Systems

Whatever you or I want to achieve in life that is noteworthy, we can be almost certain that it is the result of a system.

More money? It's the result of a money-generating system.

More success in the job? It's the result of a job success system.

A healthy, fit body? It's the result of a fitness system.

I'll stop here because the point has already been made: Systems provide us with the results we desire.

The underlying principle is: Build systems.

What always amazes me is how few of the people who want the result focus on the underlying system that delivers the result.

Too often, people take the supposedly direct path and focus only on the result.

I want to convey to you and me here why it is so helpful to look at the system behind it.

So if you want to achieve anything noteworthy that you haven't yet, you should be attentive to the topic of "systems"!

What does that mean?

A system, to me, is simply the combination of elements and workflows that deliver a specific output.

Whatever we want as a result, the output, it's the result of a system.

Let's take the example of a car.

What do we want? We want to move forward, from A to B.

How do we get this output? Through a combination of engine, chassis, and steering.

That's nothing more than a system.

In the technical field, the matter is obvious.

No one would think of getting the desired result without a functioning technical system.

For us knowledge workers, it's quite different.

We can get results by muddling through as well.

That's perfectly legitimate.

How does this help me?

In the end, it's about getting the output.

I want a result, and that in a specific quantity, quality, and at a specific price.

A system helps me to improve all three dimensions.

Quantity: Delegate, automate, scale.

Quality: Consistent output, systematic improvement, incorporate feedback system.

Price: Higher efficiency, less waste, less need for highly qualified personnel.

How do I do that?

If a strategy is like a recipe, then a system is the whole kitchen.

Awareness: My first step is to understand the value of a system and to understand how I can build a system.

Display elements: I have kitchen appliances, ingredients, different roles. Those are my elements.

Visualize workflows: The devices and ingredients are used in a specific way and order. Those are my workflows.

Start a Minimum Viable System (MVS): I start with a simple version that follows only one goal: to deliver a first variant of the desired output.

Systematically improve the system: Starting from my MVS, I begin to improve my system. My guidelines are the dimensions of quantity, quality, and cost. I test and simply try, with which changes I can increase the quantity and quality and lower the costs. All this without worsening the other dimensions.

But..., but..., but...

Am I not missing the point? Am I not faster if I take care of the result directly and not the system?

Yes and no. Finding the right balance here is an art.

If I only hustle directly for the result, I'm in hustler mode. That's great. But, does it become a problem if I never rise out of this mode and try to systematize things more?

Why? Because I don't look at how I can improve the quantity, quality, or cost. As a result, I hit a natural limit.

If, on the other hand, I focus too much on the system, I create too little (or no) output.

The output is the goal, so I steer past the goal.