Not everyone has the skills to keep their business at the highest level. It’s not easy managing a company due to the numerous factors you must consider. So, having someone who can work hand in hand with you is essential.

These people are known as integrators, and they occupy a wide range of positions in companies such as:

  • Chief Operating Officer
  • Chief Marketing Officer
  • Deputy Directors
  • Vice Chairman
  • Chief Advisory Personnel
  • Vice President
  • Chief of Staff

Integrators are critical in every business sphere, particularly those operating the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) model. Due to their wealth of experience, they can work with visionaries to ensure the achievement of business goals. If you are looking forward to seeing real growth in your business journey, having folks like integrators is the best way to reach such a milestone.

 

What Is an Integrator in Business?

 

The term “integrator” was coined by Gino Wickman in his best-selling business books Traction and Rocketfuel. You typically learn about integrators when implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) as a management practice for your company.

“An Integrator is a person who is the tie-breaker for the leadership team, is the glue for the organization, holds everything together, beats the drum (provides cadence), is accountable for the P&L results, executes the business plan, holds the Leadership Team accountable, and is the steady force in the organization.” (EOS Worldwide).


Plus, every business implementing the EOS management system needs an integrator.

 

Qualities of an Integrator

 

Before hiring an integrator for your business, there are certain features you have to assess in such a person.

Most business owners should want to do the following:

  • Bring stability to their business
  • Ensure they are on the right track
  • Employ the right set of people
  • Make use of resources wisely
  • Always have plans for every situation that may arise

But, most times, when they bring in the wrong candidate, positive outcomes may not be as easily attainable as before. For this reason, finding an integrator is the almost obvious choice.

The qualities of an integrator include the following:

  • Excellent problem solving
  • Critical and smart thinkers
  • Good organizational skills
  • Leadership acumen
  • Great business manager
  • Good communicator

 

Functions of an Integrator

 

Knowing that your business is made up of several aspects, managing it may be challenging.

Integrators can help in this regard and function in several departments, including:

  • Finance
  • Sales
  • Operational activities
  • Marketing

The regular duties that integrators perform in businesses are:

  • Execution of business strategies
  • Coordinating teams to focus on the same goal
  • Seeing to the management of projects and the meeting of deadlines
  • Monitoring of results and business performance

 

Importance of Integrators to Businesses

 

You may not know why getting an integrator is essential until some problems occur in your company. Do you know that some people trust integrators to run their businesses for them? This means that leaders can spend time doing other tasks that require their specific skill sets.

If you are thinking about having such an experience, then let’s consider four reasons why an integrator is crucial for your business:

 

1. Goal-Getters and Experts in Alignment

 

You don’t want to see your business goals being tossed around and not achieved. That’s why you need someone experienced in setting goals to step in.

Integrators are the best kind of people you can employ because they are:

  • Intrapreneurs
  • Knowledgeable
  • Calculating
  • Risk mitigators
  • Sharp thinking

They know which goals are achievable and which ones may create delays.

Integrators are also well-versed in helping a visionary align goals under the business.

Business owners may indeed have different ideas, but pushing their employees to achieve them may cause:

  • Confusion
  • Disorientation
  • Unhappy employees
  • Bitter work atmosphere

That’s why integrators must ensure that these ideas align with the business’ mission.

Aligning these goals will help:

  • Workers focus 
  • Avoid delays in meeting goals
  • Ensure progress
  • Fasten rate of accomplishment
  • Improve efficiency

 

2. Ensure All-Round Accountability in Your Business

 

In most businesses, there’s always one prevalent issue, which is the lack of accountability. Not being able to follow up on goals has displaced so many companies. An integrator is the best person to bring in for this kind of crucial change.

They are excellent in holding everyone accountable in business due to attributes like being:

  • Detail oriented
  • Fact-based

Rather than having a team where everyone has issues performing their roles, integrators can come in to make things simpler.

They help employees bring out their best by:

  • Inspiring them
  • Being an example
  • Always up to the task

There are times when integrators even help business owners stay on their toes to meet goals. So you see why they are vital to a company’s success?

 

3. Efficient Collaborators and Partners

 

It’s impossible to have a business having so many owners as this can pose problems even from the beginning. Well, integrators have no such problem because they can partner with companies to meet targets. They can collaborate with the leadership team, identify realistic ideas, and set plans to achieve them.

Integrators partner with business owners by:

  • Discussing plans and placing priorities
  • Focusing on set visions at a time
  • Resolving problems in a shorter period

 

4. They Are Cost Efficient

 

When setting up a business, most people always think about the cost.

Cutting costs is one of the reasons why businesses make mistakes like:

  • Employing the wrong people
  • Providing limited resources
  • Remaining static or slow in meeting goals
  • Unwillingness to reach goals

Integrators can help resolve problems like this, as owners can hire them as fractional executives.

Hiring them as a fractional executive means you are bringing them in for a set period. This means you won’t need to worry about dipping too much into your budget.

 

Conclusion

 

Indeed, you may be dreaming of enjoying a successful business but just can’t seem to achieve it. Integrators can always help to transform your dream into reality, provided you hire them. Successful companies have people who are responsible for how activities take place in every sphere. Hiring an integrator is the best decision you can ever make because of the many advantages they bring to your business.