This post was recently lost in a web host migration. We're reprinting it here - and fixing the 404s in the process. The original article below is by Jack Duncan of MarketBold.com, reprinted with permission. His thinking on systems has shaped much of what we do at Westernston.
She Still Beat Me, Because She Had One Big Advantage
I enjoyed a nice, sunny walk to my office this morning. While I was walking, a really old lady raced past me. We were going to the same building, but she got there at least three times faster.
She wasn't stronger than me. She wasn't more athletic than me. She couldn't walk faster than me. But she still beat me by a long shot, because she had one big advantage: she used a system.
We call that system a bicycle. And using that system, she was able to easily pass me. A few minutes later, another man flew by me on a bike. So this system was learnable and repeatable - a key concept.
When you really start to look for systems, you'll notice them everywhere. On Sunday, I made my wife Chicken Alfredo for Mother's Day. It would've been nasty if I hadn't used a system. In that case, the system is called a recipe.
Think about that for a second. A recipe is simply a list of resources (ingredients, pans, workspace, machines, time, temperature) and a list of steps for how to use those resources. I can't think of anyone who hasn't used a recipe before. But if you ask someone if they use systems in their business, you might get a strange look.
Why This Matters
Over the years, I've seen countless companies suffer - and often go under - simply because they never developed and used business recipes. They try to do everything as though they were doing it for the first time.
"Success is not built on success. It's built on failure. It's built on frustration. Sometimes it's built on catastrophe." - Sumner Redstone
Imagine making Chicken Alfredo without a recipe. Overcooked noodles. Food poisoning from undercooked chicken. Runny sauce. All those failures have been made by someone, at some point. Why rethink everything as though it were the first time? Why ignore the fact that someone already knows how to make delicious Chicken Alfredo?
Because when you follow a five-star Chicken Alfredo recipe, the delicious outcome is almost guaranteed. That's the power of a great system.
Think of Systems as Business Recipes
Most writing on systems is motivational but impractical. Here's the first step: shift your language. Don't say "system." Say "recipe." That simple shift will get you headed in the right direction.
What recipes should you use every day in your business? What's in your business cookbook?
Start making your recipe list. Just a small list. Don't worry about writing the recipes yet. If you spend 15 minutes this week writing down system ideas, you'll be well on your way.
"We should work on our process, not the outcome of our processes." - W. Edwards Deming
"If you're too busy to build good systems, then you'll always be too busy." - Brian Logue
"A bad system will beat a good person every time." - W. Edwards Deming
- Jack Duncan, MarketBold.com
The Westernston Take
Jack nailed it. With the right systems, you could beat competitors that have far greater resources - competitors with every conceivable advantage over you. With the right systems, an old lady can demolish Usain Bolt on a quarter-mile track. Because she has the unfair advantage of systems.
The question is: do you have this advantage in your business? If yes, great. If not - why not?
Here at Westernston, this is what we do. For a very small number of clients, we work on systemizing their businesses - so they can scale, so they can become the Davids taking on the Goliaths of their respective markets.
Keep systemizing. Because that is your job as a business leader and entrepreneur.
- Lakshya Behl, Westernston