If you want to take your company or a project to the next level, but it feels like the only way to expand is by working more and longer hours, you might need a system. Mentioning the word systems might evoke an instant reaction.
When I spoke to a group of CEO’s who own their own companies, I asked them what comes to mind when I say the word systems. I received a range of looks, reactions, and thoughts. Some of the CEO’s looked like they just ate a lemon and some responded with:
-Systems give you freedom
-Systems allow you to scale
-Systems create efficiencies
For the most part, business leaders have a love-hate relationship with systems. They love the idea of having more freedom and opportunity by using systems but hate the idea of implementing them, setting up accountabilities, and improving them. For some wiring profiles, maintaining those systems feels like they are wasting their time when they could be going on to the next strategy.
In my experience with my clients, one of the biggest mistakes is setting and forgetting them. It’s not enough to implement a system and train your employees once.
It’s critical for a leader to set up the accountabilities to ensure the processes are met consistently. For example, when a client complained that her team was not meeting the standards after they set up a process, we explored what might be missing. I asked some questions about the implementation of the processes, such as:
1. Was a simulation provided where the team demonstrates the process or is tested on their knowledge of it?
2. Were the standards and training reinforced regularly?
3. Was there consistent corrective retraining given when there were errors or breakdowns?
4. What are the metrics to measure performance?
With each question, my client realized that training a person one time wasn’t enough. If she wanted her systems to work, she would need to train (and/or retrain) the very team that was interacting with the system and ensure there is a process for continuous improvement.
Building in continuous improvement doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. You can:
• Designate a lead trainer.
• Use part of a team meeting to reinforce a specific process or standard.
• Use breakdowns as learning opportunities highlighting them to reinforce the standards.
As many of my clients learn, some human wiring traits need ongoing reinforcement because they receive assurances that they are implementing the training correctly.
Implementing systems is not a one and done. You can ensure your systems and the team managing those systems will succeed when you build in strong continuous improvement steps.
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When I speak to CEO’s, I asked them what comes to mind when I say the word systems. There is always a range of looks, reactions, and thoughts. Some of them look like they just ate a lemon and some respond with:
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