In the Systems Simplified Podcast, Business Success Consulting Group Founder and CEO Adi Klevit interviews leaders from every profession to discover the successful tactics they have used to grow their businesses. In a recent episode, Adi discussed what she learned from these interviews. We will share several of the lessons learned and how you can apply them in this article.
Eleven Lessons from the Systems Simplified Podcast That You Can Apply Today
Here are eleven lessons we learned from several of the last Systems Simplified Podcasts.
1. Live a life by design.
This means:
- Establishing an understanding of your purposes and mapping out what you want to be in the future.
- Determining your true purpose.
- Knowing your current life stage.
- Planning for an ideal life based on where you are now.
Designing your life this way will allow you to do what you’re great at while also providing the most community impact.
2. Identify what phase your business is in so that you can move forward.
Whether you are in the startup phase, running your successful business, or in a transitional period, you can design your business to benefit your needs and the needs of your community.
Here are three stages listed in Adi’s interview with Cesar Quintero that you can consider:
- Startup - In this phase, you need to gain an understanding of your market and make your model scalable and profitable.
- Operation - Create an operating system that will allow you to let go and work on the business. Part of this includes having a shared vision with your team to reach your business goals more rapidly and establishing accountability.
- Leadership - Determine what needs to be delegated to those around you based on your strengths and weaknesses. If you are weak in an area, chances are it’s another person’s specialty. Elevate people through delegation.
Establishing and designing your business to create a profitable and scalable company will benefit you and benefit your community.
3. Your team has two parts, don’t miss out on one or the other.
Many business leaders focus on the internal growth of their business, establishing a solid team of employees and executives. However, they neglect vital supports. Here are the two areas you should review as you consider your team:
- Focus on building a team outside of your business. These can include peers, mentors, and coaches who can provide advice and accountability.
- Review your team within your business. Do you have a second-in-command who follows through on ideas? A leadership team that can own the different parts of the business? Establishing these positions will help you create both accountability and an internal structure that holds firm, even if you have to step away.
4. Take your own advice
It’s often easier to give advice than to take it. If you are in a mentorship role with another or have friends who are business owners, make sure you apply your own advice internally before dispensing it to others. This makes your advice valuable and provides more self-awareness and accountability as you build your business.
5. Get new hires up-to-speed with a well-documented training infrastructure.
Documentation can help support business growth in many ways. We often focus on how much consistency systematization can provide within a business. However, it is also true that a well-documented infrastructure will help get new hires up to speed rapidly, cutting down on expensive training time. Additionally, having a rapid-fire training setup will allow you to evaluate whether a new team member is genuinely a good fit well before the end of any trial period.
6. Hire an expert to simplify your systems.
Every business has at least one overcomplicated system or one system that is filled with outdated and unnecessary steps. However, it can be challenging to see what is clutter and what is essential when applying these systems. Hire an expert to help you determine what procedures need to be modified and which should remain just as they are.
7. Trust your team to lead.
Many business owners feel tethered to their companies. They are “on” 24/7, even when on vacation. Here are three key steps that will allow you to take a step back:
1. Systematize your business so that others can easily follow essential steps.
2. Share knowledge and responsibility with your executive team to ensure the essential knowledge of the business is in good hands.
3. Trust your team to be leaders who can take over when you are away or when you step down.
That final step of trusting your team is essential, but it cannot be done without following the previous two steps.
8. Handle exceptions to the rule with processes.
One question we get asked frequently is, “How do we handle exceptions to the processes?”
The answer is to get the processes and structure in place. This will help you to focus on those exceptions.
Once the business systems are established, exceptions become more apparent. This allows you and your team to refocus and determine if these exceptions can be systematized or if policies can be written to address them. Either way, the process documentation is essential to handling exceptions.
9. Systems support creativity.
Another question that comes up is, “If everything is systematized, does that mean all the fun and creativity will be sucked out of the job?”
We have found that establishing systems helps to channel creativity. Without systems, we often use creativity to solve challenges that come up only because a system is not in place. When your whole team is using the same process, they can use their creativity to elevate the process, handle exceptions, or focus on building a new product/service.
10. How to get started documenting your company’s processes and procedures
In her podcast discussing the many lessons she learned when interviewing others, Adi shares a quick “how-to” that we wanted to include here. This is how to get started with documenting your business processes and procedures:
- Determine which areas have the greatest ROI.
- Determine the areas of your business that need the most help.
- Figure out the most common issues found in both areas.
- Document systems from that angle. This will help calm down chaotic areas so that you can focus on the bigger picture.
- Depending on your role, you may be able to establish process documentation in all departments or take what you did to the business owner to see if they will establish systems as part of the overall business goals.
11. Have fun!
This final point is simple but worth mentioning. As business owners and executives, we often get stuck in thinking about the next step and the step after that, attending meeting after meeting. Building and running a business is a lot of work, but it can also be fun. Bring fun into the workplace, whether you are accomplishing everyday tasks, building systems, or scaling your business. Find the elements that bring joy into your day and enhance them.
These eleven lessons are just a few of the many shared in the Systems Simplified podcast interviews. We hope you find them immediately useful in your company.
If you are wondering what next step would most benefit your business, get in touch. We provide a free initial consultation to help you establish what systems would provide ROI as you grow your business.
