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Wednesday, June 11, 2008
How to Systemize Your Way to Success!
Beginning with the reign of Snefru, the first pharaoh of Egypt's 4th Dynasty, entire towns were associated with each of Egypt’s pyramids. These towns were full of people employed solely for the purpose of maintaining the king’s afterlife. New villages and agricultural estates were founded specifically to supply the pyramid cults and those who worked for them.
To build and maintain the pyramids an enormous support system must have existed. There would have been great need for facilities for production, building materials, pottery, supplies, and food, as well as storage depots and housing for the workmen and all those responsible for servicing the pyramid temples. In fact, evidence of sewage systems has been uncovered along with the oldest known paved street, complete with drainage facilities.
What is the lesson here?
When you have a big dream or goal, you need to create an equally big support system to help you achieve it. The purpose of any system in general is to create a set of well-defined actions that lead to CONSISTENT results 99% of the time. Of course, there will always be that 1% of special cases because no system is ideal.
There are two types of systems: Operating Systems and Support Systems.
An operating system is comprised of a set of actions that lead to certain results that are directly related to the goal you want to achieve. It provides a way of structuring the day-to-day operations of every person and every activity involved in that goal.
A support system takes care of the personal or operational needs and provides the optimal environment for you and all those who are working to achieve the goal.
For example, a sales system is a type of operating system that is directly related to the business goal of generating profits. A human resources system is a support system put in place to support the management and to provide employees with the basic needs necessary to help them perform at their best.
If your major goal or dream is related to your career, then developing a system for your personal growth would be a type of operating system because investing in yourself is directly related to your goal. Having a loving family, on the other hand, is a kind of support system that provides you with love and support and creates the relaxing environment you need to help you move forward with your dream.
After this long introduction, you’ve probably started to understand a BIG trap that most people and businesses fall into. Guess what it is?
Usually, the major focus is put on the operating system—and most people see support systems as a luxury. BIG MISTAKE! You can’t build a skyscraper without a very strong foundation, so laying that foundation is the first step you need to accomplish before you attempt to execute the rest of the blueprint. Don’t spend your time writing plans and taking action before you lay the foundation of success.
For example, when employee performance decreases, the boss may put more management pressure on the staff to increase performance—but the core problem is that the employees are not getting the rewarding salary they need to satisfy their basic needs and those of their families. Management didn’t provide them with a good support system and therefore their performance decreased.
On a personal level, when you focus solely on your career and ignore your family, you destroy one of the most important support systems in your life. You think that spending time with your family and nurturing your relationships with them is a waste of time, and that your time would be better spent pursuing your career goals. But as time goes by, you’ll lose the security and comfort of a blessed home and you’ll get steamed up by the stress and tension of your workaholic lifestyle. So don’t ever overlook the importance of developing good support systems in both your life and your business.
The first support system that you must develop is the “Basic Needs System” that will provide you with food and shelter. No one can achieve a big dream if he is starving or shivering out in the cold! Once you establish a good support system that CONSISTENTLY provides you with your basic needs, then you can build on that and start developing the operating system that will put you on the first step toward your ultimate goal.
The second support system is the “Sewage System”, which works consistently to get rid of the waste in your life and business—all those activities that exhaust your time, effort, and money but don’t lead to significant results. You can’t imagine how dramatically you can improve your life and business if you simply get rid of those fruitless activities.
Another useful support system is the “Storage System”, which provides a way to store any kind of information or materials that you might need in your operating system. For example, you can create what I call the “ideas treasure box” to store powerful ideas that you think could dramatically improve your life and business if you implement them now or in the future. In this age of information overload, this is a brilliant support system for organizing your ideas and thoughts. Instead of forgetting ideas or falling into the trap of implementing dozens of them at the same time—which would stretch you to the limit—you can just write them down and store them in a file. Then, when the time is right, you can simply take out your “ideas treasure box” and pick one idea that you can implement now—just one at a time!—and see the immediate improvements it creates.
When I started “The Success Avalanche” project, one of my aims was to create an “ideas treasure box” for people just like you. I recorded interviews with over one hundred successful people that led to over forty-five hours full of success stories, insights, and wisdom that you can use any time you need motivation or a new idea to take your life and business to the next level.
Yet another powerful support system is the “Paving System”—or, the “Problem-Solving System”—which eliminates the obstacles and resolves the conflicts that hinder you from smoothly achieving your goals. One of the main steps or actions that you MUST include in your problem-solving (paving) system is “finding a solution.” The biggest mistake people make when it comes to problem solving is that they spend endless hours focusing on or defining the problem itself, which actually shouldn’t take more than 10% of the time. Then 80% of your effort should focus on answering one important question: “What is the solution?” The remaining 10% should focus on answering the question “How can we prevent this problem from happening in the future?”
As a leader you must remember that your number-one role is to build either an operating or support system, or even both. As Stephen R. Covey has said, “Management works IN the system; leadership works ON the system.” Develop systems that even a fool can follow because the role of a system is to simplify, not to complicate. The role of a system is to provide clarity and well-defined actions that lead to consistent results 99% of the time.
When you develop systems for your life or business, work first on the support systems. Because without them, you will be subject to failure or total breakdown.
I shared with you some examples of powerful support systems for you to consider. Now I want you to think thoroughly about your specific situation in life and ask yourself, “What kind of support systems am I missing or can I develop to take my life or business to the next level?”
The pharaohs developed huge support systems to build the magnificent pyramids. Follow the pharaohs’ code and develop even bigger support systems to build your magnificent dream—and to build your own legacy. And remember that “systems” mean consistency, simplicity, and clarity.
Go systemize your way to success!
