Create a system that works for you
by Kelly Schwedland
When developing your system strategy to eliminate your frustrations, you need to be open to a variety of different ways to get it done.
When I tell people, "I help business owners eliminate their frustrations by helping them develop systems in their business," I usually get comments about some software they tried once that never really worked. I’m not talking about software solutions, I’m talking about procedures. It may come to software but it doesn’t start there
Focusing on your frustrations — and those of your employees and customers — is an opportunity to find a true solution. What we know to be true is that the frustration is never because of people; it is a sign that something is missing in your business.
So the logical Question is, "What’s missing in my business that is allowing this frustrating condition to occur?"
There are three basic types of systems in your business; hard systems, soft systems and information systems.
A hard system is something you put in place in your business that simply happens without requiring anyone to think about. The signs you have in your office, the colors of your walls, the computer on your desk are examples of hard systems.
The soft systems are all the things that people say and do, the ideas that are happening in your business. The script for how to answer the phone, greet customers or analyze their needs are examples of soft systems.
The information systems are the resulting numbers measuring the interaction between the other two. Monthly inventory-control figures, sales calls and results figures, and cash-flow forecasting are all examples of information systems.
When we go back and look at the business-development process — innovation, quantification and orchestration — we see that we need to be able to quantify what’s not happening as well as what is happening in the business.
So, first we need to develop a system of quantification of what’s not happening, that is, what’s missing, in the business. Then, we need to develop an information system to measure for the desired result.
Next, we can look at the appropriate innovation in our hard or soft systems to determine when it works.
Once we know what works we can then orchestrate that strategy into the operation of the business and eliminate the frustration forever.
Your job as business owner is to pull yourself out of the business long enough to actually do this type of strategic work for a change. Until you do the strategic work and eliminate the frustrations, you will continue to see the same problems regardless of how big or small your business becomes.
Here is a great example of how someone once described their understanding of developing systems. "It’s the organization of the business that allows the creative people within it to get on with their work, the customers of the business to get the results of (and be delighted by) that work and the stakeholders to share in the benefits of that work."
Kelly Schwedland is president of American Business Dynamics, a small business consulting firm focused on issues related to growing companies.