By Thomas A. Parmalee
For home care leaders searching for practical, battle-tested guidance on how to run a stronger, more scalable agency, few voices are as qualified as Mike Flair.
Before becoming a professional implementer with EOS Worldwide, he spent nearly two decades inside two of the most influential brands in home care — Home Instead and Right at Home — leading operations, training, franchisee development, innovation and large-scale organizational change.
Just as important, he entered the field after a 20-year career in food and hospitality, bringing with him a customer-experience mindset, a deep understanding of frontline operations and a commitment to high-performing teams that translates seamlessly into the needs of today’s home care agencies.
Flair has not only coached hundreds of owners, managers and franchise teams; he has also seen, up close, which leadership behaviors fuel growth — and which quietly sabotage it. Now, as a professional EOS implementer, he helps agencies build the structure, accountability, and clarity they often struggle to create on their own.
In this exclusive interview with Home Care Post, he shares lessons from his years inside top home care brands, the biggest mistakes he sees owners make, and why the EOS system is gaining traction among agencies looking to scale with greater stability and confidence.
You spent about 20 years in the food and hospitality space before transitioning to home care. What prompted that change?
Burnout.
I went from dishwasher to general manager over my career, spending the final decade in management in the corporate food service space. That career served me welland I took away a great deal of employee management and customer service skills, but I reached the pinnacle for the company without relocating. I was ready for a change.
I was hired to manage the flagship location of Home Instead Senior Care where I learned the industry bottom up and used my operations and leadership skills to grow that business significantly.
From there, I moved to the corporate office to coach franchisees and eventually lead the training department where I led the training and onboarding of hundreds of franchisees and managers.
I joined the Right at Home corporate executive team leading business model innovation and eventually led the training, application support and vendor partnership teams. That decade was filled with innovation for client and caregiver facing initiatives and helping grow the brand through operational efficiencies and quality focus.
What are some of the lasting lessons you learned at Home Instead and Right at Home that you think are relevant for home care agency owners today?
Three big ones come to mind. First, stop trying to reinvent what has proved to be successful. I used to say jokingly, the best owners are those who are willing to faithfully follow a proven process and be open to coaching. The worst owners are the Wild West cowboys who buy into a brand and want to recreate everything or stray from the proven process and do something different.
Second, the most successful owners are those who surround themselves with top talent and never settle for warm bodies. This includes hiring rock stars in the office and then recruiting, hiring and investing in dedicated caregivers. Too many owners accept the fact they have to hire anyone that “fogs the mirror” because they struggle with filling a seat or open shifts. Taking that approach will never result in significant growth and ultimately will lead to burnout and failure.
Lastly, to be successful in home care requires a passion for excellence in every area. That means that you set high standards, communicate those to your team (including caregivers) and act when that doesn’t happen. That means you need to be relentless in evaluating your NPS or ENPS (satisfaction) scores and chase every opportunity to improve. I’ve seen hundreds of owners struggle to grow all the while their clients/families or caregivers are dissatisfied. If you can incrementally improve over time, you’ll create raving fans who will be great referral sources.
Did you ever consider owning your own agency?
I never really considered hanging my shingle in the local market. I had the institutional knowledge of running a home care business but knew the challenges of the industry at the local level. I felt a calling and had a passion to help as many owners and managers as I could at the enterprise level.
You spent nearly two decades in home care leadership roles. What prompted you to leave the industry?
I had an unexpected opportunity to help my youngest son scale his growing entrepreneurial businesses. He’s an influencer in the outdoor entertainment space (YouTube) and he created three startups in the past five years. For two years, I helped him manage large projects and grow his brands.
Coincidentally, I recently helped him implement EOS, and he’s a client of mine experiencing the benefits of the proven model.
What are the biggest mistakes you see home care agency owners make on a regular basis?
I’ve seen every mistake firsthand. The most common mistakes are:
Not having a system in place to manage the goals and priorities of running a growing business. No matter what coaching a franchisor provides, this is exactly where EOS shines. It provides structure and discipline the team needs to work on what matters and most importantly, to be accountable to deliver results. I’ve seen many owners fail to make their vision become reality because the team is busy with chasing shiny things or busy running the business with a “whack-a-mole” style approach.
Not surrounding yourself with your dream team. Specifically, your office staff must all be superstars. It’s critical to not just have the “right people on the bus” but to have the “right people in the right seat” on the bus. This approach requires strong core values and culture, accountability and leaders that set high standards for performance. Superstars attract like-minded people and repel those that want to punch the clock. A common theme of high performing agencies is that they have a team of high performing, highly compensated, goal driven individuals.
Not having a constant reliable and trustworthy presence in the community. Agency owners who rely on social media or ads to generate leads will never keep pace with those who have “boots on the ground” and have invested in a professional to build the brand one client or referral source at a time. Because this is a relational business, it will always require someone who creates and protects those relationships and builds trust in the community.
You’re a professional implementer with EOS Worldwide. What is EOS®?
The Entrepreneurial Operating System® (EOS®) from EOS Worldwide is a powerful system that takes a holistic approach to building a great company. It’s a complete set of simple concepts and practical tools that helps leaders get what they want from their business. EOS originated from the popular business book Traction, by entrepreneur Gino Wickman.
It’s a proven system that helps leadership teams achieve three things: Vision, Traction, and Healthy.
