Rocks Intro

Rocks: Bring Focus and Accountability to Your Startup

Running a startup often feels like juggling a hundred priorities at once. Between product deadlines, customer needs, and day-to-day operations, it’s easy to lose sight of what really moves the business forward. That’s where Rocks come in.

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What Are Rocks?

Rocks are your company’s biggest priorities for the quarter. They represent the handful of goals that will make the most impact if completed successfully. The term comes from the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), a proven framework used by thousands of high-performing companies.

At their core, Rocks help you separate what’s truly important from what’s merely urgent. They give you and your team a shared focus, a clear time frame, and measurable outcomes to track progress.

Why Rocks Matter

Startups thrive on momentum, but without focus, momentum turns into motion without direction. Rocks bring structure to your growth.

When used well, Rocks help you:

• Clarify priorities. Everyone knows what matters most each quarter.
• Stay accountable. Every Rock has an owner responsible for results.
• Measure progress. You can track completion and course-correct early.
• Create alignment. Teams pull in the same direction toward shared goals.

In short, Rocks transform scattered effort into meaningful progress.

How to Use Rocks in Wave

Inside Wave, Rocks are built into the rhythm of your business. You can set quarterly Rocks, assign owners, and link them directly to Scorecards, Projects, and Meetings so progress is always visible.

No more managing goals in spreadsheets or copying notes between tools. Rocks in Wave stay connected across your operating system. During your weekly meetings, you can review progress, mark Rocks as On Track, At Risk, or Off Track, and adjust as needed.

Each Rock also rolls up into your company-wide view, giving leadership a real-time pulse on priorities without micromanaging.

Best Practices for Setting Rocks

To make the most of your Rocks:

1. Limit them. Three to five Rocks per team is ideal. Focus beats volume.
2. Be clear. Define what success looks like before you start.
3. Assign ownership. One Rock, one owner. Shared accountability leads to confusion.
4. Review weekly. Keep Rocks visible in your meetings and check progress often.
5. Celebrate wins. Recognize completed Rocks to build momentum and morale.

Turning Chaos into Clarity

Rocks help you slow down, focus, and execute on what really matters. They bring clarity to the chaos of startup life and help your team build the discipline great companies rely on.

Inside Wave, that clarity is built right into your workflow. Set your Rocks, stay aligned, and keep your company moving forward with purpose.

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