Create Systems that work for your business

Many professionals fall into the trap of adopting systems from others without truly making them their own. They often look to “gurus” for solutions, but without assessing whether these systems fit their unique teams, environments, or markets, they are doomed to failure. When things don’t work out, it’s easy to blame the system rather than recognizing the underlying issue: poor execution.

This oversight can be costly, as lost opportunities to solve pressing business problems slip away.

The Benefits of Custom Systems

Implementing a tailored system offers numerous advantages:

- Clear direction and goals: Teams know where they’re headed.

- Commitment and ownership: Team members take pride in their contributions.

- Team alignment: Everyone understands their roles and how they co-depend on eachother.

- Adaptability: Teams can handle changes smoothly.

- Consistent results: A well-implemented system leads to reliable outcomes.

Creating an effective system is not a one-time event; it’s an iterative process. To develop a system that works for you, you need a structured approach that incorporates testing, feedback, and continuous improvement. This ensures that your system evolves alongside your team and market needs.

Take the tech industry, for instance. It’s notorious for chaos, yet methodologies like Agile emerged from this very environment, inspired by lean manufacturing principles. While Agile has transformed not just tech but also went beyond that to other disciplines, it requires dedicated effort to implement effectively.

In my own e-commerce journey, we initially followed Agile rituals without fostering a true understanding among our team members. We realized that coaching was essential—even for our top performers—to grasp what it truly meant to be agile. By allowing time for adjustment and building the system one step at a time, we witnessed remarkable results. Our team became aligned and autonomous, thriving in a culture of ownership.

A System of systems: How to implement a system in your business ?

To create an effective system, follow these steps:

1. Define your goals.

2. Determine the roles involved.

3. Assess existing systems and identify areas for improvement.

4. Document your findings.

5. Establish rituals around your new system.

6. Allow time for adaptation.

7. Gather feedback and optimize continuously.

8. Explore opportunities to scale successful practices.

Conclusion

Embracing the philosophy of leading by systems or systems thinking can empower organizations to go through complexities more effectively. But you need to understand that change comes with a cost, the promise of a well designed and implemented system is that it starts slow but as soon as it picks up, you're only left with incremental improvements with little effort to enjoy the fruits of your labor. its a trade that I encourage you to take anytime.