures of professional service firms, ensuring relevance and effectiveness.

3. Core Values Development: Authentic and non-negotiable core values derived from team culture heroes strengthen organizational identity.

4. Clear and Attainable Goals: Specificity and achievability in goal setting foster motivation and consistent progress.

5. Distinct Roles for Visionary and Integrator: Separating these roles prevents bottlenecks and enhances business growth.

6. Personal Strategies for Resilience: Practices like clarity breaks and focusing on personal relationships can sustain confidence during professional setbacks.

Brett Stewart's insights provide a comprehensive understanding of how EOS, when implemented with attention to team health and clear role definitions, can transform law firms and other professional service businesses. His personal experiences reinforce the importance of resilience, faith, and gratitude in navigating the complexities of business leadership.