In his book Work The System Sam Carpenter writes, “systems are the invisible threads that hold the fabric of our lives together.”
Carpenter goes on in his book to describe how his spiritual atheistic worldview was even changed not because to typical religious education or training but instead because of the systems he saw around him.
In order for you to read or listen to (check out the Business On Purpose YouTube channel and the My Business On Purpose Podcast) this article, thousands of systems must have been working in symphony. The electricity grid, my Macbook Pro, the internet connection, my bluetooth keyboard, operating systems, Google Docs, the English language, your education and ability to read, and on and on. All of these systems must be functioning in concert with predictable repetition so that I could share this message with you.
Once I complete this article we will then create images and headlines that we hope will appeal to you based on the system that we have designed to help us understand what you are struggling with. I will then take the written article record and broadcast it on Facebook Live, send that recording to be edited as a YouTube post, a podcast, and a LinkedIn article. We will use all of those content locations and use a system to share it with you around the world.
It is all a system.
We hear frequently this pushback, “systems make everything feel robotic, and we want to be a people-centered business.”
Good news, we are a people-centered business and the only way we continue to deliver on that the best possible way is with thoughtful, intentional, compassionate, and kind systems.
I cannot imagine having a business that coaches even just one client without having a system to help steward and support that client.
It is currently Monday and I have a document that I print out each Monday called the “Monday Checklist Master - BOP”. It is an incredibly simple system that reminds me exactly what needs to be done with great repetition each Monday so that I serve our heroic business owners with consistency, predictability, and a personal word from me.
Sound robotic?
One of the tasks on that checklist is writing this article which requires human creativity, intuition, awareness, and a constantly adjusted empathy pushing me to ask the question, “what is the chaos that is keeping our heroic business owners from experiencing the freedom that is front of them?”
I am due to fly on a plane next week and the captain of the commercial plane I will board will likely have thousands of hours of experience in the left seat of a commercial airliner. Regardless of the number of hours, maneuvers, delays, takeoffs and touchdowns (which we hope that number always stay equal) I will only feel comfortable flying that particular plane knowing that the captain has done the robotic work of her pre-flight checklist.
If the pilot is so experienced why should they even bother with the checklist?
1935 near Dayton, Ohio Major Ployer P. Hill barrels down the runway of Wright airfield and is set for lift off in what was the most sophisticated airplane in human history to that point. Everything was perfect until just seconds after liftoff when the plane stalled, banked, and crashed.
Everyone on board was killed.
The crash was investigated and studied and the determination made was not that the airplane was marred due to complexity, instead it was found that the Boeing 299 (The Flying Fortress) was, “too much plane for one man to fly.”
With all of the complexities of this massive airplane in motion, the crew simply forgot to release the control gust locks. That’s all. One tick of a checklist forgotten, and everyone paid.
Boeing responded in the most human AND robotic way they could and built the most innovative and life-saving piece of aviation technology still in use today…
The pilot’s checklist.
Your business is “too much business for one person to fly.”
Systems help by offering three powerful realities in the face of the simple complexities of business.
First, systems communicate to everyone, “we care enough about you to put in the hard, repetitive work.”
In business we are noticing an epidemic that is being intensified in a market of low unemployment. Many business owners need talented people and need them “yesterday.” One of the five stages of business that we teach our business owners about is the “pulse and passion” stage (stage two of a business). It derived its stage name because so many owners simply want to know, “Do you have a pulse? Do you have some level of passion for this work? YOU’RE HIRED!”
The new hire then is introduced to the center of chaos with a lack of clear direction and true understanding about what they are being asked to do. The assumption is that because this new employee has “common sense” then they will figure it out.
Just because a new hire has managed projects or sold mattresses before does not mean they know how you manage projects or how you sell mattresses. A captured system (or process) allows others to see that you spent time putting in the work to allow others to feel comfortable coming in. Capturing systems is a most human discipline.
Second, systems invite and set the stage for the human mind to expend energy on creativity innovation.
Can you imagine a world where you woke and had to go through the months-long process of remembering how to walk? How to drink without spilling? How to brush your teeth without jamming a toothbrush in your ear?
If we were to all live in a constant state of amnesia, that would be a world without systems. In order to write, to draft, to design, to construct, to teach, to drive, or to manage, we must not spend our valuable time doing things that systems can easily automate.
Allow systems to automate while you create and innovate!
Finally, systems scale, scale, scale.
As systems automate the monotonous, we are able to bring more production, more conversation, and more serving into our lives and the lives of the clients we serve. Without systems we are stuck performing one task to one person.
With systems a business coach can serve hundreds, restaurateurs can feed thousands, comedians can sketch comedy to millions, and engineers can deliver power to billions.
Without systems...we go dark.
To celebrate the power of systems watch this time-lapsed video put together by Mitch Brown and Boat Float company who captured the natural beauty of systems. Watch the solar system, the tidal system, and the ecological system all working like clockwork so that Mitch and his team can build a dock and a homeowner can enjoy an incredible view!
Scott Beebe is the founder of Business On Purpose, author of Let Your Business Burn: Stop Putting Out Fires, Discover Purpose, And Build A Business That Matters. Scott also hosts The Business On Purpose Podcast and can be found at mybusinessonpurpose.com.