Relying on systems versus people

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

I was reminded of this quote recently from James Clear's Atomic Habits and it got me thinking about where I am still managing people vs systems/processes.?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of working with a team member to solve a problem vs making sure there’s a system in place for them, and others, to follow so they can solve it themselves. Version A keeps you small, Version B sets you up to grow and scale. Version B is much more interesting to me.?

When you remove the person from the equation and focus on holding them and the team accountable for the outcome, what is expected becomes much more precise.

To do this successfully, I’ve found the clearer the outcome desired, the simpler it is to create a system to get you there reliably.

Then it’s a matter of asking, “Did you follow the process? Yes or No?”

This really changes the perspective and removes any emotion from the situation.?

If yes and it didn’t work or something unexpected happened, I challenge them to figure it out.

If no, well that’s pretty simple, then. Follow the process, stupid.

Except I don’t say stupid ;-)?

Without focusing on the outcome and the process designed to get there, I’ve found myself trapped in proverbial monkeys being lobbed onto my desk.?

So now I simply don't let them come to me and dump a problem I have to solve for them.

Instead, I challenge them to follow the process and use their brilliant minds.?

?

Something in my toolbox to keep this alive is by using probing questions to get my team to think through possible solutions. In most cases, you know the answer, but providing it doesn’t help them grow.?

You want them to own the issue.?

I manage the system, not the people.

I only share the outcome I want and let the team figure out how to solve it.

This is a lesson that I'm constantly reminding myself and my team about and I thought you all could benefit from it too.?