The path to success is paved with systems. The alternative is band-aids and aspirins.
Aspirin is great for minor headaches but doesn’t help asthma. In a few people, aspirin makes asthma worse.
Aspirin won’t help asthma no matter how sincere you feel.
7 “painful” insights:
- A little pain is part of organizational life.
- The advantage of pain is motivation to seek solutions.
- Poorly solved problems return and get worse.
- Yesterday’s good solution may make matters worse today.
- An aspirin is fine for minor irritations but recurring pain requires systematic solutions.
Warning: You may have a problem even if it doesn’t hurt right now.
Approaching chronic pain:
- Create blame-free environments. Take responsibility. Don’t point fingers.
- Think long-term rather than quick fix.
- Look for root causes, not symptoms.
Tip: Look for simple causes and solutions first. Sitting on a thick wallet in your back pocket can twist your back and cause back pain, for example.
Systems: You love systems because they…
- Eliminate drama.
- Prevent distractions.
- Instill confidence.
- Expedite efficiencies.
- Establish measures.
Potential systems:
- Leadership development systems. A bi-monthly one-on-one, for example.
- Communication systems.
- Accountability systems.
- Transparency systems.
- Problem solving systems.
Systems could be checklists or standard operating procedures (SOP’s).
Systems are:
- Repeated behaviors.
- Pre-determined patterns for specific situations. You know what to do before it happens.
- Confidence builders.
- Clarity creators.
Simplicity:
The danger of systems is complexity.
Systems can be as simple as asking the same questions at the beginning of team meetings.
- What are this week’s greatest opportunities?
- How will we capitalize on our greatest opportunities?
- Who’s the champion of this opportunity?
- How do we know we’re winning?
What organizational pain-points might be opportunities for system-solutions?