This month we are wrapping up our series on The ASCEND Method™ by highlighting the importance of developing systems. All five of the preceding fundamentals will have the greatest impact and return on investment when they become systems in a leader’s business and life. As these fundamentals become ingrained both on the personal and professional front, peak performance and productivity can be fully realized.
Systems Simplified
Systems are really just habits, routines, processes, and/or best practices. They can run the spectrum from extremely simple to widely complex. For example, a daily routine of returning the car keys on the same hook is a simple system to ensure timeliness and ease for daily commuting. An organization that hires 10 or more new employees each month, and that is maintaining a 90% retention rate, likely has a complex system in place, addressing multiple stages of an employee’s life cycle. Whether they involve 1-step or hundreds of steps, think of systems as an acronym: “Saving You Space Time Energy Money.” [Barbara Hemphill, Productive Environment Institute].
Why are systems important?
Defining, documenting, and consistently implementing systems helps preserve mental energy for the more unique situations and critical decisions required of leaders throughout each day, thereby avoiding decision fatigue. A good system quite literally shortens the road to success
Need some real-world examples of how best to systematize the fundamentals of The ASCEND Method™? Check out these ideas below, implemented by some of my high-performing clients.
Saving (Mental) Energy
Having systems in place can support fundamental #3 – communicating boundaries – which leads to better energy management. My client LA defined with her marketing team what constituted a true emergency that would require her immediate attention versus the important needs of the team that could be brought to LA’s attention during the daily morning huddle or her mid-day office hour time block for team collaboration/support. This not only empowered her direct reports to solve problems on their own, but also allowed her as the team leader to direct her time and energy towards the highest level projects and organization needs.
Saving Money
Not surprisingly, a system for expense reporting saves money! The easier the system the greater the compliance rate, and having a tool at the team’s fingertips [the Quickbooks app] increased my client TL’s ability to write off expenses with a 95% compliance rate, an improvement of 50% from the prior year.
Saving Time
At my client NM’s organization, finalizing meeting agendas with aligned participant meeting expectations 24 hours prior to bi-monthly leadership team meetings resulted in meetings ending on time, a drastic increase in consistent attendance by all leaders, and a noticeable increase in accountability for task completion between meetings with documentation of promised deliverables.
When leaders develop, document, and consistently implement systems, both at the personal level and organization-wide, performance levels increase internally and clients and customers receive more consistent, higher-level service. As one of my favorite authors and experts on systems, James Clear, states, “You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.” As you close out 2024 and look ahead to 2025, look for opportunities to establish and improve the systems that drive your actions, your team, and your business towards peak productivity and sustainable success.
Need help establishing the right systems for you and your team? Let’s connect!
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