Every high-performing company needs more than a visionary leader—it needs a prophet.

If the CEO is the visionary who sees the mountain peak in the distance, the prophet is the leader who knows how to get there. Often the COO, or a senior operations leader, the prophet takes the big-picture vision and translates it into actionable, teachable processes. They don’t just believe in the strategy—they embody it, evangelize it, and most importantly, train others to do the same.

In my book,From Panic to Profit: Uncover Value, Boost Revenue, and Grow Your Business With the 80/20 Principle, I outline the PGOS (Profitable Growth Operating System). At the heart of it is the 80/20 principle: the idea that roughly 80% of your profits come from 20% of your customers, products, or processes. This isn’t just a catchy concept. It’s a proven operating model. But it’s only effective if everyone in your organization is aligned around it, understands how to apply it, and is equipped to execute. That’s where the prophet comes in.

Why the Prophet Role Matters—Especially for Engagement

The prophet is the champion of PGOS deployment. They lead the charge on training, coaching, and mentoring others in how to apply 80/20 thinking. But their impact goes far beyond process execution—they’re foundational to employee experience.

Here’s why: when employees are trained by leaders who deeply understand the strategy—and who can clearly show how their work connects to broader company goals—engagement skyrockets. Employees don’t want vague ideas or shifting priorities. They want clarity. They want to know their time and effort are making a difference. The prophet brings that clarity to life by translating strategy into action, and then teaching others to do the same.

And when employees are equipped with the tools to do their jobs more effectively—and empowered with a clear path for growth—they don’t just stay longer. They thrive.

From Outside Insight to Inside Ownership

In some organizations, prophets start as outside consultants. That can be helpful in the early stages. But if the expertise stays external, alignment fades. People slip back into old habits, work in silos, or revert to what feels familiar. That’s when engagement declines and turnover rises.

To create sustainable momentum, companies must transition from outside dependency to inside ownership. That means developing internal leaders who are not only fluent in PGOS but committed to training others in it. From a people perspective, this is critical: your best employees are looking for meaningful development, mentorship, and a sense of direction. Prophets provide that.

If you’re starting from scratch, it takes about 18 months to grow your first prophet internally. If you’re fortunate enough to have a strong bench of operational leaders, you can see measurable gains in engagement and performance within just three to five months.

The Gospel According to Pareto

I often say that PGOS is a kind of corporate religion—and I mean that in the best way. Like any religion, it’s centered around a gospel. In our case, that gospel is the Pareto Principle. And unlike religion, this gospel doesn’t require faith. It has the data. It has the receipts.

Take Illinois Tool Works (ITW), for example. In the early 1980s, they faced rising costs and shrinking margins. They used the 80/20 principle to reinvent how they operated. Over 25 years, they delivered consistent 19% annual returns to shareholders—largely by embedding 80/20 into every acquisition, every policy, and every employee training program. That level of performance doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when every level of the organization is aligned, empowered, and engaged.

Engagement, Retention, and Rapid Growth

Most of us don’t have 25 years to figure this out. The good news is, you don’t need that long. When you embed the visionary, the prophet, and what I call the “operators” into your company—and give them the tools to train others—you build not just a smarter business, but a more engaged workforce.

And here’s what we know from experience: engaged employees don’t leave. They’re more productive, more collaborative, and more committed to growth. When you invest in developing internal champions—people who can teach, mentor, and reinforce strategic focus—you reduce turnover and amplify performance.

So if you’re leading an organization today, ask yourself: Who are your prophets? Are they internal, accessible, and equipped to train others? Or are you still relying on rented wisdom?

Because if you want to keep your best people—and unlock the full power of your workforce—you don’t just need a vision. You need someone who can teach others how to live it.