EOS is not for everyone. It’s perfect for leadership teams that have tried other programs or have unsuccessfully tried to create their own system to scale and have failed. Business is a team sport. EOS is perfect for leadership teams that are:
- Needing a refresh of the vision and values of the company.
- Frustrated with consistently getting the right people in the right seat.
- Struggling with solving the issues that prevent growth.
- Seeking more accountability at all levels of the organization.
- Looking for ways to make meetings shorter and more productive.
What exactly is your role as a professional implementer?
As an implementer, I wear three hats: teacher, facilitator and coach. I teach the EOS Model and the tools, facilitate daylong sessions where leaders learn and apply the tools to their business and coach to the plan for results.
In simple terms, I’m like a personal trainer for leadership teams that have hit a ceiling and can’t grow or are growing rapidly without any infrastructure and are at risk of imploding. It’s the same reason people hire a personal trainer for their health and wellness goals – they are unable to do it on their own.
When did you first get exposed to EOS® as a homecare professional?
Years ago, I facilitated quarterly offsite sessions with a group of high-volume home care franchisees. As part of that process, we had a “quarterly book club”.
One quarter, we read Traction and immediately, several franchisees implemented EOS with a professional implementer. They said it transformed their business … their life. It allowed them to scale beyond their dreams and regain a sense of peace.
I unsuccessfully lobbied for our corporate office to implement EOS, but that didn’t stop me from applying some of the basic principles of EOS in the departments I led at the time. I immediately saw improvements in goal achievement, accountability and communication. Other leaders noticed we were a well-oiled machine and we were the team to watch for successful project management and innovation. It was shortly after that I left the company.
Not long after I left the company, new leadership decided to implement EOS and it’s running strong today – helping them get results.
What is your portfolio and where does home care fit into that matrix?
I’m serving 12 clients with more coming online each month. More than half are in the home care space where I have extensive experience.
I’m not only able to deliver the proven EOS system to my home care clients, but I add tremendous value by paying attention to the details and issues holding them back and as importantly, I can speak their language with setting goals, creating scorecards, and getting the right people in the right seat in their office.
Why does the EOS system fit in particularly well with home care … do most home care professionals at least have some familiarity with it?
Although EOS is becoming a common brand in the business world, many smaller home care operators have never heard of EOS or Traction. I’m on a mission to introduce EOS to as many home care professionals as possible.
Even if an agency’s leadership team is not ready to utilize the services of a professional implementer, I can introduce them to EOS and speak to them in their own language about the tools and processes that will move their business forward.
For those larger agencies or multi-unit operators, using an implementer will accelerate their growth and bring order to chaos almost immediately. There is a great ROI for those who are struggling to grow.
In addition, EOS positions agency owners for selling the business by getting the right team in place and growing revenue to earn a much greater multiple on the back end.
How does an agency owner explore whether EOS is the right fit for them?
EOS is NOT for everyone. It’s perfect for small to mid-sized businesses with 10-250 employees whose leadership team is ready for a change.
The best way for an owner or leadership team to know if EOS is the right fit is to schedule a 90 minute meeting with me. There is absolutely no pressure to move ahead unless the team says, “let’s go.” Even if a team decides EOS is not the right fit or it’s not the right time, I guarantee they will leave that call with some gold nuggets to take back and use.
What can an agency owner expect to spend to implement EOS?
There are three ways to implement EOS. First, spend $20 on the Traction book and become a student of EOS. Traction provides the foundation of the six key components and the EOS tools but provides little guidance in terms of implementation. Full implementation is highly unlikely using this approach.
Next, you can subscribe to the EOS Academy and take a DIY approach with your team. You have access to many of the resources I do. The difference is that someone on the leadership team must learn EOS, become an expert in the tools and system and facilitate ongoing sessions. That can take months and years to fully implement. The cost is approximately $500/month for access to the site.
Last, you can hire a certified EOS implementer who will take your team from start to finish over the course of a series of daylong sessions. The implementer sets the agenda, provides materials and facilitates the sessions with minimal work for the leadership team. The cost varies by market and level of expertise, but you can expect to spend approximately $25-30k in the first year – the cost of a part-time administrative employee.
How long does it take to implement EOS? What is the commitment to EOS?
It varies, but generally speaking, an implementer will help your team build your foundation in about 90 days using the EOS proven process. After that, teams meet with the implementer quarterly to continue sharpening the saw and learning and applying that knowledge to eventually get what they want.
There is no written contract for services, but I ask clients to make a mental commitment of two years – that is the approximate time it takes for a team to fully implement EOS and reach their goals.
Some clients work with an implementer perpetually and see it as a great ROI to have a coach come in each quarter and tune up the leadership team, teaching more tools and helping them get better and better.
What is a book you recommend home care leaders read?
First, it goes without saying they should read Traction by Gino Wickman. That’s the bible of EOS, and it lays out the six key components of the EOS Model. Get a Grip is the “movie version” of Traction written in a fable format – very entertaining.
EOS implementers are big fans of Patrick Lencioni and the Five Dysfunctions of a Team. We believe that without good team health, they will never reach their full potential.
I also recently read The Science of Scaling by Dr. Benjamin Hardy – a great book about scaling versus growing and how a mind shift to setting moonshot goals and clearing the path to focus solely on those goals result in exponential growth.
If someone is interested in learning more about EOS or wants to speak with you, how do they contact you?
They can learn more about EOS or me or contact me by clicking here or emailing me at mike.flair@eosworldwide.com or call me at 402-699-1344.
